People & Culture

march 2011

korea’s
traditional house,
hanok
designs of the past exemplify
homes of the future

jeungdo island
life at a snail’s pace

social network
service
streaming new trends
to korean life
ISSN: 2005-2162

www.korea.net
Contents
march 2011 VOL.7 NO.03

02
cover story
Hanok, a traditional Korean house, embodies
the combination of beauty and science.

14
pen & brush
Paris-based artist Kwon Moo-hyoung gains
recognition abroad for his explorations.

18
people
The late Father John Lee, who spent years
helping others, lives on in spirit.

22
great korean
Philosopher and scientist Jeong Yak-yong
brought innovation to the Joseon Dynasty.

24
my korea
Poktanju, or Korean bomb shot, shakes the
02
senses and bonds social ties, one expat learns.

28
seoul
Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream symbolizes
publisher Seo Kang-soo,
Korea’s past, present and tomorrow. Korean Culture and Information Service

30 Editing HEM KOREA Co., Ltd

travel
e-mail webmaster@korea.net
Jeungdo Island is one of Korea’s ”slow cities,“
offering tranquility and history in one. printing Samsung Moonhwa Printing Co.

34
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sports field at the latest Asian Winter Games. Information Service.

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Int’l cooperation saved the Samho Jewelry.
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cover story

Hanok, or traditional Korean houses, are a place where you can forget
all of the stresses of the modern world. Designed to withstand the
forces of the Korean climate, hanok are built with natural elements
such as trees, soil, stone and paper. The house offers visitors a chance
to learn about Korean history and culture while reconnecting with
Mother Nature. by Chung Dong-muk | photographs by Kim Nam-heon

