Koreana Summer 2009 (English)

Korean art & Culture

Vo l . 23, 24, No . 2 Su mmer 2009

Vol. 23, 24, No. 2 Summer 2009

The Royal Tombs of Preserving theKorea’s JoseonWetlands Dynasty ISSN 1016-0744

BeautY oF Korea

Gourd Dipper

© Seo Heun-kang

B

efore the emergence of modern transportation, scholars would pack a bamboo walking stick, spare pair of straw shoes, and gourd dipper (ladle), whenever venturing about.

The gourd dipper would be hung from a cord on the scholar’s dopo (traditional overcoat). At a spring, instead of bending over to take a drink, he could use the dipper to draw water and quench his thirst in a dignified manner, befitting his social status.

A gourd dipper is a product of nature. After gourd seeds are sown in the spring, the vine grows rapidly, often reaching the roof overhang. The white flowers that appear in summer eventually wither, giving way to gourds that ripen by autumn. In the past, gourds were cut in half, scraped clean, and then steamed and dried. The gourd halves would be used as a container to handle grains or liquids, or for drinking water. The gourds included circular forms and those with a handle (horibyeong).

Over time, the traditional gourd dipper underwent a transformation, in terms of shape, style, and material. The dipper depicted above, from the late Joseon Dynasty, has been carved from wood and decorated to resemble a peach. Whether from a gourd or handcrafted, a dipper needed a loop so that it could be easily attached to a cord.

At a traditional wedding ceremony, the bride and the groom

would drink from two dippers made from the same gourd. The two dippers were later hung together, on a wall of the couple’s newly furnished room, as a symbol of their union. Related to this, the parents of a daughter who reached a marriageable age would sow gourd seeds, in anticipation of a hoped-for wedding.

Similarly, a king would give one-half of a gourd to a general who was dispatched on a dangerous mission, and keep the other half, to express his wish for: “Return safely so that we can drink from this gourd dipper.” And in fact, at times, a gourd dipper has been found among the possessions of field generals, including a peach-shaped gourd dipper of the legendary Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) of the Joseon Dynasty. In addition, there has been a wide variety of dippers in Korea, of differing styles and made from various materials, such as clay, iron, bone, bronze, leather, shellfish, paper, and stone.

With the proliferation of plastic wares, the traditional gourd dipper has fallen into disuse. However, there are still those who appreciate the gracefulness of natural forms, like the gourd dipper, which enables this legacy to be sustained. As for people with a deep attachment to Korea’s mountains and valleys, it would not feel right to drink the clear water from a spring in a remote forest area without a gourd dipper.

Korean art & Culture

Vol. 23, No. 2 Summer 2009

The Upo Wetlands, located in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, is the largest primeval natural wetland in Korea. The cover photograph of the Upo Wetlands on an autumn morning is by Serene Cho (www.serenecho.net), who held an exhibition, “Whispers with Wetlands,” at the invitation of the Ramsar Conference of Contracting Parties in 2008. © Serene Cho

6

32

14

Preserving Korea’s Wetlands 8

24

38

The Today and Tomorrow of Korea’s Wetlands Koh Chul-hwan 44

14 Korea’s Ramsar Wetlands Han Dong-uk

24 Primeval Splendor of Upo Wetlands Kang Byung Kuk 68

32

FoCuS

The National Digital Library, Beacon of Korea’s Advanced IT Culture

Published quarterly by The Korea Foundation 2558 Nambusunhwanno, Seocho-gu, Seoul 137-863, Korea

Nam Young-joon

38

IntervIew rhie won-bok

Rhie Won-bok, The Cartoonist Professor Who Pioneered Educational Cartoons | Goo Bonjoon 44

artISan Bang Yeon-ok

Bang Yeon-Ok Weaves Ramie Fabric as Light as Dragonfly Wings Park Hyun Sook

50

54 60

MaSterPIeCeS

Refined Simplicity of a Bowl for Royalty White Porcelain with Inlaid Lotus Scroll Design

68

art revIew

Old Partner (Wonang Sori ) and Korean Independent Films

76

| Yang Sung Hee

DISCoverInG Korea alan timblick | Hwang Sun-Ae

on tHe GloBal StaGe edward Kwon

Edward Kwon’s Quest to Globalize Korean Cuisine

| Seo Il-ho

| Kim Hyungyoon

CuISIne

Broiled Eel: Delectable Means to Overcome the Summer Doldrums Shim Young Soon

80

THE U.S. AND CANADA Koryo Book Company 1368 Michelle Drive St. Paul, MN 55123-1459 Tel: 1-651-454-1358 Fax: 1-651-454-3519 OTHER AREAS INCLUDING KOREA The Korea Foundation 2558 Nambusunhwanno, Seocho-gu, Seoul 137-863, Korea Tel: 82-2-2151-6544 Fax: 82-2-2151-6592 ADVERTISING CNC Boom co,. Ltd Towercrystal Building, 1008-1, Daechi 3-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-851, Korea Tel: 82-2-512-8928 Fax: 82-2-512-8676 LAYOUT & DESIGN Kim’s Communication Associates 398-1 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 121-840, Korea Tel: 82-2-335-4741 Fax: 82-2-335-4743 www.gegd.co.kr

on tHe roaD Goseong

Goseong: The Home of Dinosaurs

SUBSCRIPTION Price for annual subscription: Korea — W 18,000, Asia by air US$33, elsewhere by air US$37 Price per issue in Korea — W 4,500 Subscription/circulation correspondence:

| Yoon Yong-yee

Alan Timblick Dreams of a “Rainbow City” Seoul 64

PUBLISHER Yim Sung-joon EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Hahn Young-hee EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Park Jeong-yeop ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lim Sun-kun PHOTO DIRECTOR Kim Sam ART DIRECTOR Lee Duk-lim DESIGNER Kim Su-hye EDITORIAL BOARD Cho Sung-taek, Han Kyung-koo, Han Myung-hee, Jung Joong-hun, Kim Hwa-young, Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Youngna

PRINTED IN SUmmER 2009 Samsung Moonwha Printing Co. 274-34, Seongsu-dong 2-ga, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-831, Korea Tel: 82-2-468-0361/5

reaDer eSSaY

Koreana and I

| Joseph Di Bona Koreana Internet Website

82

http://www.koreana.or.kr

lIvInG

© The Korea Foundation 2009 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the Korea Foundation.

Popularity of Mountain Climbing on the Rise Charles La Shure

87

The opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily represent those of the editors of Koreana or the Korea Foundation.

JourneYS In Korean lIterature

Cheon Woon Young A Needle with the Ability to Engulf the Universe Needle | Translated by Sora Kim-Russell

| Seo Young-chae

Koreana, registered as a quarterly magazine with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Registration No. Ba-1033, dated Aug. 8, 1987), is also published in Chinese, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, and German.

6 Koreana | Summer 2009

The Upo Wetlands is an environmental treasure trove and home to myriad diverse life forms.

Preserving Korea’s Wetlands Wetlands play such a vital role in the proper functioning of the global environment that they are known as “the earth’s respiratory system.” As for the people of modern society, who have tended to drift apart from nature, the wetlands offer a place of refuge and a site for acquiring firsthand knowledge about our natural ecosystems. This issue presents an overview of the current status of Korea’s wetland areas, including an introduction of the sites designated as Ramsar Wetlands.

Summer 2009 | Koreana

The Today and Tomorrow of Korea’s Wetlands Although Korea’s history of efforts to protect its local wetland areas is quite brief, ecological awareness has increased rapidly and widely among the general public. Moreover, the 2008 Ramsar Conference, which was hosted

by Korea, focused attention on a number of environmental matters that need to be urgently addressed.

Koh Chul-hwan Professor of Marine Ecology, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University Kown Tae-kyun Photographer

8 Koreana | Summer 2009

The vast reed fields of Suncheon Ecological Park include walkways that enable visitors to fully enjoy the area’s natural splendor.

T

© Lee Chang-soo

he Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a 2006 publication of the United Nations, emphasizes the fact that over the past 50 years about 60 percent of the world’s ecosystems have experienced a notable deterioration in overall quality, due in large part to people’s misuse and neglect. It also reported that some one-quarter of the land has been cultivated, while 15 of 24 ecosystems, which had been investigated, were found to have incurred certain damage. In terms of the maritime ecosystem, approximately 40 percent of all fish species are being overfished and headed for depletion. In fact, the assessment offered scant hope for the future of the earth’s ecosystems, predicting even further decline in the years ahead, based on recent trends. Then, how would you describe the environmental situation of Korea today?

Step in the Right Direction We can start with a bit of good news from Suncheon, in Jeollanam-do Province, where the city authorities announced plans to remove all the utility poles located around Suncheon Bay, which included the symbolic removal of two such poles. Suncheon Bay, a halophytes-vegetated coastal wetland in Korea, is a favorite winter nesting ground for five of the fifteen endangered crane species from around the world.

Suncheon City decided to remove the utility poles, which can pose a hazard to cranes in flight, after an incident in which a hooded crane became entangled in a transmission wire and injured itself after falling to the ground. In fact, this was only the most Summer 2009 | Koreana

Once stopping by here temporarily on its annual migratory route, the white heron has now taken up permanent residence in the marshes of the Upo Wetlands.

recent case of similar accidents there.

Upon learning that Suncheon City had agreed to remove all poles and overhead wiring from about 300 hectares of farmland nearby Suncheon Bay and the areas around Suncheon Bay Ecological Park, I viewed this as a hopeful sign that the authorities are becoming more ecologyminded and willing to act accordingly.

2008 Ramsar Conference The 2008 Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention, held in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province (October 28-November 4, 2008), represented a high-profile international gathering for Korea. Its global significance was evident from the attendance of some 2,000 individuals, including representatives from about 160 nations, international organizations, and NGO groups. The conference was a meaningful and timely opportunity for the Korean government and general public to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the importance of wetland ecosystems.

Of note, the Ramsar Convention is notable for the unique process of its establishment, which differed considerably from the typical conventions and agreements concluded by the United Nations and other multilateral organizations. It was initiated by various international organizations and reached fruition as a global convention in the 1980s. Its conference gatherings are different as well. Although it is a meeting of representatives from a variety of nations, international organizations have a strong voice. More NGO groups attend the Ramsar Conference than any other international conference, and their opinions are carefully reflected in 10 Koreana | Summer 2009

the proceedings. Thus, at each conference session there is a palpable sense of passion exuded by the participants and NGO groups, working toward the specific goal of protecting the world’s wetland ecosystem.

For example, a panel discussion that I headed on the subject of East Asian wetlands, was based on the theme “To be or not to be, that is the question of East Asian Coastal Wetlands.” Citizen groups and scholars from around the world gathered with governmental authorities to discuss the reality of Korean coastal wetlands and come up with ways to ensure their long-term future, in terms of the relationships between the tidal flat ecosystem, migratory birds, and human beings. Above all, I believe the valuable lessons of this symposium led to an alternative way of thinking among the participants. As such, with the successful hosting of the Ramsar Conference, the Korean government expressed its clear resolve to the international community to do its utmost to conserve Korean wetlands, including tidal flats.

From Reclamation to Conservation Nevertheless, there is still a long road ahead, in terms of rehabilitating coastal wetlands that have already been lost to development, and protecting the areas faced with various threats. We must acknowledge that Korea has long been behind the times in regard to its conservation measures, and wise use of coastal wetlands ecosystem and protection of the natural habitats of migratory birds and waterfowl, which are fundamental objectives of the international efforts. It was not until 1999 that Korea adopted its first legislative measures for the protec-

tion of wetlands, while the public only became knowledgeable about the importance of wetland areas in the 2000s.

With some 70 percent of Korea’s terrain being mountainous, its inland wetlands are rather small in scale, but the coastal wetlands along the west coast are among the largest in the world. Unfortunately, similar to other East Asian countries, Korea has been pursuing large-scale land reclamation projects, with little consideration of the need to protect its tidal flats. Thus, in the future, the key question centers around whether or not Korea intends to launch additional large-scale land reclamation projects.

There are certain positive indications that Korea has taken the first steps of shifting its attention from reclamation to conservation. One example is the land reclamation project planned for Seocheon-gun county in Chungcheongnam-do Province, which has since been replaced with an alternative proposal that is more environment-friendly. The government also issued the Seocheon Declaration to make known its intention to cancel the grand reclamation project in the area and to transform Seocheon into a center for the visit and research site of tidal flats. The alternative plan of tidal flats use in Seocheon is considered a signal of the adoption

of sustainable use for Korean tidal flats.

It is also fortunate that Suncheon Bay has established facilities for visitors and is being operated as a successful model of ecotourism. This demonstrates that conservation and prudent use can be complementary, when properly implemented.

Following the Ramsar Conference, Korea’s Ministry of Environment announced plans to increase the number of Ramsar sites in Korea to 16, and the number of protected wetland areas to 30, by 2012, along with the conservation of at least 20 percent of Korea’s coastal wetlands by 2017. It also intends to restore 81 square kilometers, or about

10 percent, of currently reclaimed wetlands by 2017. Yet, Korea is still not at a point in which we can be certain that no future large-scale land reclamation projects will be undertaken. For example, discussions continue about the possibility of developing tidal-power plant facilities, which has been boosted by the recent push for green energy projects, but also requires significant tidal flats reclamation.

Wadden Sea and Yellow Sea The coastal wetlands along Korea’s west coast play an important role as a resting area for migratory birds traversing the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 11

1

The Yellow Sea tidal flats along Korea’s west coast are no less ecologically significant than the better-known Wadden Sea tidal flats of Europe. In March 200 , Korea signed a cooperative agreement, with the three Wadden Sea countries, for the sharing of expertise to promote conservation of the Korean tidal flats.

There are a number of protected coastal wetlands in Korea, but they do not encompass that large an area, since few of the more expansive tidal flat areas have been designated for protection. The tidal flats of Korea’s west coast are also critical as a spawning ground for various fish. They supply a wealth of fishery products, providing economic profits to fishery communities and basic food to consumers as well.

Conservation of tidal flats will contribute to long-term sustainability of the fishery resources. And yet coastal reclamation projects of massive scale even by global standards have been undertaken in Saemangeum and Sihwa in the 1990s, and today there is still discussion of constructing additional sea walls for 12 Koreana | Summer 2009

2

1 The Yongsan Observatory offers a picturesque view of Suncheon Bay. 2 The status of East Asia’s tidal flats was discussed in detail at the 2008 Ramsar Conference, held in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province.

3 Suncheon Bay provides a natural habitat for diverse waterfowl, such as this common heron.

proposed tidal-power plants. Korea thus needs to rethink these kinds of projects from a perspective of sustainability as a whole, wetlands conservation, the natural functioning of ecological systems and the well-being of humankind.

The Wadden Sea countries of Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands (Wadden means tidal flats) have agreed to protect the Wadden Sea ecosystem in accordance with a joint declaration signed in 1982. Each country applies its own protection measures, which includes designation of the tidal flats as national parks by Germany. The whole tidal flats of the Wadden Sea have also been designated as protected areas under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program, along with being registered with the Ramsar Convention. The concerted efforts to protect all 15,000 square kilometers of these tidal flats underscore the critical importance of maintaining the unique Wadden Sea ecosystems.

The Yellow Sea coastline, which extends along China, North Korea, and South Korea, is home to the world’s second-largest area of tidal flats, behind only the Wadden Sea, of which some

3

2,500 square kilometers are part of Korea’s west coast. How well these areas will be protected in the future is the foremost concern for the conservation of Korea’s tidal flats. Yet Korea does not have sufficient experience in wetlands management, and thus lacks a proper understanding of how conservation of these tidal flats will benefit the people, and the know-how how to protect this area.

The Korean government has signed a cooperative agreement, with the Wadden

Sea countries, to enhance the conservation measures and implementation of programs for Korea’s coastal wetlands.

The agreement would lead to a more systematic approach to tidal flats conservation, and to a implementation of more comprehensive and effective initiatives.

However, in Korea, the general public and policy-makers are yet to reach a consensus on how to preserve and use its wetlands wisely. I hope that more people will come to be supportive of future wetlands conservation.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 13

Korea’s Ramsar Wetlands The Ramsar Convention, concluded in 1971 at the city of Ramsar, Iran, has become a central axis in the global efforts to preserve the world’s ecological diversity, through the protection of wetland areas. In Korea, 11 sites have been registered as Ramsar Wetlands.

Han Dong-uk Director General / PGA Wetland Ecology Institute Kown Tae-kyun, Lee Gap-chul Photographers

14 Koreana | Summer 2009

The Upo Wetlands, believed to have been formed some 140 million years ago, is a primeval marshland with waters that do not freeze in winter.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 15

16 Koreana | Summer 2009

1

T

he 11 sites in Korea designated as Ramsar Wetlands are a true blessing of nature, with each area having its own ecological character and value.

According to wetland specialists, the most environmentally significant areas include: the High Moor, Yongneup of Mt. Daeamsan, where legend says that a dragon (yong ) rested there on its way to heaven; Jangdo Island High Moor, which provides a real-life example of the value of wetlands as a water resource; Suncheon Bay, a favorite rest area of various migratory birds such as the hooded crane; and Ganghwa Maehwamarum Habitat, Korea’s first rice paddy wetlands to be protected.

The High Moor, Yongneup of Mt. Daeamsan The High Moor, Yongneup of Mt. Daeamsan, the first site in Korea to be registered as a Ramsar Wetlands, is a high moor located near the summit of Mt. Daeamsan. Situated within the

demilitarized zone (DMZ), which separates North and South Korea, the area is remotely located and not readily accessible by the general public. The climate of Mt. Daeamsan (1,304 meters) is cool and foggy, with temperatures of below 0°C for five months of the year and foggy conditions for about half the year.

So, the water that gathers in its summit basin does not easily evaporate, thereby creating a wetlands area. It is estimated that Yongneup was formed some 4,500 to 5,000 years ago. The site includes Big Yongneup (1,180-1,200 meters) and Little Yongneup (1,240-1,260 meters), which cover a combined area of about 57,000 square meters.

Yongneup, the first acidic moor discovered in Korea, attracted international attention in the early 1970s, when it was the subject of a joint ecological survey conducted by a team of Korean and international scholars, of selected sites within the DMZ. Due to its environmental value, the site has been

designated a natural monument, as well as an ecological and tourism area and a nature preserve. In an acidic moor, dead plants will decompose at a slower rate than normal, forming a spongy layer of peat, which becomes acidic when combined with water. When the moor was discovered, its peat layer had reached a thickness of about 150 centimeters.

Yongneup’s water, gathered from the rain, snow, fog, and frost, eventually makes its way into underground streams and mountain streams that flow down the slopes to the villages below, providing a steady supply of water year-round.

Insect-eating plants, such as the round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia ) and the yellowish-white bladderwort (Utricularia ochroleuca ) thrive in the high moor of Yongneup. These mountain wetland plants supplement the scarce nutrients of the acidic soil as a result of their consumption of insect life. Of note, the Trientalis europaea var. arctica , bog bean (Menyanthes trifoli-

1 Growths of sedge (Carex dispalata) form whirlpool patterns in the vicinity of the High Moor, Yongneup.

2 Caltha palustris, a resident plant of the High Moor, Yongneup, produces yellow flowers.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 1

2

2 1 A colony of Veratrum patulum at the High Moor, Yongneup.

2 Pitcher plants (Drosera rotundifolia), an insectivorous species that can be found at the High Moor, Yongneup.

1

ate ), and long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus ) are endangered species that can only be found in the high moor wetlands of Korea. Also, 12 species previously unknown in Korea, such as the Grapholita dimorpha moth, have been discovered, another indicator of the high moor’s ability to promote ecological diversity.

Unfortunately, the area was the site of fierce fighting during the Korean War, and later had been used by the military as a training ground, at a time when there was little appreciation for the ecological value of wetland areas.

Moreover, although entry to the site is regulated, as a conservation measure, local residents are known to intrude into the area for gathering mountain greens.

Jangdo Island High Moor A wetlands area is a unique habitat that is home to aquatic plants and other 18 Koreana | Summer 2009

species that can adapt to the wet ground.

Wetlands are valued for their natural capability to provide effective filtration and purification of water. The Jangdo Island High Moor, of Sinan, Jeollanamdo Province, is a peatlands found at the summit of an island mountain, where its reservoir catches rainwater, which gradually permeates into the ground.

The water flows down to the villages at the base of the mountain, where it is suitable for drinking. The local residents thus have firsthand knowledge about the importance of wetlands as a water resource.

Jangdo Island High Moor is situated on a small island within Dadohae Maritime National Park, which comprises a number of islands located off the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula. The small islands in the area are known for their dramatic cliff formations, but Jangdo Island is the most impressive, because

of the Jangdo Island High Moor, located near the summit of a 267-meter-high mountain, which supports a wide variety of living things.

Although the entire island’s surface is lined with solid granite, water collects in the bowl-shaped summit and the plant life decomposes very slowly, which over time accumulates to form a peatlands. The soil, which contains a high organic content, is highly absorbent and can filter out impurities from the water that eventually flows down to the villagers below, where is it clean enough to be used as drinking water. For this reason, Jangdo Island High Moor is being studied for its natural ability to supply clean water.

Jangdo Island High Moor is a paradise for a variety of predatory birds, such as the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus ), Oriental honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus ), Japanese sparrowhawk

Korea’s Ramsar Wetlands

Ganghwa Maehwamarum Habitat Ganghwa-gun, Incheon Metropolitan City / 0.3 hectare / Registration: October 13, 2008 Du-ung Wetland A freshwater wetland that has developed behind the Sindu-ri Sand Dunes Natural Monument; endangered species inhabiting this area include the goldspotted pond frog (Rana plancyi chosenica), boreal digging frog, lacertid ear (Eremias argus), and Chinese goshawk (Accipiter soloensis).

Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do Province / 6 hectares / Registration: December 20, 2007

Pyeongchang-gun and Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do Province / 1.7 hectares / Registration: October 13, 2008

Moojechineup A high moor located on Mt. Jeongjoksan (700 meters) in Gajisan Provincial Park; Ganghwa endangered species of this area include the scarlet Maehwamarum Habitat dwarf (Nannophya pygmaea), leopard cat (PriOdaesan National Park Wetlands onailurus bengalensis), and lacertid ear, while a member of the barberry family, known as Jeffersonia dubia, is found Du-ung Wetland in nearby mountainous regions. It is also a treasure house of Muan Tidal Flats insect-eating plants, Upo Wetland An intertidal zone tidal flats such as the roundMoojechineup located along the inner leaved sundew Muan Tidal Flat edge of Hampyeong(Drosera rotundifolia), bladderwort (Utricularia racemosa), and common yellow bladderwort man Bay, this area has Jangdo Island Suncheon Bay been designated a tidal (Utricularia bifida). Ulsan / 4 hectares / High Moor Muljangori-Oreum flats provincial park for the magnificent scenery of its Registration: December 20, 2007 rugged sea cliffs and jagged coastline. It is a well-known Mulyeongari-Oreum Upo Wetland habitat for the thin-legged common octopus, and home to an abundance of benthic creatures, such as the nereid worm Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do Province / 854 hectares / (Lumbrineris nipponica). Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do Province / 3,859 hectares / Registration: January 14, 2008 Registration: March 2, 1998 The High Moor, Yongneup of Mt. Daeamsan

Jangdo Island High Moor Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do Province / 9 hectares / Registration: March 30, 2005 Suncheon Bay Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do Province / 3,550 hectares / Registration: January 20, 2006 The High Moor, Yongneup of Mt. Daeamsan Inje-gun, Gangwon-do Province / 106 hectares / Registration: March 28, 1997 Odaesan National Park Wetlands This high moor consists of three separate wetlands: Jilmoeneup, Sohwangbyeongsanneup, and Jogaedongneup. Endangered species found in this area include the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaeto), Callipogon relictus beetle, and the Korean ratsnake (Elaphe schrenckii).

Muljangori-Oreum This relatively large parasitic wetlands, found within a volcanic basin on Jejudo Island, is associated with a legendary tale about its origin. Endangered species found here include the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), fairy pitta (Pitta brachyura nympha), black kite (Milvus migrans), Japanese sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), Japanese paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone atrocaudata), Fabriciana nerippe, giant water bug, and obovata peony (Paeonia obovata). Jeju-si, Jeju Special Self-governing Province / 62.8 hectares / Registration: October 13, 2008 Mulyeongari-Oreum A parasitic wetlands in a volcanic cone located 508 meters above sea level on Mt. Suryeong-san, a southwest peak of Mt. Hallasan, on Jejudo Island; endangered species found in this area include the giant water bug (Lethocerus deyrollei) and boreal digging frog (Kaloula borealis). The Galeola septentionalis orchid grows in nearby mountainous regions.

Seogwipo-si, Jeju Special Self-governing Province / 31 hectares / Registration: October 18, 2006

graved seal, while the tidal flats show off their darkened skin. During winter, numerous migratory birds, including the hooded crane, can be seen taking flight above the reed fields of the ocean basin that penetrates deeply into the land. Accordingly, Suncheon Bay has come to be known as a “reed paradise” and “hometown of the hooded crane.”

The vibrant scenery of Suncheon Bay can be attributed to a harmonious melding of natural influences. In particular, Dongcheon Stream and Isacheon Stream steadily empty their waters into the bay, providing a constant source of fresh water for the tidal flats and diluting the sea water’s salt content, thus allowing freshwater reeds and the saltwater Suaeda japonicus to coexist there. This brackish condition has enabled the area to become an estuary salt marsh. Most of the estuaries in Korea are blocked off by dams or irrigation reservoirs for agricultural purposes, so Suncheon Bay is indeed a rarity that makes it all the more meaningful and valuable.

In addition to the intertidal salt marsh areas and reed tracts, Suncheon Bay offers much to see and enjoy, such as the Suncheon Bay Ecology Hall, Sun-

1

(Accipiter gularis ), Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo ), and Amur falcon (Falco amurensis ), as well as the Japanese wood pigeon (Columba janthina ), a type of pigeon only found in island regions. Local plants, such as Impatiens koreana , Korean snow (Hosta yingeri ), and Rosa kokusanensis reside here, along with the wind orchid (Neofinetia falcate ), which has been categorized as a first-class endangered species, and the light-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis ), a tropical

bird, thus attesting to the area’s noteworthy biological diversity.

Suncheon Bay The Suncheon Bay Protected Area, together with the Boseong Beolgyo Tidal Flats Protected Area, form the Ramsar Wetlands site registered as Suncheon Bay. The landscape scenery of Suncheon Bay is notably diverse, with tracts of reed thickets interspersed with red Suaeda japonicus , forming patterns like an en-

1 A curving waterway that flows into Suncheon Bay along the southern coast.

2 Jangdo Island, located within Dadohae Maritime National Park off the southwest coast of Korea, is home to Jangdo Island High Moor, a mountainous wetlands area found on a summit about 230 meters above sea level.

3 The reed fields of Suncheon Bay.

Ramsar Convention As of March 2009, the number of contracting parties (countries) to the Ramsar Convention stood at 159, reflecting a steady increase since its formation in 1971. Under this convention, the contracting parties are required to register at least one notable wetlands area within their national territory on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of Inter2 national Importance, and the wetlands on this list are called “Ramsar Wetlands.” The convention’s official name is the “Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially as Waterfowl Habitat.” However, over the 38 years since its launch, the Ramsar Convention has evolved into a treaty that not only protects waterfowl and their habitats, but also provides national and intergovernmental action plans and a systematic framework for international cooperation, in order to preserve and prudently utilize all wetland

areas and their natural resources. Today, a total of 1,833 Ramsar Wetlands have been designated, encompassing a cumulative area of just over 170.32 million hectares.

Ramsar Wetlands According to the Ramsar Convention, wetlands are defined as “areas of marsh, fen, peatlands, or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed 6 meters.” This comprehensive definition reflects the convention’s goal of recognizing the diverse types of wetlands in individual nations and the efforts to deal broadly with natural and artificial wetlands, in both inland and coastal regions. The Ramsar Convention, which seeks to publicize the economic, cultural, scientific, and aesthetic value of wetlands,

3

and to prevent the loss of important wetland areas, encourages each nation to increase the number of its registered wetlands in order to protect and manage these valuable natural resources. After Korea became a contracting party to the convention, the High Moor, Yongneup of Mt. Daeamsan was the first wetlands area to be registered. Along with Upo Wetlands in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, which became the second registered site, the list now includes 11 wetland areas in Korea.

Registration and Protection Efforts When a wetlands area is registered as a Ramsar Wetlands, detailed information about the site is recorded on a Ramsar Information Sheet, and the boundaries of the wetlands area are clearly delineated on a map. A Ramsar Wetlands should be selected in consideration of the international importance of its ecological, botanical, zoological, limnological, and hydrological value. Unlike world heritage programs, the Ramsar Convention accepts the areas designated by contracting parties without any screening; thus

such designation requires only the effort to do so by the individual contracting party. Also, if the boundaries of a Ramsar Wetlands are altered or its ecological characteristics have changed or are likely to change, this information must be reported to the Ramsar Secretariat as soon as possible, along with relevant matters being discussed at a meeting requested by the contracting party. If a contracting party needs to eliminate or reduce the delineated area of a Ramsar Wetlands due to overriding national interests, the government must replace the lost wetland resources by establishing a new equivalent preservation area to serve as a replacement habitat.

At general meetings of the Conference of Contracting Parties, held every three years, the various topics of discussion include such matters as: additions and changes to the Ramsar Wetlands list, information about changes in the ecological characteristics of Ramsar Wetlands, and general and specific recommendations for the contracting parties in regard to conservation measures and prudent usage of wetland areas for the welfare of native plants and animals.

1

cheon Bay Astronomical Observatory, migratory bird-watching via CCTV, reed field pathway, Yongsan Observatory, and Tidal Flats Observatory, thanks to efforts to develop the site as an ecotourism destination. Multifaceted measures to promote environmental sustainability are being implemented as well, including the use of tour buses and bicycles, in order to curtail the volume of vehicle traffic around Suncheon Bay. Some 220 species of birds can be seen at Suncheon Bay, of which 35 species are endangered, including the hooded crane (Grus monacha ), common crane (Grus grus ), oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus ), saunder’s gull (Larus saundersi ), black-faced spoonbill (Platalea minor ), common spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia ), Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes ), Oriental stork (Ciconia boyciana ), spoon-billed sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus ), spotted greenshank (Tringa guttifer ), Baikal teal 22 Koreana | Summer 2009

2

(Anas Formosa ), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus ), whooper swan (Cygnus Cygnus ), bean goose (Anser fabalis ), hen harrier (Circus cyaneus ), common buzzard (Buteo buteo ), and white-naped crane (Grus vipio ).

Boseong Beolgyo Tidal Flats, across the way from Suncheon Bay, is Korea’s

primary grounds for the Malaysian cockle (Tegillarca granosa ) and mudskipper (Boleophthalmus pectinirostris ), which can bring tidy profits to local fishermen. Shellfish such as the jackknife clam (Solen strictu s) and Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea ) also add to the economic value of these tidal flats. The tidal flats are valuable coastal wetlands in terms of their ecological significance, in providing a stable habitat for a variety of waterborne creatures, and its cultural contributions, including the tidal flat boats and various elements spawned by the wetlands culture here.

Ganghwa Maehwamarum Rice paddies are a kind of man-made wetlands, which are integral to an ecosystem and natural habitat of their own.

Accordingly, rice paddy areas are now eligible for registration as Ramsar Wetlands. Of particular note, Korea’s Ganghwa Maehwamarum Habitat became

3 1 The Muan Tidal Flats, known for its scenic cliffs and rugged coastline, became the first wetlands area in Korea to be designated a provincial park.

2 Eurasian oystercatchers at Suncheon Bay. 3 The Ganghwa Maehwamarum Habitat, a former farmland area, has been purchased by environmental concerns so that the endangered maehwamarum trees can be better protected.

the world’s first-ever rice paddy to be formally designated a Ramsar Wetlands.

This resulted from the 10th Ramsar Conference, when the environmental value of the rice paddies in Asia’s monsoonal regions was recognized for their ability to support ecological diversity.

The measures to conserve rice paddy wetlands have led to such efforts as surveys of the plants and animals that populate rice paddies and studies to identify representative species.

For example, Japan has identified some 5,000 species that rely on rice paddies for their survival, which has contributed to the promotion of more environment-friendly farming methods, known as biological diversity agriculture.

Korea is assessing anew the importance of rice paddies as habitats for endangered species and adopting measures for their preservation. A representative case involves Korea’s Maehwamarum (Korean water crowfoot; Ranunculus

kazusensis ). After being thought to be extinct, growths of Maehwamarum were discovered in the rice paddies of Ganghwado Island. And because the lands there were slated for redistribution and eventual development, the National Trust intervened and acquired the site.

Although the rice paddy site covers a relatively small area, it has been registered as a Ramsar Wetlands to assure its continuous protection. The National Trust, which is primarily funded by public contributions, strives to preserve environmentally significant land areas through the acquisition of selected sites, which would otherwise be lost to commercial development.

The Ganghwa Maehwamarum Habitat and nearby areas have adopted organic farming practices in an effort to promote the Maehwamarum’s survival, while the locally grown rice is marketed as “Maehwamarum Rice,” which adds to the revenue of the area’s farmers.

The area has also gained considerable popularity as an ecological and historical attraction for visitors, which includes a trail for observing the Maehwamarum, an education center, nearby tidal flats, and historic sites.

Aside from the Maehwamarum, other endangered species that inhabit the rice paddy and surrounding areas include the black-faced spoonbill, Chinese egret, gold-spotted pond frog (Rana plancyi chosenica ), boreal digging frog (Kaloula borealis ), and Korean ratsnake (Elaphe schrenckii ). When organic farming is applied to rice paddies, the areas can be home to over 100 species of aquatic plants, such as the river bulrush (Scirpus fluviatilis ), and a variety of waterborne creatures, such as the horseshoe crab, rice paddy snail, water snail, crucian carp, and mudfish. The Maehwamarum is in full bloom in early May, just before the farmers transplant the rice seedlings.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 23

I

n Botswana, Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland wetlands area, is an oasis for a diverse animal and plant life. Most rivers eventually flow into the sea, but the Okavango River never makes it that far. Its waters flow into the Kalahari Desert where it is dissipated by the heat, but not before forming a vast wetlands area. Okavango Delta is a true paradise and refuge for a variety of carnivores and herbivores, including the largest concentration of lions, 24 Koreana | Summer 2009

elephants, buffalo, and antelopes on earth. Indeed, the wild of Okavango is an extraordinary sight to behold.

Masterpiece of Nature Upo Wetlands is said to be the Okavango of Korea. The oldest and largest inland wetlands area in Korea, scholars estimate that it was formed about 140 million years ago. A back marsh formed by the Nakdonggang River, Korea’s longest river, Upo Wetlands revolves

around a primeval ecosystem that has remained largely intact over the eons.

Unlike the Okavango Delta, there are no large animals here, but it is a paradise for smaller animals, such as the smalleared cat and European otter, and a home for a wide variety of bird, fish, and insect species.

On the weekends, I invariably visit Upo Wetlands. Since the passing of my parents, the natural wonders of Upo serve as a kind of hometown, providing

Primeval Splendor of Upo Wetlands Since the late 1990s, the hidden treasures of Upo Wetlands have been increasingly revealed to the public. And while ecotourism efforts will improve accessibility to its primeval splendor, much of which has been in place for some 140 million years, considerable care is needed to preserve the delicate ecosystem of Upo Wetlands.

Kang Byung Kuk Professor, Gyeongsang National University Vice President, Green Upo’s Friends Kown Tae-kyun, Lee Gap-chul Photographers

Aquatic plants, such as the floating fern Salvinia natans, giant duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza), and frogbit (Hydrocharis dubia), are examples of the marshland ecology of the Upo Wetlands.

my heart with a sense of comfort. The ever-present sounds include the singing of birds, while frogs bellow loudly during the mating season in early spring. By summer, broad-billed rollers, orioles, and skylarks show off the best of their vocal skills in summer, and resident insects somehow form an orchestra in autumn.

During the winter, wild geese, Bewick’ s swans, mallards, and mandarin ducks compete in lyrical song and display of their radiant plumage. The trees and wild-

flowers from the time of my youth are still in abundance, wherever you turn. Images of my youthful days, when I would chase after diving beetles, water scorpions, and water scavenger beetles in shallow waters, flit through my mind like a kaleidoscope’s changing patterns.

In early spring, while sitting at the marsh’s edge, I notice a hoopoe with his Indian headdress. I watch bemusedly as he stalks along the water’s edge, catching insects, and find myself in a state

of dream-like fantasy. The hoopoe has arrived at Upo Wetlands somewhat earlier than last year, probably due to global warming. I look at the bird, like some creature out of a fairy tale, and think: “This land is truly blessed by God.” Early last summer, when the brilliant yellow orioles filled the air with their lyrical sounds, my mind was hazy, until I recalled that the oriole’s singing is often compared to a soprano’s lilting voice.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 25

1

The birds breathe life into Upo Wetlands. In fact, the Ramsar Convention began as an effort to save the natural habitats of migratory birds, in response to an alarming decline of wetlands areas worldwide as a result of worsening pollution and rampant development. Can there be a more delightful sight than seeing diverse waterfowl and birds going about their everyday activities without a care in the world?

The growing number of gray herons and white herons which have given up their migratory ways and settled down in the area. With an endless supply of 26 Koreana | Summer 2009

food sources here year-round, they have since made their home in Upo Wetlands.

Watching birds in flight is a form of meditation; however, there is no need to clear your mind and struggle to enter a state of deep contemplation. Indeed, Upo Wetlands is conducive to entering the Buddhist state of anatman, or “noself.” The Bible says: “In the beginning was the Word.” Upo Wetlands continuously produces a cacophony of sound from such sources as the birds, wind, rain, pine trees, rain, and insects, along with the voices of fishermen, cackling of

women, and laughter of children.

Some 2,600 years ago, Buddha said: “The greatest discipline is to realize that there is no substantial I.” Upo Wetlands, like a consummate masterpiece created by nature, might be an ideal setting for ascetics to pursue enlightenment. Here, sedentary and migratory birds are seen showing off the elegance of their song and dance. The crane dance of Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, which is known to capture the hearts of audiences with the gracefulness of its flowing movements, is based on the natural movements of the crane. Various Korean folk pastimes

2 1 The Upo Wetlands is considerably shallower than a lake.

2 In the summer, the Upo Wetlands teem with creatures such as these snails.

are associated with the singing and dancing of birds.

Formation of Upo Marsh Back marsh systems can be found in such areas as Changnyeong, Hapcheon, and Uiryeong of Gyeongsangnamdo Province, along the midstream and downstream segments of the Nakdonggang River. The Geographical Records of Joseon (Joseonjiji ) contains the following passage: “The heavens have Cheonji Lake atop Mt. Baekdusan, while the earth has Upo Wetlands in Changnyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do.”

While ancient Koreans regarded Cheonji Lake as sacred ground, they also revered Upo Wetlands, along with showing considerable respect for its intriguing environment.

As Korea’s industrialization steadily gained momentum in the 1970s, the government gradually began to reclaim wetland areas in an effort to expand agricultural land. Based on the accounts of scholars and local residents, the original scale of Upo Wetlands has been estimated at about 11 square kilometers, or some five times greater than its current area. Its fresh water capacity is thought to have been 1.25 billion tons, which is roughly equivalent to the reservoir at Andong Dam, in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. The area now designated by the Ministry of Environment as an ecological and scenic preserve encompasses about 8.54 square kilometers, with a water surface area of 2.3 square kilometers.

It is believed that Upo Wetlands was created at a time when Cretaceous dinosaurs roamed this land. Following the Ice Age, the topography along the Nakdonggang River underwent a radical transformation. As glaciers melted and the Nakdonggang River overflowed

its banks, silt and sand deposits eventually blocked the entrance to today’s Topyeong Stream, causing the waters to accumulate and form a vast lake. Over time, this lake turned into the Upo Wetlands.

From within the Upo Wetlands area, Mt. Uhangsan arises. This mountain came to be known as Uhang, which means “cow neck,” because of its resemblance to a cow bending its head down to take a drink of the marsh waters.

Since long ago, cows have been brought to graze along the water’s edge, leading to the area being called Cow Flats.

Thereafter, during the period of Japan’s colonial rule in the early 20th century, the Japanese authorities changed place names from Korean Hangeul to Chinese characters, and as a result Cow Flats (Sobeol) became “Upo.” Upo Wetlands consists of four marsh areas: Upo, Mokpo, Sajipo, and Jjokjibeol. Mokpo (Tree Flats) is so named because trees that were felled by heavy rains would end up there. Sajipo (Sand Flats) takes its name from its expansive sand tracts, while Jjokjibeol is called Scrap Flats because of its smaller scale.

Upo Wetlands, like other inland Summer 2009 | Koreana 2

wetland areas, is considerably shallower than a lake, with a depth of no more than 1 meter. A wetland area’s unique environment is created by a continuous cycle of water flowing in and then being drained off. As thick mud deposits built up, water plants flourished, which slowed down the flow of water and resulted in heavy flooding during the rainy season. During the dry seasons, the aquatic plants and other life forms lived in harmony, creating a habitat that teemed with countless organisms. While various life forms were born and later died off, microorganisms broke down the animal waste, thereby preventing the stagnant water from becoming fetid and increasing the water’s nutrient content.

Wetlands are marvelous models of integrated ecosystems, teeming with a wide diversity of life.