Traditional hanok houses in Hahoe Folk Village


Starting at Hwangji Pond in Taebaek,
the Nakdonggang River winds some
500km through southeastern part of
Korea before flowing into the South
Sea. It is the country’s longest river, and
has been flowing through the peninsula
for thousands of years. Sitting along
this natural jewel is another important
04 | korea | march 2011
such an area was called “yeonhwabusu,”
meaning “a lotus floating on water.” In
ancient Korea, people took account of
such theories when deciding where to
build a village or house. If a location
harmonized with the forces of nature, its
residents would be brought good luck.
A house built in a manner contrary to
those forces would meet with disaster.
Hahoe Village is home to many tile-
roofed hanok, or traditional Korean
houses, because it was a favorable area
according to feng shui theory.
a protective home In 1392, when
the Joseon Dynasty was founded, state
official Ryu Jong-hye chose Hahoe as
the home for the Ryu clan of Pungsan.
Brothers Ryu Un-ryong (1539~1601),
a renowned Confucian scholar, and
Ryu Seong-ryong (1542~1607), a
prime minister who helped the dynasty
overcome the Japanese invasion in 1592,
were both from the village. Thanks
Jangdok, porcelain pots used to store Korean
fermented sauces such as doenjang (soybean
paste) in the front yard of a hanok (left).
White rubber shoes are placed in front of a
traditional hanok door (below).
piece of Korean heritage: Hahoe Folk
Village in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Province.
Hahoe is a compound Korean word
meaning “the water takes a roundabout.”
The river literally winds around the
village in an “S” shaped bend. In
topography-based divination theory,
to the success of the Ryu family, the
village thrived and tile-roofed homes,
which were traditionally reserved for
the aristocracy, started to appear in
Hahoe. Today, 162 traditional hanok
houses with roof tiles remain standing.
There are also 211 straw-roofed houses,
traditional homes for commoners.
Aside from hanok, the village is also
home to 11 wooden masks designated
as the National Treasure No. 121. The
masks are used in the Hahoe byeolsingut
tallori, or Hahoe Mask Dance Drama.
The Korean government designated
the entire village as one of the most
important folk heritage treasures in
1984. Last year, UNESCO listed the
village as a World Heritage Site, putting
Hahoe in the global spotlight.
“It’s not easy to preserve and maintain
such a huge tile-roofed house,” says
Ryu Se-ho, owner of Hwagyeongdang
Korean traditional bedding is kept neat
and tidy in the room of a hanok (above).
Hwagyeongdang’s spacious daecheong, or
the main floor room, maintains cool
temperatures during the summer thanks
to the scientific flow of air (below).
in Hahoe Village. “But there are traces
of our forefathers in all corners of the
house. I can’t just ignore them. I do this
out of a sense of duty.”
Visitors to Hwagyeongdang, one of
Korea’s best-known hanok, can feel
the structure’s long history. Ryu Sa-
chun, one of Ryu Se-ho’s ancestors,
built Hwagyeongdang in 1797. Then in
1862, his great grandson Ryu Do-seong
constructed additional buildings to
complete it as the home of the nobility.
Hwagyeongdang is now the largest in
town and is listed by the government as
No. 84 among important folk materials.
A trip to Hahoe Village is not
complete without a visit to Yangjindang
and Chunghyodang hanok as well.
Yangjindang is the home of the head
family of the Pungsan Ryu clan.
And it was built by Ryu Jong-hye
in the 15th century and inherited by
www.korea.net | 05
his eldest grandson, Ryu Un-ryong. carried by four people. If she wanted to
Chunghyodang was home to Prime walk, she had to wear a long hood that
Minister Ryu Seong-ryong, and Ryu covered her entire body. The Korean
Un-ryong’s younger brother inherited word during this period to describe
the home. women literally meant a person who
The anchae (women’s quarters) and spends their time inside the house. Men,
sarangchae (men’s quarters) are shaped on the other hand, were free to come
like squares, typical of houses in the and go as they pleased.
southeastern part of the country. The
quarters are parallel to each other The Beauty of Natural Science
and connected by a pair of rooms on Hanok employ the laws of natural
either side. Shutting the inner door to science to circulate the air. When you
the sarangchae ensured the privacy of visit a hanok like Hwagyeongdang, you
women. During the Joseon Dynasty will notice that trees and flowers are
women from the noble class were not planted in the rear garden as opposed to
allowed to be seen by strangers. When the front yard. This allows the house to
the wife of an aristocrat traveled outside, keep cool during the summer and warm
she would ride in a closed palanquin during the winter. Most aristocratic
hanok have a wooden-floored hall, or
Part of the
magnetism of daecheong, in the middle of the anchae
hanok is that serves as the living room. The front
chagyeong, which
means borrowing side of the daecheong is wide open
scenery (above).
There is a shapely while doors shut off the backside. When
old pine tree in the sun beats down on the barren front
the back yard of
Hwagyeongdang yard, the temperature rises. The heated trees in the backyard serve as a private A view of the fascinating exterior the house, but the placement of trees
(left). Ryu Se-ho, characteristics of Byeongsan Seowon
owner of the
air rises and leaves the front yard in a garden. The aesthetic theory chagyeong, from the floor of the Mandaeru Pavilion and flowers and the location of the
(above). Traditional Korean utensils are
Hwagyeongdang vacuum. But in the back yard, plants and which means “borrowing scenery,” displayed in a hanok kitchen (below).
surrounding landscapes, be it mountains
in Hahoe Folk
Village, says it is trees absorb the heat, making the air a helped shape hanok gardens. While or rivers.
important to bit cooler. Such cool air travels through many Western houses have solid walls, Visitors to Hahoe Village can see
preserve hanok
(below). the wide-open daecheong and reaches Korean hanok have columns connected wonderful examples of chagyeong at the
the front yard. This by a series of windows and doors. These Mandaeru Pavilion of the Byeongsan
creates a natural openings serve as frames for the outside Seowon. Located near Hwasan
circulation of air. In world. If you open one door, you might Mountain on the east side of Hahoe,
the summer, you can see a small stream flowing across the the Byeongsan Seowon is a memorial
open the doors to the yard. If you open another door, you for the scholarly achievements of Ryu
daecheong and enjoy might see the flowers and trees in full Seong-ryong. Sitting on the second
the cool breeze that bloom. Instead of hanging paintings on floor of the broad Mandaeru Pavilion,
flows through the their walls, Koreans would open their you can see the Nakdonggang River
house. In the winter, windows or doors and “borrow” the flow by a picturesque mountain. Along
warm air will stay in scenery right outside their house. the river spreads a white sand beach
the house with the Hanok designers try to make small that glimmers in the sunlight. Wild
daecheong’s back doors and windows throughout the geese pass their time on the beach. If
doors closed. house so inhabitants can view their you come at dusk, the orange-colored
In addition to garden from different angles at different twilight covers the river like something
their practical use times of the day and in different from a gorgeous landscape painting.
as a temperature seasons. The designers had to take into Ryu Se-ho, the owner of
regulator, flowers and consideration not only the shape of Hwagyeongdang, decided to open up his

06 | korea | march 2011 www.korea.net | 07


hanok to visitors four years ago. He says
that he wanted to share the great science
and spectacular beauty of hanok with
people from around the world.
“Hanok can only be preserved when
people live there,” he says. “You have
to light up the fireplace in the kitchen
and heat up the house made up of trees,
clay and stone to breathe life into it. If
I wanted to bring in guests, I thought I
might as well do it right and present the
true beauty of hanok and great taste that
you can enjoy there.”
Thanks to Ryu’s efforts, those who
stay at Hwagyeongdang get to enjoy
delicacies of a traditional Korean house.
They can stay warm on the ondol floor
and sleep in the same type of beds and
eat out of the same brass utensils used
by noblemen of the past.
Hanok REVIVAL Hanok tourism has
been formally registered by the Ministry
of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a
business and is growing in popularity
nationwide. The Association for
Proprietors of Korean Culture Houses
has played a leading role in the industry.
Its members include 380 proprietors
08 | korea | march 2011
Omokdae is where Yi Seong-gye threw
a party to celebrate victory of a
Hwangsandaecheop battle in the 14th
century (above left). A craftsman makes
hanji (above right). Souvenirs can be
purchased at Jeonju Hanok Village (below).
of ancient houses across the nation. It
has helped open such homes to tourists
from Korea and around the world,
teaching visitors about Korean culture
and heritage.
“Many of our member homes are
national or local cultural heritage, and
in the past, we were always trying to
stay out of them for protection,” says Lee
Gang-baek, head of the association and
owner of Sungyojang in Gangneung,
Gangwon-do Province. “But we could
only preserve the homes by having
people see them. Bringing in guests is
what I needed to do, too.”
Sungyojang is a 310-year-old house
where 10 generations have lived, and it’s
one of Korea’s most famous hanok. In
2000, Sungyojang was ranked the top
hanok in the country. The Gwandong
region, or the eastern part of Korea, lies
next to the dark blue East Sea and is
known for it beautiful scenery. Scholars
in the Joseon Dynasty with refined
artistic tastes always made Sungyojang
a stop during their travels through the
Gwandong area.
“The reason there are many annexes
to hanok, such as haengrangchae,
sarangchae and byeoldang, is to
encourage whoever was passing through
to stop by and stay overnight,” Lee
says. “It was never a house only for the
owner. But in modern times, it has lost
its meaning and we’ve lost our heart.
And to turn back time and revive that
original meaning, Sungyojang will stay
open to everyone from around the
world.”
To accommodate modern visitors,
some of the old facilities of hanok have
been upgraded. For instance, many
hanok owners have installed flushing
toilets, standing basins and shower stalls.
To help facilitate these improvements,
the Cultural Heritage Administration is
preparing a manual for the renovation
and repair of hanok. Since many old
homes are registered as cultural heritage,
the government wants to ensure that
the historical attributes of hanok are
preserved, as homeowners make the
houses more comfortable for visitors.
The movement to preserve hanok
comes after a century of disregard for
the traditional homes. Following the
Joseon Dynasty, Korea was annexed
by Japan in 1910 and remained under
colonial rule until 1945. The five years
following the liberation were marked
by chaotic ideological conflicts. Then,
the Korean War from 1950 to 1953
demolished what little was left on the
peninsula. Over some 50 years in the
post-war era, Koreans had to constantly
try to make ends meet and had little
interest in investing in the preservation
of cultural heritage. Koreans’ enthusiasm
for accepting Western culture led to a
materialism that valued the new and
shiny over the old and traditional.
It wasn’t until the 21st century that
Koreans had reached a comfortable
income level and some began to
question their harried lifestyle. They
adopted “live slowly” as their mantra,
and took an interest in hanok and other
traditional elements.
What does “live slowly” mean?
Perhaps it’s no different than living as
mankind should. That is, living trying
to coexist with nature; minimizing
Korea, you can experience the slow life
in seven places, including Hanok Village
in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province, and
Hanok Village in Damyang, Jeollanam-
do Province.
American Peter E. Bartholomew
– who has lived in a hanok in
Dongseomun-dong, Seoul, for nearly
40 years – will attest to the joys of living
slowly in a hanok.
“I love that I can spend time with
myself here on the daecheong, sipping
tea and looking out at the garden,”