Four Seasons In spring, the weeping willow and purple willow come to life. When the waters start to flow freely, before the leaves appear, harbingers of spring include the Adonis, Japanese witch hazel, and Japanese cornel dogwood. Chinese milk vetch also boasts a vibrant appear-

ance. From the water, tiny water fringe lift their heads to take in the spring’s warmth. All manner of insects, such as the water strider, water scorpion, and diving beetle, can be seen scurrying about. Around this time, sedentary birds, such as the magpie, are busy building nests, ahead of the summer breeding season.

In summer, barefoot women venture into the marshy waters to harvest snails, making the presence of humans an aspect of the wetlands ecosystem.

Tall cattails, sweet flag, hair grass, reeds, and prickly water lilies (designated an endangered species by the Ministry of Environment) blanket the water’ s surface with a carpet of vivid green.

A diversity of aquatic plants add to the mysterious intrigue of Upo Wetlands in the summer, including the Salvia natans, water chestnut, water shield plant, water fringe, frogbit, and great duckweed.

You can readily sense the area’s primeval nature while watching the early morning mist rise from the marsh waters, like the scene of a traditional landscape painting. On rainy days, melancholy steals over the heart. The green carpet changes in the bright autumn

sunlight, which gives way to a chorus of insects, while fireflies stage a delicate festival of light. In winter, the wetlands serve as a perfect stopover area for migratory birds. When various plants succumb to autumn’s coolness and wind, this makes room for the migratory birds. Poetic sentiments are aroused in the hearts of anyone fortunate enough to see flocks of speckled teal take flight against the sunset, or simply watching the mallard, bean geese, whooper swan, spoonbill, and mandarin duck search for food or take a moment to relax.

Unique Flora and Fauna The 21st century is said to involve a silent war in which countries compete to secure a diversity of animal and plant species. According to futurists, a nation that manages to secure a vast diversity of species will be well positioned to become prosperous and powerful. Among the flora and fauna that reside in Upo Wetlands, the albino swamp eel, which is capable of changing its gender as it matures might be the most unique. It is somewhat smaller than the Japanese eel but larger than the Chinese weatherfish.

This swamp eel is often the center of at-

In fact, the Ramsar Convention began as an effort to save the natural habitats of migratory birds, in response to an alarming decline of wetlands areas worldwide as a result of worsening pollution and rampant development. Can there be a more delightful sight than seeing diverse waterfowl and birds going about their everyday activities without a care in the world?

1

28 Koreana | Summer 2009

1 (From left to right) A dragonfly emerges from its pupal casing, moorhen (Gallinula chloropus indica Blyth ), Monochoria korsakowi plant, and floating heart (Nymphoides indica).

2 The Upo Wetlands brilliantly adorned with flowers of the yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltata).

Summer 2009 | Koreana 2

2

© Ha Dong-chil

1

tention of regular visitors and student groups who visit Upo Wetlands for hands-on learning. Up through the late 20th century, it could be found in many of the marsh, reservoir, and paddy areas of Korea, but nowadays it is known to exist only in Upo Wetlands.

The long-tail tadpole shrimp, designated an endangered species, is another noteworthy sight. Its back is covered with an armored shell, composed of 30 to 40 segments, while in the middle of the back, toward the front, is a pair of large eyes. Resident mammals include the small-eared cat, which sits at the top of the food chain, and can be seen stalking the local birds. A scene of predator versus prey here is similar to that of the Okavango Delta or Serengeti. An endangered species of otters also makes their home in the marshy waters. Prior to Korea’s industrialization, it is estimated that the otter population numbered in 30 Koreana | Summer 2009

the hundreds, but they have recently experienced such a drastic decline it is difficult to spot one.

The aquatic plant that attracts the most attention is the prickly water lily, with large leaves that can reach about 2 meters in diameter. Although protected as an endangered species, you can see thousands of the lily plants in the waters in the middle of summer. The water shield plants are another important aspect of the native aquatic plant life. They were once such a popular food source that people would say: “Wild ginseng in the mountains, ginseng in the fields, and water shield plants on the water.” Nowadays, however, they are being threatened by extinction. Upo Wetlands remain a popular rest stop for the white heron, as well as various swans and herons. I do not know of a more tranquil scene than the sight of swans gliding effortlessly on the water’s surface in winter.

Future of Upo Marsh Since the late 1990s, the hidden treasures of Upo Wetlands have been increasingly revealed to the public. In fact, it is now facing a critical turning point as a result of the Lee Myung-bak administration’s “Low Carbon, Green Growth” policy initiatives, which includes the promotion of ecotourism and major river-restoration projects, related to the 2008 Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention. The Lee administration’s ambitious plans call for transforming Upo Marsh, along with the Demilitarized Zone, into world-class ecotourism sites that will be representative of Korea. The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute will publish the results of its research findings in the first half of 2009, and then proceed with the implementation of development projects.

The government intends to invest some 200 billion won (about $180 mil-

The fox nut (Euryale ferox), with flowers that bloom from thorny buds, adds to the vivid colors of Upo Wetlands in mid-summer.

lion) for the transformation of Upo Wetlands into a foremost ecotourism attraction. Ecology specialists have called for such development to focus on cultural content, rather than simply constructing physical improvements, such as new roads and buildings. They also recommend efforts to preserve the natural ecosystem by relocating existing buildings from nearby areas so as to curtail environmental pollution, and to encourage organic farming around the wetlands. The potential of cultural content can be seen in the some 600,000 annual visitors to Walden Pond, who come to enjoy the tranquil nature that so inspired Henry David Thoreau.

Above all, the development activities must not do any damage to the area’s primeval nature. As such, any restoration of the Nakdonggang River must consider its potential impact on the ecological treasure trove of Upo Wetlands. While the dredging of riverbeds will help to promote flood control and natural ecosystems, the maintenance of proper water levels in the Upo Wetlands is essential, in order to sustain its primeval splendor that has endured the passage of 140 million years. As such, there are valuable lessons to be learned from an understanding of how renowned ecotourism sites are maintained, such as Walden Pond in the United States, Mai Po Marshes of Hong Kong, Kushiro wetlands of Japan, and Boondall wetlands of Australia.

Enjoy a Visit to Upo Wetlands

Getting There By auto, take the Central Inland Expressway (Expressway No. 45) from Daegu to Masan, and exit at Changnyeong IC. Make a left and follow the directional signs for about 10 kilometers, until you arrive at the Upo Nature Learning Center, managed

by Green Upo’s Friends. From atop the Daedae Levee you can look out upon the Upo, Mokpo, and Sajipo areas.

For public transport, take an express bus to Changnyeong Intercity Bus Terminal, and then catch a city bus or taxi. For a city bus, walk about three minutes to Yeongsin Bus Terminal and get on a bus headed toward Ibang or Yueo to arrive at Upo Wetlands.

By high-speed train, get off at Dongdaegu Station and take a bus from the Seobu bus stop to Changnyeong Intercity Bus Terminal; you can also get off at Miryang Station, and head to Changyeong Intercity Bus Terminal.

Attractions To make the most of a brief visit to the Upo Wetlands, start at Sejin-ri parking lot and head for Daedae Levee and the observatory, followed by Jjokjibeol and Upo. To see everything that Upo Wetlands has to offer, from Daedae Levee make your way behind the drainage facility, then cross Topyeong Stream and follow the embankment pathway between Sajipo and Upo. To experience the mystery of the wetlands, start from Changnyeong, take a local bus toward Ibang or Daeji, and get off at Jangjae Village, from where you can walk along the edge of the marshy waters. Thickets of Salix glandulosa (a type of willow) are worth seeing from spring to autumn, while in the height of summer you can marvel at the beauty of the prickly water lilies.

Places to Eat Between Somok Village and Jangjae Village, in An-ri, Ibang-myeon, Changnyeong, is a guesthouse known as Upo Minbak (pension), which is known for its steamed carp and snake-head mullet sashimi. If you do not care for raw freshwater fish, the snake-head mullet soup is recommended.

In Yueo, toward Sejin, there are local restaurants nearby a parking area, and in Changnyeong the barbecue restaurants, Jangmaeul and Daega, at the entrance to Mt. Hwawangsan offer reasonably priced and tasty food.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 31

FoCuS

The National Digital Library

Beacon of Korea’s Advanced IT Culture The newly opened National Digital Library enables users to easily access more than 100 million items of content from all over the world. The role of this new-concept library is especially meaningful as an integral aspect of today’s knowledge/information society.

Nam Young-joon Professor of Library and Information Science, Chung-Ang University Ahn Hong-beom Photographer

A

s for the National Digital Library (NDL), which opened its doors on May 25, 2009, its fundamental mission, of providing users with access to needed information, is identical to that of a conventional library. However, its cuttingedge user services and capabilities are clearly distinctive from any existing library and information-retrieval system.

Universal Gateway The NDL is located next to the National Library of Korea, in Seocho-dong, Seoul, in a 38,014-square-meter facility, with five floors above ground and three basement levels. Following a groundbreaking in December 2005, the building was com-

pleted after three years of construction work. The high-tech facilities of the library include a multi-language information room (Grobal Lounge), digital reading rooms (Productivity Computer Cluster), seminar rooms (Digital Meeting Room), media center, “multiplex,” and automated book shelves equipped with the world’s first nine-level mobile racks. The library also features a variety of areas for sitting and relaxation, including a Lawn Plaza, Korean Garden, Digital Book Café, and Digital Monument.

This library is the result of Korea’s information technology, the Korean public’s familiarity with IT applications, and efforts of the library sector to prepare

for the future. The operating concept of the NDL is wholly different from that of existing electronic libraries in Korea and abroad. In particular, electronic libraries thus far have mainly functioned as the homepage of a particular physical library, with minimal applications for the provision of online access to information resources.

In contrast, the NDL collects and provides easy access to a diverse range of information, including all manner of multimedia content available on the Internet. In addition, it maintains an extensive collection of documents produced in Korea, including commercial databases, which are recorded in digital format. As such, the NDL is an ideal form of library that stores a wealth of

The Productivity Computer Cluster area is an Summer 2009 | Koreana 33 integral aspect of the National Digital Library.

1

“Tangible” materials in the form of books or printed publications are nowhere to be found in the reading rooms of the National Digital Library, in line with an innovative theme of its library services known as “Information Commons.”

1 The touch-screen kiosk at the entrance to the library provides information at your finger tips about the library’s functions and facilities.

2 The Global Lounge caters to the needs of multiethnic families and foreign users by offering information in various languages.

3 The Digital Monument is illuminated by natural sunlight.

34 Koreana | Summer 2009

2

analog and digital content, from domestic and international sources, and can provide easy access to requested information for online and offline use.

Innovative Library Services The reading rooms of the NDL are equipped with an array of monitors for the retrieval of digital information. Since its entire collection has been either filmed or digitalized, “tangible” materials, in the form of books or printed publications, are nowhere to be found, in line with an innovative theme of its library services known as “Information Commons.”

The NDL offers educational assistance to users so that they can easily and conveniently utilize the digital equipment and resources. This support service, which is necessary because of users’ initial unfamiliarity with handling digitalized resources, represents a fundamental task of the library staff to popularize the library’s resources. Therefore, the NDL librarians provide significantly greater handson assistance than their counterparts in conventional libraries. The various usersupport services are also associated with the NDL’s theme of “Information Commons.”

Of note, the NDL provides an environment that promotes equal opportunity for all users, regardless of gender, nationality, language, and physical disability. For example, the NDL is designed as a userfriendly facility for people with disabilities, with all reading rooms being equipped with wheelchair-accessible desks and access programs being supplemented with special-needs features, such as TTS (text-to-speech) software for the visually impaired. Thus far, support programs are in place for the blind and wheelchairbound users, while assistance for the hearing-impaired and people with more serious physical disabilities will be made available over time.

In addition, the NDL maintains a program to help foreigners search for information in various languages. This system includes a variety of software and equipment for handling foreign languages

3

as well as practical user information.

Currently, a number of applications are available for major languages, but for less widely used languages, such as Thai, the user interfaces have not yet been developed. Accordingly, in order that multiethnic families and foreign users in Korea can utilize this program, the NDL will have to increase the number of its foreignlanguage options.

User-friendly Resources The NDL’s equipment and services, which enable users to retrieve and utilize requested information, also includes facilities that can be used to produce tailor-made digital resources and content.

For example, users can create their own

video content and UCC clips at the multimedia studio, where advanced Internet broadcast equipment is available. Moreover, to promote a Library 2.0 concept (a newly adopted term associated with the Web 2.0’s efforts to facilitate participatory interaction), the NDL has collected a diverse variety of selected UCC clips, blogs, and other user-created content.

Currently, this collection includes some 430,000 web content items, while NDL’s plans call for increasing this volume to 2.7 million items. In partnership with a variety of online information services, the NDL also provides web portal services that specialize in regional affairs, policy issues, and welfare measures for the physically disabled and multiethnic families.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 35

2

1

Within the NDL, as in other libraries, users of the reading and browsing areas do their utmost to maintain an atmosphere of quiet. On the other hand, to allow people to interact with each other, seminar rooms are available for groups to engage freely in open discussion, without disturbing other users. The seminar rooms, along with being enclosed with glass partitions to provide sound insulation and create a sense of openness for group discussions, are equipped with cable or wireless Internet access as well as a digital workstation to search for information. At the “Multiplex,” people can view movies in which the audio is received via wireless headsets. In addition, the NDL lends out UMPCs (Ultra Mobile Personal Computers), a mobile device that can be used to look up digital information from anywhere within the library premises and to use other NDL services.

Convenient Services The NDL is a hybrid library that provides services related to the real and the 36 Koreana | Summer 2009

virtual. With its portal services, users can freely access the information resources of major libraries all over the world, subject to copyright protection. The NDL’s ultimate goal is to provide users with easy and convenient access to high-quality digital resources found anywhere in the world, without regard to the constraints of time and space. Highlights of the NDL’s resources include the following: NDL Physical Facilities: -Productivity Computer Cluster Areas equipped with personal computers and printers.

-Media Center Areas for groups to conduct education, research, and discussion sessions, which include high-tech digital equipment (beam projector, LCD monitor, and electronic blackboard) and conference solutions for recording and distributing conference proceedings.

-The Multiplex with an advanced digital environment that includes 3D virtual reality software, RFID, USN, and touch screens.

1 The National Digital Library is located next to the National Library of Korea.

2 The National Digital Library is a new-concept cultural complex that reflects the advanced state of Korea’s IT society.

-Digital Editing Zone for producing professional-quality multimedia content with the aid of digital equipment designed to produce, edit, and convert media content.

-Digital Book Café for users to relax, with a window opening onto a lawn area.

-Digital Monument, a Korean-style garden created within the building to provide library users with a sense of aesthetic appreciation.

User Services: “Dibrary,” for “digital library,” is the name of the information portal services provided by the NDL, which enables easy access to video files, electronic books, and a variety of online materials from sources within Korea and abroad. In partnership with major libraries around the world, including the U.S. Library of Congress, as well as various domestic and international organizations, groups, and individuals, the NDL provides access to more than 100 million content items. Furthermore, it also collects academic, cultural, and knowl-

edge resources from all over the world and archives the information in the form of digital resources. An “open portal” for Korea’s academic information resources, “Dibrary” allows users to freely use all of its non-copyright resources.

NDL and the World The NDL serves the Korean people as a new-concept global gateway that provides easy access to a wide diversity of information, along with being a physical space for personal communication, cultural interaction, and quiet relaxation.

Via the Internet, it also offers user-friendly online library services that can be utilized 24/7. The NDL stands as a beacon of Korea’s advanced IT society, a visible symbol of its technological expertise and cultural prowess, for the entire world to admire.

In the future, advanced digital libraries like the NDL will be opened in developed countries. For example, in 2008, the U.S. Congress and UNESCO agreed on joint plans to develop a World Digital

Library. Similarly, the European Union launched the European Digital Library in 2006, which offers access to the electronic resources of most European national libraries. Amid this worldwide trend, the NDL’s key themes of “Information Commons” and “Optimal User-friendly Services” “No Divided” will be promoted to help these all-new library services to take root and flourish in Korea. Indeed, the NDL can be said to represent an epochal turning point in the history of library services.

As the NDL accumulates its massive volume of digital resources, it will be essential to develop technological safeguards to assure their equitable usage and to conduct studies on potential legal issues. Lastly, the staff librarians, as key members of the Information Commons initiative, should strive to continuously enhance their professional skills. The NDL can emerge as a preeminent digital library of the 21st century by maintaining welltrained librarians and actively adopting the latest IT applications.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 3

IntervIew

Rhie Won-bok The Cartoonist Professor Who Pioneered Educational Cartoons Rhie Won-bok prefers to call himself a “cultural translator,” rather than a cartoonist.

However, it was in his capacity as an illustrator that he recently served as a judge for the “Illustrator of the Year” contest held in conjunction with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Rhie himself earned first prize in this contest 27 years ago. I recently caught up with him to discuss the present and future state of Korean illustration.

Goo Bonjoon Director, Planning Division, The Hankyoreh Ahn Hong-beom Photographer

T

here is one fact about Korean cartoons that most Koreans are probably unaware; that is, Korea is a cartoon power. Korean cartoonists produce almost 100 different kinds of cartoon strips every day. All in all, some 10,000 cartoon books are published every year. Although Japanese cartoons all but destroyed the cartoon industry in other Asian countries, Korea’s cartoon industry is thriving. Indeed, Korea is one of the few nations that export cartoons. And Korea’s cartoon industry features the unique genre known as educational cartoons.

Father of Educational Cartoons Educational cartoons educate children in an easy and fun manner. Having made their debut within the Korean publication industry during the 1970s, educational cartoons have now gone on to become one of the most sought-after and competitive genres in the Korean publication market.

This particular cartoon genre was able to take root within Korea because of the sense of familiarity which cultural cartoons evoke in the current generation of parents who grew up during the 1980s and 1990s reading cartoons. One of the works which attracted readers during this initial period was Far Land, Neighbor Countries by Rhie Won-bok (b. 1946), the first cartoon book to become a bestseller in Korea.

First published in serial form in a children’s newspaper in 1981, Far Land, Neighbor Countries achieved instant success among the general public, due in large part to the fact that it introduced the history and culture of distant European countries at a time when Koreans had few opportunities of traveling abroad. It has sold over 15 million copies over the past 20 years.

Rhie Won-bok was already a well-established cartoonist by the time he published this educational cartoon series. Although he majored in architecture at Seoul National University, he always identified himself as a cartoonist. He openly admits to having had no other interest except cartoons. After graduating from university, Rhie, who had already débuted as a professional cartoonist when he was a 16-year-old freshman in high school, decided to study cartoons in Europe in order to develop his 38 Koreana | Summer 2009

Professor Rhie Won-bok has been hailed as the pioneer of educational cartoons, which aim to promote cross-cultural understanding.

craft. It was during his studies in Europe that he first came across the comic strip Asterix, a series that would have a great influence on him. Thereafter, he changed his drawing style and attempted to create a new type of cartoon that could be used to disseminate cultural and historical information. It was out of these efforts that Far Land, Neighbor Countries was born.

Far Land, Neighbor Countries was not only a great success that cemented Rhie’s reputation as a pioneer in his field, but also a work which subsequently had a great influence within the Korean educational cartoon market. The success of this cartoon series can be attributed to the fact that the illustrations were not only different from anything that had been seen before, but also heightened the intellectual level of cartoons. In this sense, Rhie has come to be known as the father of cultural education cartoons and as the most famous cartoonist in Korea.

A Conveyor of Contents and a Cultural Translator Rhie became a professor after returning from Europe. He followed up the publication of Far Land, Neighbor Countries with other popular cartoon books, and went on to break various records in terms of the history of cartoons in Korea.

Above all, he managed to change the perception of the older generation of Koreans who regarded cartoons as an example of the low-class culture absorbed by children. Rhie also became the very first cartoon professor in Korea. Before Rhie Won-bok emerged on the scene, cartoons constituted the most neglected pop culture genre in Korea. People naturally had a hard time imagining that a university professor who studied abroad spent his time drawing cartoons. His work, Capitalism and Socialism as Viewed through Cartoons became the first cartoon collection to top the general bestseller list in Korea.

The enduring popularity of Rhie’s cartoons can be explained by the fact that his works are not only fun to read, but also packed with cultural and historical information. His works introduce a wide range of cultural and historical knowledge required in today’s society through simple “Korean illustration has just begun to make inroads abroad. I would like to conand pleasant means such as cultural tribute to the development of this unique art form infused with Korean culture.” comparisons and concise and uncomplicated summaries. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that the majority of Koreans first learned about the cultural characteristics and history of European countries through his work, Far Land, Neighbor Countries.

To this end, Rhie is more than a simple cartoonist; he is also a conveyor of contents and a cultural translator. The wide scope of themes addressed in his cartoons range from economic philosophy to religion, current events, and the best way to enjoy wine. Now in his sixties, Rhie shows no sign of slowing down. He continues to draw cartoons in his studio and to give lectures at university.

A Past Winner Becomes a Judge There is another aspect of Rhie’s life which most Koreans know little about. In 1982, while studying in Germany, Rhie became the first Korean to ever be selected as the recipient of the “Illustrator of the Year” award presented by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy. As the winner of this prestigious award is selected from among illustrators from all over the world, winning it in essence means that one’s talent has been recognized by the international community.

Some may be wondering why a cartoonist would receive an award for illustrations. However, the answer to this question is in fact quite simple: Cartoonists fall under the broad category of illustrator.

Rhie has now taught illustration at Duksung Women’s University’s College of Graphic Design for 25 years. Thus, to be more exact, Rhie Won-bok is both a cartoonist and an illustrator.

It is in his capacity as an illustrator that Rhie was recently invited to serve as one of the four judges of the “Illustrator of the Year” contest staged in conjunction with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair held from March 23 to 26. Thus, an illustrator whose artistic talents had first been recognized during this book fair 27 years earlier returned to the scene of his former glory, only this time as a judge. He was the second Korean to serve as a judge at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, and the first Korean illustrator to do so. Rhie’s long and esteemed career as a professor of illustration and his standing 40 Koreana | Summer 2009

1 An example of Rhie’s works: The Mice’s Magnificent Cheese Party.

2 Professor Rhie was named to a panel of judges for the “The Illustrator of the Year Contest,” staged in conjunction with the 2009 Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

1

2

Summer 2009 | Koreana 41

as a previous winner at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair made him a natural choice as a judge.

Through a strange twist of events, Korea also served as the Guest of Honor for the 2009 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. One of the overarching themes of this particular edition of the book fair was Korea’s potential as a rising new cultural power in Asia. In this regard, Professor Rhie played an important role as an illustrator representing Korea.

Illustration has a relatively short history in Korea, but it has grown at a breakneck speed. The great advancements which have been made in terms of the quality of Korean children’s books have been accompanied by similar improvements in the illustration field. Although a globally renowned Korean illustrator has yet to emerge, Korean illustrators have garnered widespread attention at international events such as the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Out of the 2,711 illustrators who submitted samples of their work to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, 80 were selected for the “Illustrator of the Year” awards, including three Korean illustrators.

Although the personality of the illustrator is naturally the most important determinant of an artist’s work, certain common national traits can be identified nevertheless. Even in Europe, there are clear differences among the works of illustrators from Germany, England and Italy. Whereas German illustrations incorporate the expressionism of Germany and its emphasis on intense, dark psychological emotions, English illustrations are unique to the point of being bizarre. Much like the British weather, 42 Koreana | Summer 2009

English illustrations fill foreign nationals with a sense of dreariness and gloom. French illustrations tend to be bright and colorful and Italian illustrations exhibit an experimental and playful tendency.

Many of these works exhibit an avant-garde style. Although U.S. illustrations do not expose any uniquely American characteristics, they have been singled out for their realistic renderings.

The field of illustration in Asia in essence boils down to countries such as Japan and Korea where active publishing markets have developed. In Japan, a nation that has been labeled as an illustration powerhouse, illustration is characterized by an achromatic use of color and contemplative and introverted style. Korean illustration, on the other hand, is characterized by its extroverted, intense, and garish style.

Professor Rhie firmly believes that Korean illustration has only now begun to come into its own.

Although the overarching focus has been on the production of fictional illustrations rendered as part of a story rather than nonfiction illustration designed to convey information, the general consensus has been that various types of illustrators will emerge in the very near future to create a uniquely Korean illustration culture.

To the question, “what were some of the trends in illustration which you were able to identify during your recent tenure as a judge during the world children’s book fair,” Professor Rhie responded: “I realized the importance, as far as illustration is concerned, of coming up with new means to draw people’s attention. In the past, illustrations that required an advanced skill were held in high esteem, but these days the focus is on the development of unique and creative illustrations. Rather than teaching illustration skills or telling them to revise what they have done, I focus on helping students to create their own styles. They have to illustrate their own world.” Thus, only those illustrators who have their own personalities and styles can survive in such a competitive field.

To Support Future Generations

Rhie has served as an illustration arts professor at Duksung Women’s University’s College of Graphic Design for some 25 years.

Professor Rhie likes to emphasize the important role played by illustrations in picture books, which as he points out, in many cases represent the first images children encounter. This is because illustrations greatly influence children’s ability to develop an awareness of aesthetics when they grow up. In this regard, he points out that academic research should be actively conducted in the field of illustration. Interest in illustration should be heightened and related studies should be conducted so that parents can develop the ability to select good illustrated works for their children. As children will grow up with an aesthetic mindset that has been honed by looking at good illustrations, the cultural level of the whole country will be heightened.

To attain this, Professor Rhie has organized exhibitions in Korea and Germany of the works of young illustrators. This project, which he has undertaken as a successful illustrator and as a pioneer in the field of Korean illustration, constitutes his personal contribution to the younger generation of illustrators.

The exhibitions present works on a particular theme prepared by illustrators from different countries. This methodology is designed to provide new illustrators with the chance to compare other countries’ illustration traditions and cultural traits, and to come into contact with other cultures. Much like he was awakened to his own world when he came into contact with other cultures, he hopes that young illustrators will find their own uniqueness and personalities through various cultural experiences.

“Illustration has become the core of visual culture. The images created by an illustrator are used in conjunction with various goods to convey culture. Korean illustration has just begun to make its mark on the international stage. In this regard, I would like to contribute to the development of unique Korean illustrations that encompass our unique Korean culture.”

Summer 2009 | Koreana 43

artISan

1 Hansan ramie fabric is so finely woven and delicate that it is often compared to the wings of a dragonfly.

2 Detail of a woman’s jacket made of finely woven ramie dyed with natural indigo. Flower-shaped brooch designed by Bang Yeon-Ok. 44 Koreana | Summer 2009

1

“A

fine ramie skirt of jade-green with a ribbon adorned with gold leaf Floating through the air and fluttering among the clouds Even the swallow is startled, and stops to look.”

As suggested by these lyrics from the folk song “The Swing” (Geune), fine ramie fabric is like a breath of fresh air. In the past, on Dano Day, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, with the approach of summer, young women would take out their treasured ramie clothing, which had been carefully stored away for a special occasion, and get dressed up for the holiday’s festivities.

Along with hemp clothing, called sambe , ramie garments were the most popular traditional attire during summer.

Woven from the fibers of the hemp plant, sambe is a coarse-textured fabric that was used to make the everyday clothing of the common people. In contrast, ramie is a finely woven fabric made with fibers from the ramie plant. As for the making of ramie fabric, which required a painstaking process, its garments were a kind of luxury that was associated with the elite segments of society. During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) high-quality ramie would be presented as tribute to the king.

So fine that it is translucent, people would compare the lightness of ramie fabric to the wings of a dragonfly.

Two Master Instructors Since long ago, many places in the Jeolla-do provinces have produced ramie. However the Hansan region of Chungcheongnam-do Province has been known for its high-quality ramie. In the distinguished geography book Taengniji (Ecological Guide to Korea) Yi Jung-hwan (1690-1756), a Joseon Dynasty scholar of the School of Practical Learning (Silhak), identified various regional specialties, including tobacco from Jinan, ginger from Jeonju, sedge from Andong and Yean, and ramie from Imcheon and Hansan. Hansan ramie is revered for its superior quality, so fine yet durable it is said that a bolt of the fabric could fit into a rice bowl. The craft of weaving Hansan ramie, which has been designated Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 14, is currently held by Bang Yeon-Ok, 62.

Bang Yeon-Ok says she learned her craft from two masters: her mother, now deceased, and a neighbor Mun Jeong-Ok, 81. “My mother would always tell me: ‘You made your first ramie when

2

you were six.’ While still breast-feeding, from my mother’s arms I grew up watching my mother, sisters, and the neighborhood women who would split ramie stalks [jjaegi ], make the skeins [samgi ], and treat the thread [maegi ]. I was quite good at splitting the stalks and making the skeins myself. When I was a bit older, my mother refused to teach me properly, telling me that if I started making ramie I wouldn’t be able to stop, which meant I would be destined to have a hard life. Those were

Bang Yeon-Ok Weaves Ramie Fabric as Light as Dragonfly Wings Ramie fabric is used to make traditional Korean garments that can keep you cool on even the muggiest summer day in Korea. Ramie, or mosi , has long been recognized as the ideal fabric for summer clothing because its lightness allows air to easily circulate. For a garment made with finely woven ramie (semosi ), its elegant lines are the epitome of gracefulness.

Park Hyun Sook Freelance Writer | Ahn Hong-beom Photographer

Summer 2009 | Koreana 45

1 Ramie thread that has been made ready for the weaving loom.

2 Bang Yeon-Ok’s lifetime of dedication to weaving Hansan ramie led to her designation as an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 2000.

3 A newborn baby’s garment made with natural ramie fabric.

1

“It’s like walking on thin ice all the time. Ramie is so delicate and tightly woven, particularly fine ramie, that you have to tend it like you would a newborn baby. Nothing is more exquisite than a well-made outfit of fine ramie. The fabric is so airy that even people who don’t have an attractive figure can look good in ramie.”

2

46 Koreana | Summer 2009

the days when people thought a woman with skilled hands would end up having a difficult life. But I learned by looking over my mother’s shoulder, and at the age of 17 I attempted to make my first roll of ramie fabric, although my mother did the actual weaving. I was the youngest of eight brothers and sisters, and my mother tried to stop me, but I had a liking for ramie. Since then, I’ve never considered stopping. When I’m working I forget all my worries, lost in the loom’s rhythmic sounds while weaving.”

Bang’s other teacher, Mun Jeong-Ok, was from a nearby village and came to live in Hansan at the age of 29 after getting married. While tending to her three children, she took a break from making ramie, but then resumed the work when her fourth child was on the way. She was 35 at the time and had not woven ramie for eight years. At the time, she had acquired a reputation as a master weaver, for which she was designated the Important Intangible Cultural Property holder.

“I started learning ramie in the 1980s,” said Mun. “There’s not a single step of the ramie weaving process that is easy. But the hardest work involves splitting ramie fibers, connecting the strands, and treating the thread. One slip and the whole thing is ruined. It’s hard to split the ramie into even strands, and when making the skeins you have to twist the strands carefully. To treat the thread, they have to be dried over a fire of rice chaff, but if the

3

heat is too intense, then the thread will be weakened and break easily. My teacher never said much and always patiently instructed me, but if the thread broke during treatment she could get really upset. I would always concentrate hard and do my best, but one little mistake and my energy would all be sapped.”

Over a one-month period in 1981, Bang managed to weave three rolls of ramie. At that time a roll of fine Hansan ramie (semosi) could be sold for about 120,000 won, which was a value equivalent to ten sacks of rice. So, it was a good amount of money. In August 2000, Bang was designated the Important Intangible Cultural Property title holder, 23 years after learning the ramie-making craft from Mun.

Weaving Process The making of Hansan ramie mainly involves the production of thread by splitting the ramie fibers, joining the strands, setting the thread length, making skeins, treating the thread, winding the woof, and

weaving the fabric. Bang says that making the thread is really hard work but she does enjoy weaving the ramie, and will not relax for a moment until a roll of fabric has been fully completed.

“It’s like walking on thin ice all the time,” Bang explains. “If you lose your concentration even for a second, then you can make a mistake. And if you get frustrated, you will lose a thread. Ramie is so delicate and tightly woven, particularly fine ramie, that you have to tend it like you would a newborn baby. Nothing is more exquisite than a well-made outfit of fine ramie. Ramie clothing should have a loose fit to allow circulation and keep you cool. The fabric is so airy that even people who don’t have an attractive figure can look good in ramie. Though the fabric is durable, a careless move can result in a crease. So, even the king had to move about carefully when wearing ramie.”

The making of ramie fabric involves a number of processes. “First you have to harvest the ramie plants from the field.

You pick stalks that are about two meters Summer 2009 | Koreana 4

1

1 A ramie handbag made by Bang Yeon-Ok, which is among the items available for sale at Hansan Mosi Museum.

2 Major steps in the ramie making process (from left to right): removal of the outer bark from ramie stalks with a sickle-like knife; ramie fibers are split into strands with the lips and teeth; fine individual ramie fibers with a smooth finish are produced with a comblike implement. The prepared strands are threaded onto the weaving loom to create finely woven ramie fabric.

3 Warp threads on the loom glisten like cascading water.

2

48 Koreana | Summer 2009

high with a yellowish stem above the roots. There would be three rounds of harvest, around late May or early June, in August, and in October. The fibers from the August harvest are usually the best,” she said.

The stalk is stripped of leaves and branches and the outer bark is removed with a small sickle-like knife, leaving the white inner fibers (taemosi ).

The fibers are tied in bundles, wet down four or five times, and then laid out to dry in the sun. Next, the dried fibers are split, using your teeth and lips, into strands of even thickness. The finest fibers are classified as high grade (for fine ramie), while thicker fibers are regarded as medium grade or low grade. The strands are hung on a prop (jjeonji ) and individually joined together by twisting the ends in the palm of your hand. About 400 grams of strands will make 5 skeins, and about 10 skeins are needed to weave a bolt of fabric.

Nalgi is the process of setting the length and number of warp threads, using a wooden frame, for one bolt (pil) of fabric, which usually measures 31.5 centimeters in width and 21.6 meters in length. The tightness of the weave is determined by a sae unit, with each sae being 80 threads.

Most ramie fabric has a weave of seven to

fifteen sae. A bolt of ramie of 12 sae, for example, would have 960 warp threads.

Any ramie fabric of ten or more sae is considered to be finely-woven semosi, with thread finer than a human hair.

According to Bang, the most painstaking process is treating the thread with starch (maegi ). “For this process, you need to pull a certain number of warp threads through a reed [badi], tie one end of the thread to the warp beam and the other to a kkeulgae device, which is used to tighten the thread. A paste made from bean flour mixed with water and saltwater is applied to the thread with a brush to smooth out the edges and prevent napping. The threads are dried out over a fire of rice chaff. In the summer it’s so embarrassing if anyone comes near me, because I’m usually dripping with sweat,” she notes.

After you wind the woof (cross) threads around a boat-shaped shuttle, then the weaving can begin. The warp beam, threaded with warp (vertical) threads, is laid down on the loom frame and threads are pulled out of the reed so that two warp tie sticks can be affixed.

The reed is threaded again and the thread is tightened with a loom roller. While depressing the treadle, which controls the rotating horizontal bar, the warp threads

3

are lifted up enough for the shuttle to be passed through. Bang says it takes her about four to five days to complete one roll of ramie fabric.

Ramie weaving must be undertaken in an enclosed area with high humidity because the thread will break more readily in dry air. In the past, Hansan villagers would often dig out an underground basement area for the making of ramie. Still, a container of water was needed so that the thread could be sprinkled if the air was too dry. Nowadays, a humidifier serves this purpose. Finally, the woven fabric is soaked in water and dried in the sun several times to whiten the ramie. Today,

white ramie is often dyed with natural pigments to produce colored fabrics.

More Durable with Wear “Ramie clothes are so wonderful. Not only are they elegant, they also become more durable with wear, and whiter and finer with washing. I thought all Korean ramie was similar, but I found that Hansan ramie is especially durable and white,” says Bang. From deep within a chest, Bang takes out a white ramie jacket. “Look at this ramie jacket. My mother made it for me 50 years ago when I got married,” she exclaims. Even after 50 years, it is still fresh and white, like brand new. Saying

that she plans to wear the jacket at this year’s Hansan Ramie Festival, Bang’s face brightens with the smile of a new bride.

“Every day I go to the Hansan Mosi Museum to weave ramie. In the olden days, all women would have to sit at the loom and weave. Some of the elderly ladies who come to the museum take one look at me and have to turn away. They don’t want to remember the hard labor they put into weaving when they were younger. For sure, this work makes my back ache and strains my eyes. In the past, women would have to work in the fields, thresh barley, and draw water.

And they spent the night weaving, getting little sleep. So, it’s a painful memory for some. But other people enjoy watching me work, saying that it reminds them of their mother, especially older men. The younger people just think it’s fun to see. It’s tiring but I still like doing this. After watching me weave for a while, everyone says the same thing: ‘I didn’t know it took so much work to make ramie!’ Well, that’s enough for me.”

Summer 2009 | Koreana 4

MaSterPIeCeS

I

n the early Goryeo period, when celadon was the major type of ceramic ware, white porcelain started to be produced in small quantities. During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), however, white porcelain enjoyed considerable popularity and came to take the place of celadon. The Joseon government focused special efforts on its production and management, and the general public was also very fond of this new type of porcelain. Thanks to this support and popularity, the production of white porcelain underwent remarkable development. At first, kilns that produced white porcelain were largely concentrated in the capital region— Gwangju in Gyeonggi-do Province and Mt. Gwanaksan and Mt. Bukhansan in Seoul—but gradually spread to the provinces. However, Gwangju, where the royal kiln was located, continued to be the center of white porcelain production.

Overview of Joseon Dynasty White Porcelain The history of white porcelain is usually divided into three periods. In the first period, which is from the founding of the Joseon Dynasty in 1392 to the 17th century, inlaid white porcelain was produced for a while and then disappeared. Also, blue-and-white porcelain was created by modifying early Chinese styles to suit Korean tastes. In the second period, which is from the 17th century until the mid-18th century, blue-andwhite porcelain seemed to decline with the appearance of yet another new style—porcelain painted in under-

glazed iron-brown—but managed to gain renewed popularity in the early 18th century. Porcelain painted in under-glazed copper-red also appeared during this period. In the third period, from the mid-18th century until the late 19th century, white porcelain began to be mass-produced, but it was of a lesser quality. Blueand-white porcelain, some with cobalt-blue underglazing, especially flourished in this period.

Pure-white porcelain without any decorative designs was mainly produced in the first period. In the case of inlaid white porcelain, the popular design motifs were lotus flowers (with or without scrolling vines), a variety of other flowers, plants and clouds.

The inlaying technique was similar to that used for celadon ware. In very rare cases, cut-out patterns or hieroglyphic designs were also used to adorn white porcelain. From the second period on, designs were sometimes engraved in relief, and cut-out and hieroglyphic patterns were more widely used. In addition, cobalt-blue or iron-brown under-glazing was also used to create designs. Popular motifs of this period included bamboo with plum blossoms, bamboo with pine trees, a cluster of plum blossoms, chrysanthemums, Buddhist symbols, clouds, longevity symbols, auspicious animals, grapes, orchids, fish, clams, crabs, and birds.

The color of white porcelain is determined by the clay as well as by the glaze and the conditions of calcination. The color of white porcelain varies by the

Refined Simplicity of a Bowl for Royalty

White Porcelain with Inlaid Lotus Scroll Design Joseon Dynasty white porcelain is known for its diverse designs, its great variety of decorative motifs and expressive techniques. This white porcelain bowl with inlaid lotus scroll design is distinguished by its simple but exquisite inlay.

Yoon Yong-yee Professor of Art History, Myongji University Photographs National Museum of Korea

50 Koreana | Summer 2009

period of production: it was milky white in the 15th century, snow white in the 16th century, grayish white in the 17th century, and bluish white in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Usually, the surface of white porcelain was decorated using various techniques to enhance its aesthetic value. White porcelain is classified according to the decorative technique into pure-white porcelain, inlaid white porcelain, blue-and-white porcelain, porcelain painted in under-glazed iron-brown and porcelain painted in under-glazed copper-red.

White Porcelain with Inlaid Lotus Scroll Design The White Porcelain Bowl with Inlaid Lotus Scroll Design (National Treasure No. 175), which was produced for the royal family in the 1460s and 1470s, is the best piece among the existing white porcelain with inlaid designs. Whereas much of Joseon inlaid white porcelain tends to have signs of unskilled glazing and rather clumsy inlaid designs, this porcelain work, which is in the lineage of the soft-paste white porce-

lain of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), is notable for its neat finishing, soft texture and the fine rendering of its design. It is a highly original piece characterized by refined simplicity.

The design on the bowl was inlaid by the following process. First, the design was engraved on the bowl’s surface and then the engraved line was filled with red ocher. After the first firing, the bowl was coated with glaze, and fired again, resulting in the inlaid lines turning black. Using this black-inlay technique, the continuous scroll design with blooming lotus flowers, stems and leaves was formed, creating a pleasing harmony between the milky white surface and the clean-cut black inlay.

Except for the simple band with wavy scroll design along the brim, the inside of the bowl is left

Blooming lotus flowers, stems, and leaves decorate this white porcelain bowl in a continuous scroll pattern using black-inlay technique. This is an exemplary work of Korean white porcelain with inlaid design.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 51

White Porcelain Bowl with Inlaid Lotus Scroll Design, which is in the lineage of the soft-paste white porcelain of the Goryeo Dynasty ( 18-13 2), is notable for its neat finish, soft texture and the fine rendering of its design. It is a uniquely original piece characterized by refined simplicity.

unadorned, adding to its simple beauty. On the outside are two double lines on the upper and lower parts of the bowl and the inlaid scroll design with lotus flowers, stems and leaves in between.

The composition and this design is similar to that of the Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelain with Inlaid Lotus Scroll Design produced in the early 15th century, under the reign of Emperor Xuande Di, the fifth emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Because of this similarity in the inlaid design, one can assume that there were cultural exchanges between China and Korea.

The wide brim, curved slightly outward, and the round body give the body an S-shaped silhouette. The foot is wide and stable. The surface coated with ivorycolored glaze has fine crackle lines like tiny, delicate cracks on ice. The grainy marks on the lower part of the foot indicate that when the bowl was fired it was placed on fine sand in the kiln.

The Meaning and Origin of the Lotus Design Since antiquity, lotus flowers have been considered a symbol of life, creation and prosperity because of their strong vitality. In fact, there is a case of a lotus seed that had been buried for over a thousand years being successfully germinated. This is consistent with the following description from the ancient Chinese text, Classified Records of Chinese Medical Botany , written in the Ming Dynasty: “The vitality of a lotus is nearly limitless. Its fruits are so full of life, and the stems growing from the root spread endlessly, creating life without end.”

In Buddhism, a lotus blossom represents purity and chastity due to its pristine presence in a muddy pond without being tainted by the mud. This quality connected with Buddhist doctrines has made the lotus blossom a symbol of transcendence, purification and supreme enlightenment.

52 Koreana | Summer 2009

In Korea, a lotus blossom also symbolizes reincarnation. An example is the ancient Korean tale The Story of Sim Cheong , wherein the heroine, after throwing herself into the sea, reappears, floating in a gigantic lotus blossom.

“Growing in the mud but being untainted by the mud,” a lotus flower was often compared to the noble poverty and lofty solitude of Confucian scholars. In Taoism as well, a candleholder in the shape of a lotus flower was a sacred object that Xiaxiangu, one of the Eight Taoist Saints, always carried with him.

In addition, a lotus flower was deemed to have an inseparable relationship with the sun. The fabled connection between the flower and the sun god must have originated from its petals opening with the rising sun and closing with the setting sun. Based on this association, a lotus flower also represents reinvigoration.

A lotus flower was widely admired as a symbol of all the aforementioned virtues, especially in the period from the early Goryeo Dynasty to the late Joseon Dynasty. For this reason, it was a popular motif in all genres of art. In sum, the lotus flowers inlaid in this white porcelain bowl with continuous scrolling vines may represent the potter’s wish to make the flower’s virtues last forever.

Development of Joseon White Porcelain Recent studies have revealed that the development of celadon into white porcelain was inevitable in many aspects. First, kaolin clay used in making white porcelain had a higher degree of purity than the clay used for celadon. Thus, the firing temperature for the former (1,300℃) was also higher than that for the latter (1,270-80℃). Moreover, glaze used for white porcelain was more stable. In other words, white porcelain was a more stabilized and advanced form of pottery than celadon.

The development from celadon to white porcelain

can also be observed in the history of Chinese porcelain, with the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) being a transitional period. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the long domination of celadon finally came to an end and white porcelain and blue-and-white porcelain prevailed. These new types of porcelain were used in the royal household, and were used for serving foreign envoys or sent to other countries, including Korea, as royal gifts.

Additionally, cotton plants brought from China in the late Goryeo period by a government official named Mun Ik-jeom also seems to have contributed to this preference for white porcelain by bringing a substantial change to Korean clothing. As cotton plants started to be grown on a large scale, beginning in the 15th century, people—both the nobility and commoners alike— enjoyed wearing white. It is widely said that Koreans loved wearing white since antiquity, but this tendency grew all the stronger after the mass production of cotton became possible. This development may have strengthened Koreans’ preference for the color white.

Neo-Confucianism pursued by the Joseon literati could have been another cause of the prevalence of white porcelain since the highest neo-Confucian virtues were modesty, simplicity and innocence.

A passage in Random Expatiations of Oju (Ojuyeonmunjangjeonsango) by the 18th-century scholar Yi Gyu-gyeong reads: “Our people have always loved the color white, and His Majesty the King also uses white porcelain in the royal court. Why is this so? Because we love modesty and purity.” Like this, the popularity of white porcelain in the Joseon period was also related with the ideological preference of the ruling class for the color white.

In the 1440s, the royal family and the literati, especially the scholars of the royal research institute, grew even more faithful to Confucian doctrines. As a result, white porcelain, which represented the virtues they pursued, became an important part of their culture.

After all, the popularity of white porcelain was in part a reflection of the taste of the nobility.

During the reign of King Sejong (r. 1418-1450), royal tableware was largely replaced with white porcelain for an important reason. Ming Dynasty China imposed a heavy tribute on Joseon Korea annually,

and King Sejong was unwilling to comply with the request. He wanted to reduce the amount of silver sent to China, but he knew he could not say Joseon did not have enough silver so long as his court used silverware when serving Chinese envoys. Thus, King Sejong ordered silver tableware to be replaced with white porcelain, which was deemed as refined as silverware, in the royal court as well as in all government offices. This explanation is supported by the following record in the Annals of King Sejong (Sejongsillok): “His Majesty ordered that silverware be substituted by white porcelain in the Munsojeon (royal shrine of Queen Sinui) and Huideokjeon (royal shrine of Queen Soheon).”

Relics of Inlaid White Porcelain Little is known about the early 15th-century white porcelain with inlaid designs. We can only assume its existence based on a few fragmented records: In Volume 27 of the Annals of King Sejong, there is a passage stating that in the seventh year of King Sejong’s reign, 10 full sets of white porcelain ware were produced in a kiln located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do Province, by the request of Emperor Hongxi Di of the Ming Dynasty. In the Collected Writings of Jeompiljae (Jeompiljaejip) by Kim Jong-jik, it is noted that a highranking government inspector greatly admired the white porcelain pieces used to serve him in a house where he stopped by in Goryeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province in 1445, and in the Assorted Writings of Master Yongjae (Yongjaechonghwa) by Seong Hyeon it is noted that royal dinnerware for King Sejong consisted entirely of white porcelain pieces. These records show that white porcelain was produced and used in this period, at least in Gwangju and Goryeong.

Apart from the white porcelain bowl introduced here, other late 15th-century inlaid white porcelain include the porcelain tomb epitaph of the Yeongin Jeong Family in Jinyang-gun (1466), a shard of a porcelain flask with inlaid plants and flower designs, a stemmed porcelain cup, and an epitaph written on a porcelain tablet excavated from the grave of Yun Jeung (1467). Among all these relics, the White Porcelain Bowl with Inlaid Lotus Scroll Design is the most outstanding.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 53

art revIew

O

ld Partner (Wonang Sori), the first film for cinema directed

by Lee Chung-ryoul, a former independent television film producer-director, ignited the Korean film world, setting a new record as the biggest box-office hit in the history of the nation’s independent films. Given the slump in the Korean film industry of recent years, its unexpected success was exceptional, especially for an independent film. The story of an octogenarian couple living much of their life with an ox was released at the beginning of this year, which, ironically, is the Year of the Ox. It even led to the uncommon sight of middle-aged and elderly people who normally would never go out for a movie, standing in line at film theaters to watch Old Partner.

The Main Character

Old Partner (Wonang Sori ) and Korean Independent Films

The film, first released in seven art-film theaters was such a phenomenal success that it was then shown in 150 movie theaters nationwide, with 2,860,000 tickets sold within the first 10 weeks, earning about $18,500,000, 90 times more than its total cost of US$200,000, including post-production and marketing expenses. It set a new record as the most successful film in the history of Korean independent documentary film. As a box office sensation, it had great social repercussions The main characters in the film are an aged couple and their old ox. Set in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the film

For several months since the beginning of this year, people involved in the Korean film industry have been thrilled at a rare piece of good news. Old Partner , a low-budget film made for less than $100,000, was a sleeper hit. It turned out to be a box office sensation with great social repercussions, and as a result the Korean film industry has started to show more interest in small, independent films.

Yang Sung Hee Reporter, Culture & Entertainment Desk, The JoongAng Ilbo | Photographs The National Theater of Korea

54 Koreana | Summer 2009

depicts the couple’s life with their 40-year-old ox, which had been with them for 30 years. Given that the average lifespan of an ox is about 15 years, 40 is almost a miracle. For the old man, who has a lame leg as the result of an injection he was given during childhood, the ox is virtually a part of him. He and the ox, which pulls his cart, are always together. As the ox made it possible for all nine of the old couple’s children to obtain college degrees, it is the old man’s most prized possession. Regarding the ox as his other self, or perhaps as his own child, the old man refuses to spray insecticides for fear of poisoning his beloved animal companion.

Though now almost deaf and suffering headaches of unknown cause, the old man keeps on farming. He could lighten his workload by using machinery and pesticides, but he puts the ox first and instead does the extra work with his own hands. His wife worries constantly and also complains a lot. She grumbles about her life, saying, “I will fall dead one of these days feeding that detestable beast!”

Unlike the old man who works mostly in silence, the woman talks a great deal, incessantly complaining in the local dialect.

From concerns about her husband to complaints about her life, she grumbles about how she married at age 16 and has been living in hardship ever since. As much as the old man represents an archetypal Korean father, the old woman represents a typical Korean mother. The audience is touched by the companionship of the old man and the ox, and bursts into laughter at the old woman’s monologues in her unpretentious dialect.

The ox, which almost resembles the old man, works hard until the day it fianally dies. With eyes lifted up toward the old man, with real teardrops flowing, the old ox finally breathes its last, and the old man releases it from its halter, and the bell known to Koreans as wonang , wishing peace to the animal after its long suffering

labor. Director Lee said: “At that moment, the old man looked like a saint.” He went on to say: “The old man told me that he would be the chief mourner when the ox died and would hold a funeral ceremony. For him, the death of the ox meant his own death would soon be coming. That ox meant everything to him.”

A Hymn for Things Vanishing Old Partner is like a gentle hymn dedicated to things now vanishing. Old fathers who plowed the earth their whole lives, now forgotten and becoming history, their lives of sacrifice and dedication, their labor of hands not dependent on machinery and pesticides, their way of living in communion with nature—all these are vanishing now. Maybe that old man is more than just a simple farmer; perhaps he symbolizes all those manual laborers who laid the foundation for Korean society’s miraculous development within such a short period of time. But his life also symbolizes the ecological, anti-urban lifestyle that rejects the accelerated speed of a globalizing world and insists on a slow pace of life. It is uncanny to see the old man’s wrinkled face suddenly overlap the ox’s face.

In that moment, the old man becomes the ox, and the ox becomes the old man. In such a way, human beings are a part of nature. Or rather, nature is part of human beings, as the movie shows in its core, and this is the real strength of the film Old Partner.

For as long as Director Lee had worked in television production, he had never found success. Although only in his mid-30s, he was in great debt to and feeling guilty toward his father, so he started to plan a documentary film. He came up with the idea of a story about an aged, disabled man with his old ox. So, he went seeking a similar real-life example, traveling everywhere throughout Korea. The village chiefs and heads of rural women’s organizations he had known through his television productions were

Scenes from Old Partner, a documentary film about the symbiotic relationship of an 80-year-old farmer and his 40-year-old ox, which has been acclaimed for its sentimental depiction of Korea’s fast-disappearing rural culture.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 55

1 1~2 After his beloved ox succumbs to old age, the elderly farmer holds onto the bell that the ox always wore around his neck.

3 The farmer’s wife complains repeatedly about her hard life, due to such matters as her husband’s insistence of not using pesticide because it might cause harm to his ox.

helpful. After five years of painstaking search, he finally met such an old man in Bonghwa and shot the film over a period of three years, starting in 2005. Originally, he planned to make the film as a television documentary, but the television network changed its plans, and he almost gave up on the film. Fortunately, an independent film producer took over the funding and he was able to make it for the movie theaters.

“For the first six to seven months, we had to gain the old man’s trust. His wife understood the filming, but the old man became tense as soon as we pointed the camera at him. The principle we followed while shooting was to not interrupt their lives. From as far away as possible, we observed them, and their relationship as revealed in everyday life. There was a love triangle between the old man, his wife, and the ox—a melodrama.”

Director Lee’s hometown is Yeongam, Jeollanam-do Province. He himself is the son of a farmer and tended oxen as a child.

Wonang Sori, the Korean title of the film, means the sound of the bell that hangs from the ox’s neck. For Lee, the sound of the bell is a “mantra bringing back his childhood.” He recalls: “Whenever I heard the sound of wonang as a child and turned my head toward it, I could always see my father and his ox there.” During the film, the sound, though very low, is always there, a kind of heartbeat, a metaphor for life, according to Lee. The sound stops when the ox dies.

A Miracle in the History of Independent Films Until now, the independent film with the greatest box office success in Korea had been Once (2007), an Irish film that sold 56 Koreana | Summer 2009

2

220,000 tickets, while the biggest hit among Korean independent films sold a mere 50,000 tickets. Our School (2007), a film about third- and fourth-generation Korean residents of Japan attending the North Korea-affiliated Chosun High School, sold 55,000 tickets (100,000 counting shows for groups), and was until recently the greatest box-office record among documentary films. As for fiction-based films, No Regret (2006), a romance about homosexuals, was the biggest box office hit, selling 45,000 tickets.

On the day when Old Partner surpassed one million ticket sales, a “dream number” for the independent film industry, the Korean media and the film industry were ecstatic. The record was comparable to Seopyeonje (1993, directed by Im Kwon-taek), the first Korean film to surpass box-office sells of one million, and Silmido (2003, directed by Kang Woo-suk), the first to surpass 10 million. Old Partner ’s sensational success indicates that the independent film industry has been growing, despite the existing prejudice that such films are loved only by small, obsessive groups. In reality, Korean independent films have not done well merely because they were either too political or too experimental to attract general movie-goers.

Old Partner became famous by word-of-mouth after receiving the PIFF Mecenat Award as the best documentary film at the Pusan International Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Korean Independent Film Awards in 2008. Movie-goers responded to the film’s innovative way of touching their hearts. The film was the first Korean film to be nominated in the category of World Cinema Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

3

“His wife understood the filming, but the old man became tense as soon as we pointed the camera at him.

The principle we followed while shooting was to not interrupt their lives. From as far away as possible, we observed them, and their relationship as revealed in everyday life. There was a love triangle between the old man, his wife, and the ox—a melodrama.”

Although the film did not win a prize, Director Lee said: “I was able to confirm that there was no difference between the East and the West in terms of the viewer response to the film.” Western audiences also cried in empathy with the old man’s communion with nature and the meaning of family.

The Korean film industry expects that the success of Old Partner will bring important changes to the movie industry. Director Lee was a new face on the independent film scene, having worked previously only in television production. For this reason he could make a film that, unlike the traditional militant and political independent films, appealed to general audiences. Urging a change in Korean independent filmmaking, which had slumped in recent years, the film critic Maeng Sujin advised Korean independent filmmakers “to free themselves of the pressure to be politically correct and to try diversity.” Old Partner , which even attracted elderly country people to the cinema, folks who would otherwise never go out to see a movie, is a successful case with regard to such diversity.

The box-office success of Old Partner is especially significant because the domestic film industry was in decline after its bubble popped following the “renaissance of Korean films” in early 2000. This documentary proved that even without big stars, big money for a large-scale project, or a huge, aggressive marketing strategy, small films with new ideas and fresh content can be successful and attract a vast audience. It also means that viewers had thirsted for a new kind of film. “The recent situation in which we are seeing small films such as Old Partner doing so very well

is similar to the Japanese situation 10 years ago when the Japanese film industry was slumping, with mainstream filmmakers in decline while small films were doing well,” says film critic Lee Sang-yong. If a film is fresh, fun, and well made, it will attract audiences, whether it is mainstream, made for profit, low-budget, or independent. It will cause the blockbuster-focused filmmaking industry and market to diversify so that various small films can coexist. This is the exciting prospect.

In fact, domestic theaters are now showing increasing interest in small, independent films in the wake of Old Partner. They have been showing a succession of low-budget, independent films such as Daytime Drinking (Director Noh Young-Seok), a film about a young man with a weakness for women and alcohol, and Breathless (Director Yang Ik-jun), which received a VPRO Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, a Jury Prize at the Deauville Asian Film Festival, and awards at other international film festivals. Director Noh took on eight production roles in making the film Daytime Drinking , including director, screenwriter, director of photography, and art director. Director Yang of Breathless, a well-known actor on the independent film scene, directed and starred in this film, and is now regarded as an exciting new talent in the Korean film industry.

A New Way of Documentary Filmmaking Old Partner, a documentary film that fully adopted the fictional methods of storytelling, personification, and dramatizing, has contributed significantly toward expanding the realm of domestic Summer 2009 | Koreana 5

documentary filmmaking. Director Lee was criticized by some documentary filmmakers for departing from traditional filmmaking methods. They claim that even though his technique of dramatizing succeeded in communicating with the audience, it distorted the credibility essential to a documentary film. The point is that for a documentary film, the “capturing” of the moment on the spot is more important than the “construction” of the spot, and the process and technique of shooting should be an act of documenting.

Indeed, some viewers have raised similar questions. For example, there is a touching close-up of the dying ox showing a teardrop fall from its eye as it looks at the old man, raising the question whether the scene is real or manufactured. The same doubt arises with the scene where the old man and the ox are passing by a spot where a crowd is shouting slogans against the proposed Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Was it the director’s intention to lead them to that place?

Scenes from Breathless, an independent film that candidly depicts the inner dynamics of a deteriorating family, which the audience found to be emotionally demanding.

58 Koreana | Summer 2009

Old Partner in fact used a lot of sound, image, and scene editing. During most of the film, the bell sound is audible, and the sounds of birds and insects were dubbed for effect in place of real sound. Moreover, the story’s timeline is not straightforward, reversing occasionally. Director Lee explained: “As I edited it, I was mainly thinking about the emotional reactions of viewers, such as laughing and crying.”

To criticize the film for distorting the truth, for excessive construction, or for misrepresenting reality, however, would merely reveal one’s ignorance of the worldwide tendency in today’s documentary filmmaking. It has been some time already that the boundaries between documentary and fiction have become blurred. There is no documentary film that does not have a specific aim or intention, and some film theorists have gone even further and declared, “Everything is fictional; there is no documentary.” There are people who even refuse to be called docu-

Scenes from Daytime Drinking, an independent film about a young man with a fondness for women and alcohol.

mentarists, such as Sato Makoto, a Japanese film director famous for his documentary film Out of Place: Memories of Edward Said.

Michael Moore, who caused a big stir in Cannes with his film Fahrenheit 9/11 and is well known for his explicit and provocative filmmaking techniques, often constructs situations at will.

Additionally, the “mockumentary,” a genre presented as a documentary recording real life but is actually fictional, questions the boundary between truth and fiction, is becoming popular.

Director Lee of Old Partner claims “I picked up only ‘substances’ among the pieces of everyday life shot for many months,” and also maintains, “I see no problem as long as the film doesn’t distort the original sentiment and relationship.” He then retorts, “How does it differ from CCTV if it mechanically puts the pieces in the chronological order that it happened.”

Professor Nam In-young of Dongseo University agrees: “The question of fake or distorted can be raised only if, for example, the

relationship between the old man and the ox were constructed as one of friendship if it weren’t.” She thinks that “the director did an excellent job in creating such a moving story about the relationship between the old couple and the ox through elaborately organizing the raw material, knowing how to touch the audience.”

In this regard, Old Partner not only broke the box-office record of the domestic independent film industry, it seems also to have done away with stereotypes about documentary filmmaking. Old Partner awakens us from the naïve and narrow-minded idea that a documentary shows 100 percent reality as it is or— to take things a step further—that “what is seen is the truth.” It also illustrates a new cultural trend, that the boundaries between documentary and fiction are becoming blurred. Beyond the value of the documentary, as expressed in the saying, “Reality is more dramatic than a drama,” Lee’s film provokes us to think about what a documentary really should be.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 5

DISCoverInG Korea

Alan Timblick

Dreams of a “Rainbow City” Seoul In January 2008, the Seoul Metropolitan Government opened the Seoul Global Center to promote Seoul as a globalized city. At the forefront of this center is Alan Timblick, a British national who has resided in Korea for more than 20 years.

Hwang Sun-Ae Freelance Writer | Ahn Hong-beom Photographer

O

nce known as the “Hermit Kingdom,” today’s Korea is open to the world. Over the past ten years, the number of international marriages in Korea has risen dramatically, and this trend is likely to continue. In 2005, about 14 percent of all marriages were international, while reaching one-third in rural areas. In response to globalization, demand for English competency has surged, bringing in a flood of English teachers, who form a distinctive group of educated expatriates. Also, growing numbers of foreign students and others, in part motivated by their exposure to Korea’s popular culture, known as the “Korean Wave,” or Hallyu , have come here to study the Korean language. Migrant workers, who have steadily made their way into Korea since the early 1990s in search of employment, now make up a majority of the foreigners residing in Korea.

Globalization of Seoul To whatever extent that Korea might actually be globalized, there is no question about its intent to attain globalization. This can be seen in the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s decision to open its Seoul Global Center (http://global.seoul.go.kr) in January 2008, in an effort to promote itself as a global city. Alan Timblick, a British national and 20-year resident of Korea, who participated in the Global Zone Project, has been appointed as the center’s head to oversee its various activities. From his childhood years, he has dreamed about venturing abroad to see the world. So, it seems fitting that Timblick is now tasked with the responsibility of opening up Seoul, the capital of his second homeland, to the world.

“When I was a child, I always had maps of the world on my bedroom wall, and my ambition was to be a diplomat or to work in overseas development or international aid,” he explains. But what was behind this desire? “I suppose it’s a kind of wanderlust, a term from the German language, because I spent my early years in Germany. My first memories are of Germany, not of England. I think once you learn a foreign language and break out of the mold of a single culture, your mind and horizons become wider. And so that’s what I dreamed about. I wanted to see the world.”

He studied history at Oxford University in the early 1960s, but to pursue his childhood dream, he selected agricultural economics for his master’s degree, in the hope of working for an international agricultural agency or a British institute involved with overseas development. His academic adviser, however, recommended that he acquire a degree in general economics to secure employment abroad. He thus departed for the United States in the mid-1960s to study economics at the University of Kansas, where he was selected for a research assistantship. There, he encountered a special foreign student from Korea, who later became his wife and eventually led him to a new area of the world.

60 Koreana | Summer 2009

As a child, Alan Timblick would often dream of venturing about the world. Today, while far away from his homeland, as head of the Seoul Global Center he strives to promote the globalization of Seoul, his adopted home.

© The Seoul Shinmun

Alan Timblick notes: “Multiculturalism has much more to do with behavior, with cultural activities. It includes religion, music, and all sorts of things that make up culture. I think that a multicultural society shows acceptance of different cultures and appreciates the richness of culture from different origins.”

After joining Barclays Bank, his first international banking assignment brought him to Korea in 1977, where he worked on setting up a local branch in Seoul. He so thoroughly enjoyed his three-year assignment that he continued his career in international banking, which included his dispatch to Sweden, Finland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, before returning to Korea for good in 1989. He has served as vice chairman of Seoul’s Foreign Investment Advisory Council and the head of Invest Korea, an affiliate of the government’s investment promotion agency, before accepting his current position at the center. His decadeslong experience of living and working in Korea make him uniquely qualified for this position.

One might wonder if Korea actually needs a global center. Timblick himself notes that the Korean people have become far more global minded than in previous years. He believes, however, that the center definitely has a role to play. “We still have some way to go. The reason for the center is really to address the difficulties that foreigners experience living here. Most of their problems are related to language and communication.” To assist foreigners in Seoul, the center offers various programs, which include assistance for the purchase of an automobile or finding housing, and everyday matters, along with business-related support. To expand its outreach, the center operates five branches, known as Global Village Centers, in the areas of Seoul with clusters of foreign residents.

In addition to making life more convenient for foreigners, the center organizes programs to promote interaction between Korean and foreign residents, since a truly globalized city requires cross-cultural understanding. Through cultural exchange, foreigners can learn about Korean culture and Koreans can become more familiar with foreign cultures. Today, cultural-exchange programs are all the more relevant due to the growing numbers of migrant workers and international marriages in Korea.

“Rainbow City” Korea is now well on its way to becoming a multicultural society. In recent decades, interaction between the Korean people and other cultures has become increasingly inevitable, within Korea as well.

Multiculturalism might be a much discussed issue, but what does it actually involve? According to Timblick: “Multiculturalism has much more to do with behavior, with cultural activities. It includes religion, music, and all sorts of things that make up culture. I think that a multicultural society shows acceptance of different cultures and appreciates the richness of culture from different origins.”

As Timblick notes, however, Koreans have long emphasized the ideal of a homogenous ethnicity, as expressed in the word uri (meaning we), which could pose an obstacle to Korea’s efforts to evolve into a 62 Koreana | Summer 2009

The Seoul Global Center offers a variety of assistance programs for Seoul’s foreign residents in regard to everyday matters, business-related support, and cultural exchange activities to enhance intercultural understanding.

multicultural society. “Koreans will say that ‘we’ are one, and they are proud to say that ‘we’ are of the same blood, same race, and speak the same language, which creates a kind of ‘us and them’ sense. Koreans use uri extensively. Even a weather forecaster will say ‘uri nara,’ or ‘our country.’ In the United States or in England, you would not hear ‘In our country, tomorrow’s weather will be’ such and such. We wouldn’t use the word. So, when you say uri so often, it makes a distinction between those who are included in uri and others who are not. That’s a difficult starting point for building a multicultural society. It really is going to take lots to change people’s attitudes to overcome that.”

The center strives to change the attitude of people, with a special emphasis on the education of the next generation. Timblick states: “The key is the attitude of children. Children shouldn’t learn prejudice from their parents. I think that you must ensure that those who are from minority groups are not excluded from mainstream educational opportunities. You have to bring them in and make sure that they are accepted and integrated.”

The center’s efforts to help Korean students better understand other cultures include the sponsorship of school field trips, arrangement of lectures by foreigners, and introduction of foreigners to local schools.

For the children of international marriages, it administers a program to assess Korean language competency and is currently working on a program to address the specific needs of these children. But as Timblick points out, this particular task is enormous because it is a nationwide concern and therefore requires a systematic approach through the education system.

Meanwhile, learning English the intensive Korean way will not be adequate for students to become global citizens. Students also need to learn about the other cultures that are now part of Korean society.

Although concerned about an overemphasis on the test scores of Korean education, Timblick remains optimistic about the future development of Korean society. “What drives Korea more than any other country,” he says, “is the desire to improve, and you don’t find that same drive in many other societies.”

The Seoul Global Center is physical evidence of Korea’s intense desire to improve and become a global, multicultural society in which Koreans and foreigners can live in harmony and enrich each other’s quality of life. During his spare time, Timblick enjoys Korean cinema and likes to visit Buddhist temples, whose rituals remind him of his childhood church, where he was in the choir. Once a month, he writes an opinion column on globalization for the Seoul Shinmun, in order to share his thoughts on ways to enhance the everyday life of residents in Korea, both Koreans and foreigners. Proof that foreigners can also be good citizens.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 63

on tHe GloBal StaGe

Kwon believes that a chef is a kind of artist.

“I think cooking is a kind of intangible art.”

At the right is one of Kwon’s noteworthy creations: roulade samgyetang.

64 Koreana | Summer 2009

D

uring a “Korea Night” event held in conjunction with the 2009 Davos World Economic Forum, the Korean chef Edward Kwon (b. 1970; Kwon Young-min) led a team of 12 chefs who prepared 19 fusion-style Korean dishes. The cold roulade samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), a creation of Edward Kwon, the former head chef of the Burj Al Arab Hotel, a seven-star hotel in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and author of the bestselling book Cooking Seven Stars (Book House), drew rave reviews from the VIP attendees of the Davos gathering.

Kwon is now hard at work preparing for the opening of a 180-seat “Edward Kwon” restaurant, in the Pyeongchangdong, Jongno-gu area of Seoul, by late July 2009. The restaurant is slated to feature five foreign chefs, including the French chef Eric Gouteyron, who has worked for 14 years as pastry chef at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

Globalization of Korean Food According to Kwon: “I have always felt that in order to globalize Korean food, we need to first have foreign chefs who understand Korea and can develop menus that will appeal to the tastes of foreigners.” For his restaurant in Seoul, he plans to invite 10 or so foreign chefs during the next three years.

Kwon decided to open his own restaurant about a year ago. The idea came to him after he presented a Korean Food Festival at the Burj Al Arab Hotel, which had been organized at his suggestion. During this event, he recalls having to explain to diners that kimchi is not a Japanese food, and found that he had no good answer to the simple question: “What are the most well-known restaurants in Seoul?” He then realized that while there are a number of restaurants in Seoul that serve great food, they are not particularly accessible or popular among foreigners.

Originally, Kwon thought about opening an Asian-style restaurant in New York or London. Market research indicated that such a venture could be profitable, while prospective investors had been identified. In the end, however, Kwon decided on a restaurant in Seoul. As for his decision, Kwon explained: “The deeper I got into this project, the more evident it became to me that the globalization of Korean food should start in Korea.” He went on to add: “A branch of this restaurant can

Edward Kwon’s Quest to Globalize Korean Cuisine Edward Kwon is best known for being the head chef of the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai.

During a “Korea Night” event held during the Davos World Economic Forum 2009, he had the Davos VIPs raving about his roulade samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup).

Seo Il-ho Director, Cultural Department, Weekly Chosun | Lee Kwa Yong Photographer

Summer 2009 | Koreana 65

1

After working for several years, from sunrise until late into the night, Kwon’s dedicated efforts were recognized with his selection as one of the “Top Ten Young Chefs” by the American Culinary Federation in 2003.

always be opened in New York or London at a later date.” In February, after his restaurant team was in place, he resigned from his post at Burj Al Arab Hotel, thereby forgoing an annual salary of 500 million won (about $400,000) as well as the snazzy sports car that the hotel provided him.

He noted: “Some might argue that what I am making is not traditional Korean food, but a mere imitation. Naturally, I am of a different opinion. For instance, consider the Chinese noodle dish known as zha jiang mian. Koreans transformed this into jajangmyeon that is more suitable to the Korean palate. Thereafter, this dish has played a key role in introducing various other Chinese foods to Koreans. Similarly, rather than a traditional bibimbap , which foreigners might find too spicy, we should develop menu items like a bibimbap salad, which features its vegetable ingredients. Those who enjoy this salad would then be inclined to gravitate toward traditional bibimbap.”

Kwon is a graduate of the Department of Hotel Culinary Art of Gangneung Yeongdong College, where he studied French cuisine. Before joining the Burj Al Arab Hotel, he worked at various hotels, including the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Seoul, Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, Sheraton Grand Hotel in Tianjin, China, and the Fairmont Dubai Hotel. Kwon pointed out: “In much the same way that sports management agencies manage the careers of professional athletes, there are specialized agencies which help chefs to advance their careers. If a chef who is recommended by an agency should land a position with a particular restaurant, it receives a fee of about 17 to 25 percent of the chef’s annual salary.”

66 Koreana | Summer 2009

“Top Ten Young Chefs” Kwon, who hails from Gangneung city, Gangwon-do Province, first encountered the world of cooking after he left home, during his third year of high school, and ended up working as a kitchen helper at a restaurant in Seoul. “Because of my grandmother’s stern opposition, I was forced to abandon my dream of enrolling at a Christian seminary. After wandering about aimlessly for a while, I decided to move to Seoul and prepare to take the college entrance exam again. However, having no money, I soon found myself working in the kitchen of a restaurant in order to make ends meet,” Kwon recalls. “At the time, my co-workers commented that I was ‘not half-bad’ at cooking. Looking back, I now realize that they were actually appreciative of my ability to follow instructions and get things done quickly. Still, thinking that I might have some talent for cooking, I decided to attend a technical college and major in culinary arts.”

After his college graduation in 1995, Kwon started his career at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Seoul. In 2001, he left Korea behind to work at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay in San Francisco, where he began to dream about becoming a “global chef.” Life in the United States had its own twists and turns. Due to differences in available ingredients he often needed to find ways to improvise.

While working at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Seoul, Kwon would regularly stop by at bookstores to read foreign cookbooks, along with visiting the grocery markets every day.

“I bought hundreds of different kinds of cheese, a small amount of each, every day, and tasted them with a baguette,”

“In order to globalize Korean food, we must first bring it into line with the tastes of global citizens. Moreover, if Korean food is to achieve fame globally, we must first and foremost begin by ensuring that its ingredients are distributed around the world.”

Kwon remembers. “This was my training in raw food. Many people think that the tongue is the primary organ when it comes to taste, but the truth is that it is the brain that functions as the control tower for all your senses. The person who was named the top chef in the United States in 2008 can still work with only about one-quarter of his tongue, due to his treatment for oral cancer.”

While in the United States, Kwon regularly showed up for work before sunrise and remained until late into the night. “For two years, I worked for twenty hours a day, from five in the morning until one o’clock at night the next day, without ever taking a single day off. But I noticed that my ‘work ethic’ created tension among the other employees. So, whenever I sensed this, I would try to smooth things over by saying something like: ‘I only know about one-tenth of what you guys do, so if I don’t work so hard, I’m afraid I won’t survive here.’”

Kwon’s hard work and long hours paid off when he was named one of the “Top Ten Young Chefs” by the American Culinary Federation in 2003. This exposure helped him to get a prominent position at the Fairmont Dubai Hotel, in 2006. Kwon admits to having met several world-famous celebrities during his time in the United States and Dubai. He noted: “We only stop by a VIP’s table to exchange greetings after they have been served. I have had the opportunity to meet celebrities such as George Clooney, Sharon Stone, Pierce Brosnan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Tiger Woods. And Barbara Streisand once offered me a position as her personal chef, and Madonna exclaimed: ‘This food is better than sex!’ I can also remember when former U.S. President George H. Bush came by the kitchen to personally tell me: ‘I really enjoyed the food.’”

Kwon said that overcoming his fear of speaking in English contributed greatly to his emergence as a “global chef.” Related to this, he said: “I used to write down everyday English expressions in Korean, and then memorize them. I firmly believe that you can only learn to speak English well if you overcome your fear of using English. Actually, my vocabulary is still quite limited. However, people should have no problem with everyday conversation after learning useful expressions and using them comfortably.”

Culinary Institute in Korea Kwon attributes much of his success to other internationally renowned chefs. “In Western restaurants, you can see an executive chef taking out the garbage or sweeping up the floor, since they would rather have their staff concentrate on their food prepa-

ration and cooking. The executive chefs who lead by example, without needing to rely on their authority, are the ones who earn the respect of their employees.”

Kwon identified Korea’s foremost fashion designer, André Kim, as another one of his role models. Kim created a special chef’s outfit for Kwon and even encouraged him to take a turn on the catwalk. Kwon believes that much like a fashion designer, a chef is an artist as well. “I think cooking is a kind of intangible art.

An ideal chef should be an artist who can not only cook, but also integrate aspects of fashion, design, music, art, and architecture into his work. In particular, a chef needs to have the sensibility of an interior designer. Although the food itself is important, the environment or ambiance of an establishment is just as crucial.”

Kwon also believes that anyone can be a cook. “Whether you cook for yourself or for others, everyone is a cook, in a sense. In fact, it can be argued that cooking is the first and last profession in the history of mankind.”

As a “global chef,” Kwon has now set his sights on the globalization of Korean cuisine. “In order to globalize Korean food, we must first bring it into line with the tastes of global citizens. If they are unable to enjoy Korean food in its traditional form, then we have to alter it so as to make it more suitable to their preferences.

Moreover, in order for Korean cuisine to achieve global fame, we must first and foremost begin by ensuring that its ingredients are distributed and available worldwide. How wonderful would it be if all the sushi restaurants in the world used Korea-made soy sauce rather than Japan’s Kikkoman?”

In addition to globalizing Korean food, Kwon also has a keen interest in training the next generation of chefs. To this end, he hopes to open a culinary institute in Korea. In August 2008, Kwon was appointed to a chair professor position of the food service industry department of Hyundai Technical College.

As for his long-term vision, he says: “I hope to one day open a kibbutz-style school in Korea. This would involve having a school together with a farm so that students could easily access fresh ingredients at all times, along with learning the basics of cooking and practicing various recipes. My ultimate dream is to have a school where students don’t have to pay tuition. However, in order to do so, a solid foundation and large amount of investment are needed, for the development of first-class facilities. I thus hope to be able to earn enough from my restaurant and food-consulting ventures to realize this ambition.”

Summer 2009 | Koreana 6

on tHe roaD

Goseong The Home of Dinosaurs This is an area where low mountains overlook the clear blue sea. Traces of the region’s 2,000-yearhistory are hidden beneath its beautiful scenery along the southern coast of Korea. Today, the land looks quiet and peaceful; however, it was not always like this. The numerous signs of the presence of dinosaurs of yesteryear evident along the valleys spark the imagination of visitors.

Kim Hyungyoon Essayist | Kwon Tae-kyun Photograper

68 Koreana | Summer 2009

At this beach in Deokmyeong-li, Hai-myeon, Goseong-gun, you can find more than 1,900 dinosaur footprints along a 6-kilometer pathway within Sangjogam County Park.

F

our days after returning home, I felt an irresistible urge to return to Goseong. I wanted to go to Guryongpo (Nine Dragons) Beach, and decided to take a local bus to get there.

During my first visit to Goseong, I traveled around by taxi for three days as I only realized that there was a bus route that went around the Donghae (East Sea) area after I purchased my ticket to return home at the intercity bus terminal. At that moment, I felt a desire to change my plans and take the bus along the eastern side of the southern reaches of the Korean Peninsula. However,

I decided to suppress this urge, based on my belief that I had insufficient time to spend on such a venture. However, my plans proved to be as changeable as my mind and I eventually returned to the area by airplane and intercity bus.

Tracking Footprints Buses departed from the Goseong-eup bus terminal every hour. The majority of the passengers consisted of elderly local residents. Much like the servant (Malttugi) in the Goseong Summer 2009 | Koreana 6

1

2 1 Dinosaur skeletons on display at the 2009 Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo.

2 The footprints of an ornithopod look like a three-pronged spear.

3 Jaranman Bay is home to a scattering of islets.

ogwangdae mask performance so closely associated with this area, the bus driver, who was also a senior citizen, could be seen naturally engaging in sassy jokes with passengers with whom he was obviously familiar. He drove us along a coastal path surrounded by red camellias, white umes and pink azaleas. It took an hour and a half for us to arrive safe and sound in Guhakpo.

Guhakpo consists of two villages, one named Small Guhakpo and the other Big Guhakpo, both of which have small ports. I disembarked from the bus at Small Guhakpo and asked one of the local residents for directions to the beach where dinosaur footprints had been found. Soon I was immersed in a new world of prehistoric footprints on dark and flat rocks.

I had already seen traces of the dinosaurs that disappeared from the earth 65 million years ago on several occasions during my first visit to the area a few days earlier. My initial encounter with these remains occurred on a beach located on the western side of Goseong in an area named Deokmyeong-ri. They suddenly became visible in the late afternoon on broad, dark rocks which were being pounded by waves. They were arranged in such a manner that they resembled plates that had been made by children boasting only the most rudimentary of skills. In fact, if it had not been for the friendly sign with pictures on it, I probably would not have recognized these fossils for what they were.

I had seen dinosaur skeletons in museums. I remembered having been very impressed not only by their unique features, but also by the skillful manner in which the skeletons had been restored. As a result, I did not hold out much hope that these fossil footprints would evoke in me some kind of unfamiliar sensation. After all, these were just footprints we were talking about, not even a real foot.

As such, I was not expecting much. In the end, I could not have 0 Koreana | Summer 2009

been more wrong as these footprints slowly but steadily pricked all five of my senses. I found myself experiencing a sense of quiet awe that left me wanting to continuously gaze at these indistinguishably shaped vestiges of the past.

At the outset, I never thought that my journey to this area would revolve around chasing after traces of the huge monsters that had long ago departed from the planet. I simply wanted nothing more than to look around the Goseong area. Against all odds, the goal of my journey became the tracking of footprints.

A Lake in the Cretaceous Period Goseong became known as Korea’s land of dinosaurs in 1982 after a specialist was able to explain a riddle that had long been associated with the area. Up until that point, the residents of Goseong had for the most part paid no heed to these mysterious traces of the past. People had of course long wondered where the odd imprints, so often discovered not only on beaches but in forests and mountains, had come from. However, the multitude of things in this world that still defy human comprehension resulted in most people simply accepting the marks as another unexplained mystery. Although some believed that they were traces of cow excrement, others let their imaginations soar and advanced the possibility that these were the footprints of dinosaurs. For a long time, no one gave them much consideration, but everything changed for Goseong once these marks were proven to be the footprints of dinosaurs. Suddenly, the area became perceived as the land of prehistoric animals which were created by the gods during a distant period before humans roamed the earth.

To date, more than 4,300 sets of dinosaur footprints have been uncovered in the Goseong area. On the beach in Deokmyeong-ri alone, there are more than 1,900 sets of footprints within a 6-kilo-

meter area that encompasses Sangjogam County Park. Goseong has been listed, along with the U.S. state of Colorado and the western coastal area of Argentina, as one of the three premier sites in the world for dinosaur footprint fossils. Most of these footprints belong to dinosaurs classified as sauropods, ornithopods, and theropods. Sauropods include large herbivorous dinosaurs with four legs such as the 25-meter-long, 79-ton brachiosaurus.

Ornithopod is the term used to refer to winged dinosaurs. The theropods were carnivores such as the tyrannosaurus.

Scientists believe that the Goseong area was formed 136 million years ago, and that it had a very large lake during the 71-million-year-long Cretaceous Period. Then disaster struck. No one knows whether it was a flood, volcanic eruption, or changes in the earth’s crust. However, as a result of this sudden calamity, the ground surface became submerged and the footprints of dinosaurs that had been left in the muddy areas around the lake also sank into darkness. The dinosaur footprints were not the only things to disappear from sight; also buried were the traces of raindrops and waves.

3

Traces of Long-lost Civilizations Goseong, which is located in the heart of the southern region of Korea that stretches from Busan in the east to Haenam in the west, is home to the beautiful Hallyeo Maritime National Park.

However, a wide range of large and small mountains suddenly becomes visible as soon as one turns inland.

The majestic nature of the white, winding paths created where the plains head up into the forests around the mountainsides regularly leaves visitors awe-struck. Built right in front of a steep cliff, Gyeseungsa Temple, which is located on Mt. Geumtaesan in Yeonghyeon-myeon, stands at the end of one of these paths.

Viewed from below, the rocks surrounding the temple appear as if they were a waterfall. The Hall of Bodhisattvas for this relatively new temple was constructed on a base of rock. Seven sets of sauropod dinosaur footprints have been discovered on a long rock behind the hall. Moreover, one can also see numerous traces of raindrops on the broad rock located to the left of the hall. Traces of waves are evident on the broad, flat rock situated somewhat below the Hall of Bodhisattvas.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 1

1

2 Koreana | Summer 2009

2

1 This Admiral Yi Sun-sin monument in Danghangpo commemorates his legendary exploits during the Great Battle of Danghangpo, when he defended Korea against a massive Japanese armada in 1592.

2 Crock stand in the backyard of Unheungsa Temple, which is located halfway up the slope to Hyangno Peak of Mt. Waryongsan.

3 This Buddhist painting Gwaebultaeng is exhibited to the public only during the Yeongsanjae ritual, performed on the third day of the fifth lunar month.

3

Where did these strange creatures go? Looking at the dinosaur footprints, one cannot help but wonder what kind of secret history is hidden beneath these rocks and stones, and what surprising stories this warm and gentle scenery could reveal.

In order to lay the foundation for the temple hall on the steep slope, several parts of the bedrock had to be cut away or broken, and stone embankments had to be constructed. Dinosaur footprints are visible under the embankments. In order to avoid damaging the evidence of the natural history that unfolded in this area, the Korean government decided in 2006 to designate the sedimentary layers and fossil remains in this temple, which are consistent with the sedimentary structure of the Cretaceous Period, as a natural monument.

Traces that a civilization existed here long ago can be found everywhere in Goseong. Traces showing that walled-townstates had already begun to form here before the birth of Christ are confirmed by the ancient tombs from the Gaya Kingdoms period uncovered in Songhak-dong. In particular, one finds many temples which serve as important links between the past and the present. As traditional Korean houses (hanok ) have all but disappeared, the elegance of traditional Korean architecture can only be found in Buddhist temple buildings and other traditional buildings such as the hyanggyo (county public school) and seowon (private academy) steeped in Confucian tradition.

Much like Gyeseungsa Temple, Munsusa Temple on Mt. Muisan in Sangni-myeon is also built on a steep mountain slope. Its attractive buildings stand out from the rocky landscape. Although one must climb up stairs to go to the Hall of Buddha, the eaves of the buildings encountered along the way exude a sense of softness and warmth that make the trip worthwhile. Upon exiting the build-

ing after paying respect to its Buddha, a glimpse of far-off Dadohae Maritime National Park can be observed. This is the moment one becomes fully aware of the glorious and beautiful landscape of Goseong.

Unheungsa Temple located on Mt. Waryongsan in Hai-myeon exudes a natural sense of coziness. Perhaps it is because all of the temple’s buildings appear nestled in a comfortable position.

The sauce jar terrace located behind the temple hall attracts many visitors with its cozy atmosphere. Although this temple is famous for the Buddhist painting Gwaebultaeng , which is only exhibited to the public during the Yeongsanjae rites performed on the third day of the fifth lunar month, in my humble opinion the mercy of Buddha is conveyed as well in a salient manner by this crock stand.

I asked the taxi driver who drove me around for two days to recommend the best places to visit in Goseong. A life-long resident of the area, he suggested Okcheonsa Temple on Mt. Yeonhwasan in Gaecheon-myeon. Okcheonsa is a large, old temple which has as many as 12 buildings, including the Daeungjeon (main Buddha hall) built in 1745 and the 300-year-old Jabangnu Pavilion. These large buildings are arranged in a manner which makes them resemble a lotus flower when seen from above.

Okcheonsa is also home to numerous Buddhist treasures. The merits and virtues of Buddha are clearly on display in the temple’s 120 or so relics, which include an iron drum called Imjamyeong banja made by Goryeo artisans in 1252, a large bell, bronze Summer 2009 | Koreana 3

1 Located on Mt. Geumtaesan in Yeonghyeon-myeon, Gyeseungsa Temple abuts a steep cliff. The sedimentary layers and fossil remains found here, which date back to the Cretaceous Period, have been designated a natural monument.

2 This stone wall in Hakdong Village is made of slate from Mt. Sutaesan, situated behind the village. As Registered Cultural Property No. 258, it is one of 18 stone walls nationwide that are protected by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea.

3 Scene from Goseong ogwangdae, a traditional mask performance of the Goseong area that has been designated Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 7.

1 2

2

incense burner, and the wooden blocks of the Buddhist script Geumganggyeong (Sutra to Teach the Principles of Buddhism).

A deep valley unfolds in front of Okcheonsa. The mountain path along Mt. Yeonhwasan is also steep. Everything is beautiful here, whether it be the light green leaves or red and white flower blossoms that appear in spring, the dark green leaves of summer, red and yellow leaves in autumn, or angular branches of trees in winter. The area is always teeming with families who come to picnic, or climbers heading for the summit of the mountain to look out upon the dark-violet colored sea.

Dinosaur World Expo Dinosaur footprints can also be found in the valley in front of Okcheonsa. The footprints of four-legged herbivore dinosaurs are embedded in rocks throughout this valley. Like the footprint fossils found at Gyeseungsa Temple, these footprints along the valley in which Mt. Yeonhwasan is nestled tell us that the Goseong area as a whole was once surrounded by a lake. Thus, it is evident that the mountains in Goseong were not always mountains.

The Goseong government decided a few years ago to dedicate the Goseong area to the dinosaurs that once roamed its land.

Having discovered dinosaur footprints all over the county, they finally decided to hold the Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World 4 Koreana | Summer 2009

Expo in 2006. The event was a huge success, drawing some 1.5 million visitors. In the spring of 2009, a second and more grandiose expo was held.

This festival is held in the area known as Danghangpo.

Goseong is connected to the South Sea by a narrow waterway and a winding deepwater bay known as Danghangpo.

Shortly after the Japanese invasions of Korea led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the 25th year of King Seonjo, the Joseon navy led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin thoroughly defeated the Japanese naval forces in the calm waters of Danghangpo during a two-day battle that began on June 5, 1592. Two years later, on March 4, 1594 to be exact, Admiral Yi scored another victory in the same location. The Goseong government built a shrine to commemorate the exploits of Admiral Yi and the Battle of Danghangpo Hill near Danghangpo.

As part of efforts to provide residents with a park of their own, the area was subsequently named the Danghangpo Tourist Resort.

The park was upgraded with the addition of a number of facilities following the discovery of dinosaur footprints in the area. A Natural History Museum was also constructed, and a comprehensive dinosaur exhibition hall featuring various models, stereoscopic images, and dioramas was constructed. Furthermore, by adding an amusement park, the Goseong government effectively transformed these facilities into the center of the dinosaur world expo.

The footprints of dinosaurs that must have roamed around at that time can be seen along the beach in Danghangpo and all around the area where events are staged. Wherever one goes in Goseong, there is no getting away from the remaining traces of the dinosaurs.

Leaving Danghangpoman Bay and heading toward the South Sea, one finds a seemingly endless coast that stretches from east to west. Along the eastern side of the coast, villages, ports, and beaches appear at every turn. Some beaches are accessible, others are not. However, one constant is the sense of serenity that all these places exude.

Small Guhakpo, where I first disembarked from the bus, has a beach that is accessible to the public. Moving westward over broad rock beds, broken rocks, and small pebbles, one eventually arrives at Big Guhakpo. Here, one can see footprints of dinosaurs in areas where the waves come ashore. Although not as visible

3

when up close, a great scene comes into view when one looks down from a higher place such as a hill—scores of footprints can be seen headed in the same direction. Ever since the change in the earth’s crust, winds and rains have worked to take these footprints out of their 650-million-year-long time capsule. The processes of erosion continue to work their magic on these footprints. Some day in the distant future, the dinosaurs of the Jurassic Period would probably once again roam this coastal area.

Modern-day Dinosaurs I spent the entire afternoon basking in the sun on this historic beach. I met old ladies who were digging for gastropods and oysters where the tide had ebbed to reveal green seaweed and oyster shells. When I asked whether I could try some of the oysters they had collected, they washed the whole basket in clear seawater and handed me its contents, inviting me to eat as much as I liked.

I then proceeded to walk all the way from Big Guhakpo to a village called Janghang. Having skipped lunch, I was by now beginning to feel famished. I called the taxi and did some more exploring along the coast before deciding to have a late lunch in the downtown area.

The taxi driver recommended that I try goat bulgogi (goat barbecue) and dropped me off at a restaurant in an alley in the down-

town area. Although it smelled like scorched mutton, the dish proved to be a tasty change of pace. The fact that warm and cold currents mingle in the sea in this area means that an abundance of fish can be found. In this regard, the area is famous for sole and rockfish in spring, eel in summer, gizzard shad in autumn, and codfish in winter. Having already tried the fish on several occasions, I decided for a change to sample the goat bulgogi, which turned out to be a memorable meal.

In the bus on the way back home, I thought about the beaches I had seen in the Goseong area and about the fact that this pristine natural setting was slowly being destroyed by the encroachment of industrial facilities such as dockyards. While walking in the Guhakpo area, I came across a dockyard and found myself having to return to the village to find a way around it. Huge steel facilities have slowly conquered coastal areas such as Donghae-myeon and Georyu-myeon. The Goseong government reluctantly has had to accept the fact that the population of Goseong has within just 20 years decreased from nearly 100,000 to 60,000 today. Although attempts to develop the economy and to induce the younger generation to return to the area are of course understandable, I cannot help but hope that the dinosaurs which prospered in this land given as a gift from the gods will somehow overcome these modern-day “dinosaurs” which fail to captivate the imagination.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 5

CuISIne

Broiled Eel

Delectable Means to Overcome the Summer Doldrums Along with being a rich source of protein, eel has long been regarded as an ideal “stamina food” for beating the summer heat. When broiled with red pepper paste, the eel meat sheds its fat and takes on a savory spiciness. With a garnish of ginseng, this delectable and nutritious dish can rejuvenate the body on even the most sultry summer days.

Shim Young Soon Director, ShimYoungSoon Korean Food Research Institute | Author, Best Tastes of Korean Food Ahn Hong-beom Photographer

T

he Pungcheon eel, from the Jeolla-do provinces, is a favorite for making broiled eel. They are found in rivers nearby the Yellow Sea coastline, where the water levels between low and high tides vary greatly. The name Pungcheon is a combination of pung, meaning wind in Chinese (風), and cheon, or stream (川). The area came to be known as Pungcheon because of the surging tide waters that flowed in and out of the Incheongang River. From Seonunsa Temple, in Gochang, Jeollabuk-do Province, it was said that you could see “throngs of eels in the windblown sea waters.” The high quality of Pungcheon eel meat is attributed to the purity and high salt content of the area’s sea waters.

Eel Varieties Eel includes a variety of types, such as cham-jangeo (a kind of baem-jangeo, anguilla japonica ), bung-jangeo (sea eel, anago in Japanese), gaet-jangeo, and meok-jangeo (kkom-jangeo). The names are often associated with the place of origin. For broiled eel, freshwater cham-jangeo is a popular choice. Eel can also be pan-fried with soy sauce or red pepper paste, or served as a topping for sushi or deopbap (rice with various ingredients). The dish introduced here calls for chamjangeo.

In contrast to salmon, the small fry eel will swim upriver and remain in freshwater for a period of 5 to 12 years, and then return to the sea, between August and October, to lay their eggs and die off. After hatching, the eel swim northward for about a year, return toward the coastal area, and again make their way upriver. Eels are capable of swimming long distances, even in winter, and surviving for several months without eating. Because of its longer life span, as compared to most river fish, Koreans have long prized eel as a kind of “stamina food,” for beating the heat during the dog days of summer. Similarly, eel 6 Koreana | Summer 2009

Broiled eel with a garnish of susam-ginseng.

In contrast to the Japanese version that is prepared with soy sauce, the Korean dish is seasoned mainly with red pepper paste, which accounts for its vibrant color and spicy taste.

Summer 2009 | Koreana

1

2

The flavoring of meat with vegetable spices is a fundamental principle of Korean cooking, which seeks to harmonize flavorful taste with nutrition. The preparation of broiled eel involves a variety of vegetable ingredients and extracts.

is thought to be a helpful remedy for people recovering from illness. Eel is a rich source of protein and helps to enhance proper function of the lungs and large intestine.

Rich in Nutrition Eel meat is known for its high levels of Vitamin A, D, and E, and omega-3 fatty acids. One hundred grams of eel contain 4,400 IU (international units) of Vitamin A, above the Recommended Dietary Allowance and equivalent to 5

liters of milk or 10 eggs. Vitamin E helps to suppress the oxidation process, which breaks down body cells, and to reduce the incidence of heart disease and cancer. It is also known to prevent arteriosclerosis that can increase the risk of stroke. Eel is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to prevent the formation of blood clots, which can cause circulatory problems. The beneficial protein of eel meat aids in the body’s detoxification and rejuvenation.

Preparation For preparation, first fix the eel on a cutting board by piercing it with a gimlet, under the gills, so that it remains in place. Cut into the midsection to remove

the innards, and cut off the head and tail sections. Remove the backbone and scrape off the skin with a sharp knife. Do not wash the eel meat with water. Wipe it clean with a paper towel or kitchen towel, and cut into bite-size pieces, if desired.

Before being cooked, the eel meat needs to be marinated in various spices.

In Korean cooking, meat ingredients are marinated in vegetable spices to achieve a harmony of flavorful taste and nutrition.

Because of eel meat’s high fat content and distinctive odor, it can be partially grilled over a charcoal fire to reduce the fat and odor. The backbone and head can be boiled in water to prepare a broth, for making a marinade sauce or for serving as a soup. Coat the eel meat with the spicy sauce, and repeat application during the broiling.

1 Broil the partially cooked eel on medium heat, while applying sauce.

2 For the garnish, slice the susam-ginseng at a slant.

3 Marinate the eel in the spicy juice.

3

Preparation of Broiled Eel Ingredients: 2 eels • Marinade: 2 tablespoons spicy juice, 2 tablespoons wine, 1 teaspoon ginseng extract, 1 teaspoon plum juice • Broiling sauce 1 tablespoon red pepper paste, 1 teaspoon ground red pepper, 2 tablespoons spiced sauce, 1 tablespoon cucumber juice, 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 teaspoon grain syrup • Garnish 2 susam-ginseng roots, 1 red pepper, 1 cheong-yang green pepper, 1/2 tablespoon spicy oil, pinch of salt

Preparation: -Clean eel meat. Remove the eel innards and scrape off the skin. Wipe clean with a paper towel or kitchen towel, and cut into bite-size pieces, if desired.

-Place eel meat in marinade and allow to sit. Then, grill meat over a charcoal fire until about two-thirds cooked through.

-Coat with broiling sauce and broil meat at medium heat, while repeating sauce application during broiling. Meat is done when easily pierced with a chopstick.

-Slice susam-ginseng at a slant into thin strips and fry. When nearly cooked, add slices of red and green pepper, and complete frying. Add the ginseng and pepper garnish to the broiled eel meat, and serve.

Susam-ginseng Garnish The dish introduced here is further embellished with ginseng, which is wellknown for its healthful benefits. Ginseng contains about 30 varieties of highpotency saponin that energizes the body by stimulating metabolism, promoting digestion, and optimizing the absorption of nutrients. Ginseng is known for its anti-cancer benefits of strengthening the body’s immune system and resistance to disease, which suppress the propagation of cancer cells. It also aids in proper liver function and reducing cholesterol levels, in addition to helping absorb the alcohol from drinking liquor. Susam-ginseng, or unprocessed ginseng, is a popular ingredient for broiled eel and other nutritious Korean dishes.

Basic Ingredients This broiled eel dish calls for spicy juice, spicy soy sauce, and spicy oil, in accordance with the following instructions. The ingredients might not be familiar to people, but they help to enhance the flavor and produce a clean taste. For Korean dishes, a variety of ingredients are included, such as garlic, spring onion, ginger, ground pepper, onion, pepper, sesame leaves, ground sesame, and fish sauce. Preparing basic ingredients in larger amounts beforehand can help to save on the time and cost for making an individual dish.

Ingredients

Preparation

Spicy juice

200 grams pear, 200 grams radish, 200 grams onion, 200 grams garlic, 10 grams ginger

-Grate the ingredients or use a food processor to make juice. Pour the juice into a glass bottle and store in the freezer, until needed.

Spicy oil

2 cups cooking oil 2 red peppers 10 cloves garlic 2 pieces ginger 1 sprig spring onion 3-4 sesame leaves 1/2 onion

-Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove seeds. Slice the garlic and ginger, cut the spring onion on a diagonal, and slice the onion into fine strips, together with the sesame leaves.

-Place the ingredients into a sauce pan, pour in cooking oil, and boil slowly on low heat. When the vegetables turn yellow, remove them. Cool the oil and pour into a bottle, until needed.

Spicy soy sauce

2 cups soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 cup flavored juice, 1 pinch ground pepper, 3 driedred peppers, 5 sesame leaves, 2 tablespoons grain syrup, 100 grams beef, 2 pieces ginger root, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup white wine

-First, boil all ingredients, except the beef and honey, in a saucepan. Then, add in beef, and boil further on low heat. Pour in honey, and boil until the sauce is reduced to about 2 cups. Strain and pour sauce into a bottle, until needed.

Summer 2009 | Koreana

reaDer eSSaY

Koreana and I Joseph Di Bona Associate Professor of Education at Duke University

80 Koreana | Summer 2009

Y

ou cannot imagine a greater contrast than Korea at the end of World War II and the brilliant beauty and progress shown in Koreana today. We American GIs arrived in Korea in 1945 to disarm the Japanese, and if Japan had suffered greatly during the War, you can be sure Korea had suffered much more. The economy stood in complete disarray, rubble covered streets and fields, and—to raise what little they could—people sold their few household possessions to anyone with means to buy. Pots and pans covered blankets laid along the roads, and buyers could haggle for a bronze Buddha or a few books or a dog-fur hat (always popular with Americans wanting to send home a souvenir).

Young children and older citizens searched garbage piles for anything—rags, bottles, metal, and such— that could be recycled for a profit. The only way to purchase necessities seemed to be the black market, which thrived while making available matches, powdered milk, sugar, and others items at costly rates. Sorrow permeated everything in the nation, government was nearly nonexistent, and no one knew where society was headed.

If things were bad for the Korean population, they were not much better for the American “liberators.” Please recall that we did not intend to remain in Korea after the Japanese left. Because there were no living quarters for soldiers, we occupied the old Japanese barracks: small unheated rooms with sliding paper panels. No eating mess halls were functioning, and we regarded the communal cold showers as less than adequate. On top of that, one morning we awakened to not one, but two Koreas: one north of the 38th Parallel, headed by a Communist named Kim Il-Sung; and the other headed by the Americans supporting Syngman Rhee. Of course, the sudden change required some getting used to. We had fought for

four years with our ally Uncle Joe Stalin and now had to accept that our former ally was now our new enemy. Ordered to explain to my fellow soldiers this shift in allegiance, I was handed a map and a wooden pointer with a rubber tip so that I could outline the expansion of Russia and detail its effects on the United States and the Korean Peninsula.

What a contrast between that dismal 1945 Korea of my youth and today’s brilliant Korea so gorgeously presented in the pages of Koreana . I have discovered a wonderful array of artifacts, architecture, art, and culture, and eagerly share back issues with visiting friends and family. For instance, Koreana ’s regular section on Korean cuisine offers not just kimchi but less well-known dishes, such as soups (guk ), described as essential to any Korean meal. Globalization has brought restaurants serving pizza, hamburgers, and ice cream, all a far cry from when, in 1945, we cold and unhappy GIs settled for large pots of hot coffee and the chance to sit around makeshift fires in a vain effort to keep warm.

Through the magazine I have learned about Korean television dramas and world soccer matches, and have seen the variety and beauty of the land itself (even the tidal flats are beautiful) and been informed of efforts to maintain the ecological system. Splendid photographs present the old and the new Korea—tomb murals of Goguryeo or the Changdeokgang Palace or the Joseon Dynasty genre paintings; traditional craftsmen, such as bambooscreen maker Cho Dae-Yong, working hard to keep alive ancient elegant crafts; and towering Seoul skyscrapers signaling contemporary world leadership.

These cultural and artistic moments of Korea’s past we knew nothing of in 1945, and we certainly could not have predicted the glories of modern Korea.

One facet of Korean culture I personally managed to glimpse back then, however, is the Korean emphasis on education. Certainly, the system of schooling was deeply broken at the end of the War, but in those army days I was in charge of a large

warehouse full of books on subjects from philosophy to pathology, manufacture to horticulture. Any American requesting a book received it without charge; nonetheless, few of the several thousand men in the area wanted to read. Much of the day I sat and waited for requests. I read a lot and wrote stories that later formed a memoir. At the same time, several Koreans, given the task of sorting and organizing the books, began to ask if they could take books home for the benefit of themselves and their families. I was so delighted to find anyone— American or Korean —who wanted to read and learn that I readily said yes and gave them what they wanted. After some time, more Koreans learned of what we had and, even though they did not work for the project, also asked for books, which I gladly provided. Before long, more and more citizens were coming, looking for books. Indeed, each morning a line formed to request and receive books. I thought at the time that I had created a public relations plan that would cement future mutual appreciation between our two nations, but that was not to be. The growing lines led my superior officer to demand an explanation. Unable to believe that I was not personally benefiting from such generosity, he removed me from my job and took steps to have me disciplined. No malfeasance could be found and charges were dropped. Later, I even received my honorable discharge. To my mind, everything turned out just fine: I was going home—and the Koreans were busy learning. They have never stopped.

To tell the truth, all we 1945 Korea-based GIs really longed for was leaving Korea and returning home. Today, after learning from Koreana so much about the treasures of the nation, I want nothing more than to return to Korea to witness personally the wonders of the nation’s ancient past and the splendors of its post-war transformation. ( jdibona@duke.edu)

Summer 2009 | Koreana 81

lIvInG

Bukhansan National Park is known to attract some 5 million visitors annually to its relatively compact area of some 80 square kilometers. It has earned recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most annual visitors to a national park, based on overall area.

82 Koreana | Summer 2009

M

ountains are an integral element of the Korean Peninsula. The Taebaek Mountain Range is the peninsula’s backbone, running some 600 kilometers along the eastern coast. From this backbone, smaller mountain ranges extend to the west, like rib bones. Over the centuries, this mountainous terrain has had a profound effect on the climate, culture, and even language of Korea. Although they once posed a considerable barrier to travel and communication between the various regions of the peninsula, today the mountains are a natural refuge for those seeking an escape from the frenzied bustle of modern life.

Seoul and its Mountains The capital city of Seoul is home to roughly one-fifth of the

population of Korea, making it one of the largest cities in the world. Life in the city can be hectic, as in any big city, but the residents of Seoul need only take a short ride on the subway or bus to leave the city behind for the peace and beauty of nature, which many do. In fact, Bukhansan National Park, which consists of the eponymous Bukhansan (more popularly known in the past as Samgaksan, or so-called “Three-Horn Mountain” for its three major peaks) and a neighboring mountain, Dobongsan, holds the Guinness world record for the most annual visitors to a national park, per unit of area, with over 5 million people visiting the park’s 80 square kilometers each year.

The close proximity of the city to a number of mountains is no accident. When the Joseon Dynasty was founded in 1392, the new

Popularity of Mountain Climbing on the Rise At a conference held in late 2008, the widespread popularity of mountain climbing was confirmed in no uncertain terms.

When asked about their favorite activity or pastime, 4.5 percent of men and 5.5 percent of women answered “mountain climbing,” in 2000, but these figures soared to 43.5 percent and 35.6 percent, respectively, in 2008. With the recent recession and the Korean won’s plummet against major foreign currencies, making international travel much more expensive, Koreans are increasingly discovering the natural treasures in their own backyard.

Charles La Shure Writer Professor, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation | Ahn Hong-beom Photographer

Summer 2009 | Koreana 83

1

1 Around the base of popular mountains, you will dynasty needed a new capital, and the In addition to being easily accessible invariably find shops and stalls with all mancurrent site of Seoul was chosen in part and dotted with cultural and historical ner of hiking gear and equipment. Despite the because it is surrounded by mountains. details, such as ancient walls and temples, recent economic downturn, sales of mountain climbing items have been robust.

According to the principles of pungsu the mountains of Korea perfectly illustrate 2 Although Bukhansan can be easily accessed (feng shui in Chinese), a city is ideally an old Korean saying: “The tiny chili pepby subway or bus, it is not necessarily a trivial situated with mountains to the north and per is the spiciest.” Korea’s highest peak is mountain, with areas that offer daunting chala river to the south. There is a practical Hallasan (1,950 meters), on Jejudo Island, lenges for even experienced climbers. advantage to these characteristics, as while the highest peak on the mainland is mountains to the north deflect the cold Jirisan (1,917 meters). In terms of height Siberian winds that sweep southward alone, these are nothing compared to the along the peninsula. Seoul’s wind break is the Gwangju Moungreat mountain ranges of the world, such as the Rocky Mountains tain Range, the “rib bone” jutting out from the Taebaek Mountain (4,401 meters) in the United States, the Alps (4,808 meters) in Range that includes Mts.Bukhansan and Dobongsan.

Europe, and the Himalayas in Asia (8,848 meters). But just as a Military factors are also considered in the choice of a city site. tiny chili pepper may surprise you with its heat, so the mountains Seoul is encircled by an inner and outer ring of mountains, which of Korea hold many delightful surprises for the adventurous hiker. are connected by walls to form two defensive barriers for the city’s Most Korean mountains rise from near sea level, so the climb residents. The inner mountains include Bugaksan (342 meters) can be quite long, and even the smaller peaks offer steep trails and Namsan (262 meters), while the outer mountains include or paths that wind up and down jagged valleys and ridges. Also, Bukhansan (836.5 meters), the tallest mountain in the capital many of the mountains in Korea have skeletons of hard granite, area. Although the city’s perimeter walls were removed long ago, with smooth white bones that jut out of the slopes and peaks, during the course of Seoul’s urban development, leaving only the making for challenging trails. Some of these rock faces are vertientrance gates, wall sections still remain in the mountains today, cal or near vertical, providing opportunities for rock climbing and 1 adding a touch of culture and history to the ridge trails. rappelling.

84 Koreana | Summer 2009

2

Same Mountain, Different Experience When asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest, the British explorer George Mallory famously replied: “Because it’s there.”

His response may seem flippant, but it illustrates the human desire to conquer obstacles and to reach new heights. Just about everyone can understand the joy of climbing a mountain and reaching the top to look down on the world spread out below, even if we may never reach such lofty heights as Everest. It should come as no surprise, then, that in a 2006 survey of favorite exercise activities, Korean respondents placed mountain climbing at the top of the list with 13.2 percent, as reported by the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper (January 30, 2009).

Yet everyone is unique, and thus everyone brings something different to the mountain and takes something different away.

Mr. and Mrs. Lee are a retired couple who spend some of their free time traveling around the country, experiencing the many mountains that Korea has to offer. For Mr. Lee, the mountains are where you can enjoy nature and slowly unwind from the stress that keeps us wrapped up so tightly in our daily lives. “When we go to the mountains we feel comfortable. It’s nature unspoiled, and since we have come from nature, it puts our minds at ease.” Mrs. Lee emphasizes the health benefits of mountain climbing, as well she should. Only a few years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer,

and after surgery and a long period of hospital visits for treatment, to little avail, she decided to take a more natural approach to her life. She has changed her diet and lifestyle, with mountain climbing being an important aspect of those changes. “If I hadn’t climbed all those mountains I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” she says. “Mountain climbing has helped me regain my strength.”

Mr. Kim is another avid mountain climber. In a small, cavelike overhang of rock, just below one of the peaks of Bukhansan, he takes shelter from the cold, biting wind that rakes the exposed ridge outside. He works in the distribution industry, and he schedules his shipments to ensure that he has a day off during the week, which he dedicates to climbing one of the mountains nearby Seoul. He climbs on the weekends as well, of course, but the crowds are fewer during the week, and a climb up a nearby mountain provides a welcome break from the work week.

“We come to the mountains to cast off our daily lives and just enjoy this time,” he says. Mountain climbing is a good way to stay fit, of course, but for Mr. Kim this fitness goes beyond his physical condition and extends to spiritual well-being. He shares a few stories of climbers who stepped outside the prescribed boundaries or beyond their own limitations and suffered the consequences, and he believes there is a lesson to be learned from them. “When Summer 2009 | Koreana 85

Mr. Kim is an avid mountain climber. In a small, cave-like overhang of rock, just below one of the peaks of Bukhansan, he takes shelter from the cold, biting wind that rakes the exposed ridge outside. He works in the distribution industry, and he schedules his shipments to ensure that he has a day off during the week, which he dedicates to climbing one of the mountains nearby Seoul.

I come to the mountains I feel a kind of respect. Climbing mountains is always an opportunity for me to lower myself and to reflect on what has happened in my life, to get rid of my pride and arrogance.”

Many people, of course, see mountain climbing as a social activity, something that will become readily apparent as soon as you set foot on a Korean mountain. Groups of men and women, young and old, toil their way to the top, taking time along the way to enjoy picnic food and good company. In addition to informal groups, there are also many hiking and climbing clubs that meet on a regular basis. Some of them focus on a single mountain nearby, exploring the many different trails, while others make a point of visiting a different mountain each trip, sometimes traveling long distances just to climb a famous peak.

Whatever the reason, climbing a mountain is something of a metaphorical experience, and nowhere is this more evident than the mountains of Seoul. The city is often blanketed in a gray haze, but climbing the mountains allows you to rise both literally above the city and its choking air, and metaphorically above the hectic pace of city life. The fragrance of fresh air invigorates both body and spirit, washing away all the impurities that have built up. And, at least for this moment, the city looks peaceful down below. It is this that draws Koreans to the mountains, for where else can you enjoy recreation with your friends and family, improve your physical and spiritual fitness, and rise above the world and all its worries, all at the same time?

National Pastime With so many mountains near major cities in Korea, it is only natural that mountain climbing should become a national hobby.

And when something becomes a national pastime, it follows that an industry will spring up around it. Go to any of the trailheads for Seoul’s mountains and you will invariably find stores and stalls selling mountain climbing clothing and equipment. These range from items of clothing made from special fabric designed to wick sweat away from the skin to specialized equipment such as crampons for negotiating snowy or icy slopes.

These items are not just for professional climbers, though.

Climb any mountain in Korea and you will find that the majority of your fellow climbers are decked out in specialized shoes and clothing; in fact, visitors to Korea may be surprised at just how many people eschew everyday clothing, such as jeans and sneakers, for hiking or climbing outfits. Thus, the success of the outdoor goods industry, and other industries related to mountain climbing, can 86 Koreana | Summer 2009

give you a sense of just how much Koreans enjoy their mountains.

The JoongAng Ilbo reported in late 2008 that sales of climbing clothing and equipment were on the rise at online shops. One of the most well-known Korean online marketplaces, Auction (www.auction.co.kr), reported a 20 percent increase in daily sales of mountain climbing items during October and November, over the same period in 2007. Among the biggest sellers were camping items, such as outdoor stoves and tents, with sales up 88 percent, along with hiking boots, with a sales increase of 80 percent.

Another article in the JoongAng Ilbo (November 21, 2008) had this to say: “When the hard times hit, the most popular leisure sport is mountain climbing. It doesn’t cost much, and you don’t have to go far to enjoy it. The conspicuous rise in the sale of mountain climbing goods brings home the reality of the recession.”

Other businesses benefit from the popularity of mountain climbing as well. Even a gentle hike is enough to work up an appetite, and many popular restaurants have opened up shop at the foot of the more visited mountains, catering to the hordes of hungry climbers heading back home after a long day on the trails.

What could be better than ending a day of climbing with a hearty meal of Korean favorites, such as dubu (tofu) or grilled meat, and maybe a glass or two of Korean liquor to wash it down? Other beneficiaries include climbing clubs that essentially operate as travel agencies, organizing large group trips to popular peaks around the country.

It is often said that people speak the loudest with their wallets, and the flourishing of these industries is a testament to the universal popularity of mountain climbing in Korea. And the sport continues to grow in popularity with each passing year. At a conference held in late 2008 by the Korean Mountaineering Support Center, the rise in popularity was expressed in no uncertain terms. When asked about their favorite activity or pastime, 4.5 percent of men and 5.5 percent of women answered “mountain climbing,” in 2000, but these figures soared to 43.5 percent and 35.6 percent, respectively, in 2008.

With the recent recession and the Korean won’s plummet against major foreign currencies, making international travel much more expensive, Koreans are increasingly discovering the natural treasures in their own backyard. When the human spirit of adventure and love of nature meets Korea’s unique geography, the result is a sport with no boundaries and no age limit, a pastime that anyone and everyone can enjoy, whether you are a native of the peninsula or just passing through.

Journeys in Korean Literature

Cheon Woon Young

© Paik Da Huim

Cheon Woon Young (b. 1971) is among the most notable young writers of Korea’s literary circles of the 2000s. She has published three collections of short stories–Needle, Myeongrang, How She

Uses Her Tears –and a novel Farewell, Circus . Her debut short story “Needle” was a critically acclaimed work that “demonstrated her outstanding ability to drive a reader to the aesthetic brink of perilously aggressive sensuality.”

CrItIQue

A Needle with the Ability to Engulf the Universe Seo Young-chae Professor of Creative Writing, Hanshin University

88 Koreana | Summer 2009

The appearance of Cheon Woon Young was noticeably fresh because of the unfamiliar sensibilities of her writing and the extraordinary influence she exerted over readers of her stories. Her first work is charged with wild, carnal images, and an atmosphere that combines aesthetic sensuality, warped desires, and secret fantasies, based on her unique narrative style. This originality, which is found in all of Cheon’s works, can be ascribed to her masterful handling of the minute details that form her story line. Her attention to detail enhances the vivid depictions of various scenes in her early works, like the process of applying a tattoo to human flesh or the decapitation of cattle at a slaughterhouse. Her descriptive expertise, based on meticulous research, is in full bloom in her full-length novel Farewell, Circus , which deals with the challenges of everyday life of a KoreanChinese woman residing in Korea.

Published in 2000, Cheon’s debut work “Needle” is a short story about a woman who makes a living as a tattoo artist. The process of applying the needle to the chest, back, shoulders, thigh, or even the penis of a stranger, as well as the fact that the tattoos are applied in the privacy of the woman’s apartment, provide a sensual aura to the tattooing work. The men in the story are sexually aroused during or after the tattooing, while the woman also becomes completely drained after every tattoo, like after having passionate sex. In this story, the tattooing process is pregnant with sexual implications.

Why does the story even need such a subterfuge when sex is no longer a forbidden topic these days?

The characters in the story are arranged symmetrically, with the tattoo artist at the center. At one end is her mother, a seamstress, and at the other is a handsome young man, who lives in the apartment on the opposite end of the hallway from hers. A needle is given by (or stolen) from her mother and a needle is applied to the young man. The story ends when the symmetry breaks.

The needle has as deep a meaning for the young tattoo artist as it does for her seamstress mother, whose prized set of needles is an object of desire of the daughter. As a girl, the daughter wanted to learn sewing from her mother, but she was abandoned when her mother

sought refuge at a temple, in order to cure her disease.

Although it seems that something had gone on between the mother and the old monk of the temple, no details are provided. In any case, after the monk was found dead, the mother later kills herself. She claims to have killed the monk, and is investigated by the police, but as to what really happened remains unclear.

The only clue is her needle set that the daughter finds in her mother’s room at the end of the story. Since the tips of all the needles have been broken off, this seems to suggest that her mother may have been the monk’s killer. Meanwhile, the daughter, after being deserted by her mother, takes up the livelihood of a needle worker, not by making clothes but by applying tattoos to people’s bodies.

The young man living in the apartment at the other end of the hallway is described as being physically attractive. The man’s beauty stands in stark contrast to the woman’s unattractiveness. Having figured out what happens in the woman’s apartment, the young man pays her a visit. Like her other male customers, he also wants to have something powerful tattooed onto his body. When he asks the woman to give him a tattoo of the most powerful weapon, she tattoos a tiny needle, about the size of her little finger. But how could a simple needle be the strongest weapon?

As the woman’s mother used to say, if you can kill someone by adding minute needle tips to a beverage that the person drinks daily, needles could well be a murderous weapon. Nevertheless, a needle was certainly not one of the potent weapons that the young man had imagined, such as a knife, arrow, or missile.

In the story, the needle drawn on the man’s chest is described as “a narrow slit like the genitals of a little girl.” If this is a slit that might engulf the universe or if it is a needle with a tip onto which all beings in the world could converge, it would be a weapon more deadly than anything with the ability to stab, slash, or smash.

The story ends as the man with this powerful weapon tattooed on his chest starts to come to the woman’s apartment, rather than his own place, every evening after work. With this, the symmetry of

the three people is broken. The woman’s mother no longer exists and the young man is with the woman.

All that is left is the narrow, fearsome gash, which the needle represents, along with its purely corporal symbolism.

The cultural conditions of the time when Cheon made her literary debut, at the age of 29, accentuate the symbolic meaning of the needle’s image. Unlike the tattoos of ancient warriors, which expressed their worship of courage and magical power, modern tattoos can be a way of using the body to make a fashion statement. At the time that Cheon published “Needle,” the sense of rigorism that had prevailed over the political and cultural spheres was giving way to market influences, while the long-suppressed sensibilities and creativity of a kind of idealism started to percolate to the surface. The world became up-front and shameless. It was in this context that the body itself became a subject of direct interest, rather than as a metaphor. In the narratives of the 1980s political revolution, love was expressed by a form of mutual recognition. During the 1990s cultural revolution, however, love was all too often just a means to achieve corporal pleasure through sex, or sex was defined by gender politics.

This definition of love tended to infuse a novel with narrative tension. However, by the time Cheon took her first steps as a writer, this trend was already on the wane, while another type of disillusionment emerged in its place. The focus was thus no longer on sex, as a purely physical encounter, but on its inherent taste of death. The needle, or the gash, as inevitable death that eventually engulfs all living beings, is a metaphor of the times of Cheon’s literature. What matters is not the corporal as much as the mental, or the spiritual; rather, it is the natural drive toward death of all living things. Therefore, a focus on the corporal amounts to a certain preoccupation with death. “Needle” by Cheon Woon Young delivers this message by using the symbol of a needle as well as by addressing a variety of matters related to the body, including death.

Summer 2009 | Koreana 8

Korea Foundation Publications Subscription/Purchase Information

Koreana

The Korea Foundation Seocho P.O. Box 227 Diplomatic Center Building, 2558 Nambusunhwanno, Seocho-gu, Seoul 137-863, Korea www.kf.or.kr

Koreana, a full-color quarterly published since 1987, is dedicated to broadening awareness about Korea’s cultural heritage and providing information on recent artistic and cultural activities. Each issue of Koreana features in-depth coverage of various aspects of a specific cultural theme, and also introduces Korea’s traditional artisans, lifestyles, natural attractions, and other related topics.

Subscription rate including airmail delivery Korea Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China Elsewhere

1 year 18,000 won US$33 US$37

2 years 36,000 won US$60 US$68

3 years 54,000 won US$81 US$93

(Back issues are available at US$7 per copy. Per copy airmail postage will be added.)

Korea Focus

Korea Focus is a monthly webzine (www.koreafocus.or.kr) and a quarterly journal, featuring commentaries and essays on Korean politics, economy, society and culture, as well as relevant international issues. Since 1993, the journal has served as a foremost source of objective information on Korea, while contributing to a broader understanding of Korean society among the international community and promoting Korean Studies at academic institutions abroad. The articles are selected from leading Korean daily newspapers, news magazines, and academic journals.

Subscription rate including airmail delivery Korea Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China Elsewhere

1 year 18,000 won US$28 US$32

2 years 36,000 won US$52 US$60

3 years 54,000 won US$71 US$81

(Back issues are available at US$5 per copy. Per copy airmail postage will be added.)

Korean Cultural Heritage

Korean Cultural Heritage, a unique four-volume book series, is primarily a compilation of articles and photos from previous editions of Koreana. These volumes provide a comprehensive and systematic introduction to Korean culture with insightful articles and a wealth of color photos in four distinctive editions. (Vol. I Fine Arts, Vol. II Thought and Religion, Vol. III Performing Arts, Vol. IV Traditional Lifestyles)

Fragrance of Korea

Fragrance of Korea — The Ancient Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje exclusively features the Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, designated a National Treasure of Korea (No. 287), which is acclaimed as the consummate metal-craft masterpiece of ancient East Asia for its exquisite detail and formative beauty. It includes 110 pages of photo images and three essays: “Historical Significance of the Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje”; “Cultural Dynamics and Diversity: From the Daoist Boshanlu to the Buddhist Incense Burner of Baekje”; and “The Site of the Buddhist Temple at Neungsan-ri, Buyeo.”

Price per volume: US$40 plus shipping

Price per volume: US$25 plus shipping