Bartholomew says. “I am convinced
that hanok is the world’s greatest form
of architecture, with its scientific design
that also embraces human emotions.”
An elegant seat
is awaiting
visitors of a
hanok (above).
Hakindang is one
of the most
famous hanok in
Jeonju Hanok
Village (right).
Hakindang, built
in the 20th
century, is a
cultural icon
showing
traditional and
modern
architecture in
one building
(right below).
material goods that cater only to our
convenience, such as cars; and trying to
be thankful and satisfied with life each
and every day. But living slowly in this
fast-paced world is difficult. We know
that the exhaust from vehicles speeds up
global warming, but we still pick up our
car keys for even short trips.
It’s quite meaningful that places that
value slow living such as Hahoe Village
in Andong and Yangdong Village in
Gyeongju have been registered as
UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Another international organization,
the Cittaslow movement, has designated
several Korean villages as “slow cities.” In
www.korea.net | 09
cover story
The Meaningful Life of
a Guardian of Hanok
Peter E. Bartholomew is an American expatriate who has lived in hanok for 38 years.
He believes the hanok is a piece of art that combines philosophy, visual aesthetics
and science. Bartholomew says he has studied architecture from around the world
and is convinced hanok boasts some of the world’s greatest design elements.
It’s a Korean traditional house, or
hanok, in Dongseomun-dong in Seoul,
the nation’s capital and by far Korea’s
busiest city. Peter E. Bartholomew, the
American owner of this house, is seated
at the table in the main hall, sipping
coffee and soaking in the arrival of the
new season. Bartholomew is all smiles.
“This is why I love hanok,” he says.
“When I work outside, I am constantly
stressed out. But when I smell this fresh
spring air at home, it all goes away. This
house is like a purifier for me.”
Bartholomew is known in Korea as
a guardian of hanok. He has attended a
series of seminars and debates on hanok
and has been featured in the press, too.
Korean people have also taken a liking to
this blue-eyed man who extols virtues of
the traditional form of Korean residence.
It’s a great irony that most Koreans
actually prefer Western-style housing,
such as apartments, while Westerners
like Bartholomew loves hanok. But if
you hear him talk about the science of
hanok, even the most skeptical Korean
would be impressed. Here’s one story.
Last summer, Korea was hit by a
monstrous typhoon. It came in through
Incheon on the west coast, swept
through Seoul and then left off the
east coast. The wind was so blustery
that large trees were uprooted. Inside
the courtyard of Bartholomew’s house
10 | korea | march 2011
is a ginkgo tree that he planted about
20 years ago and that now stands a
good 15m high. When the typhoon
hit his neighborhood, he was smoking
a cigarette on the main floor of his
home, watching to see if his tree would
be uprooted by the strong wind. But
something incredible happened.
While the tree was getting whipped
into all directions, the smoke from
his cigarette was shooting straight up.
“My god, that just had to be science,”
Bartholomew says. “There’s absolutely
no wind protector between the main
floor and the courtyard, but the wind
was blowing hard out there and not
here. Isn’t that amazing?”
The unique structure of hanok is to
thank for the strange wind patterns.
Bartholomew’s house takes the shape
of an inverted “L.” Most Korean houses
face south, and Bartholomew’s house
had its back on the north side and
turned slightly to the west. The house
was designed to keep the wind out. The
typhoon was blowing in from the west
at the time, and the wall on the western
side of his house blocked it all out. The
eaves of the house also minimized the
strength of the wind.
As Bartholomew discovered, the
hanok is designed with the Korean
climate in mind. The specific length
of the house’s eaves keeps the sun out
during dog days of summer and yet
helps bring the warm sunlight in over
the main floor during winter. The
artistic frame of the paper sliding door
is covered in changhoji (traditional
paper of mulberry bark) to ensure air
circulation. In the winter, the traditional
floor heating system, ondol, keeps the
house at a comfortable temperature.
Finding a place for hanok in
modern Seoul Bartholomew first
came to Korea in 1968 as a member of
the Peace Corps. While working as an
English teacher at a middle school in
Gangneung, he discovered the hanok
Sungyojang, one of the most famous
hanok in eastern Korea. He had been
interested in ancient architecture since
grade school, and for Bartholomew,
Sungyojang was a museum. After he
visited the place four or five times to
study it, an old landlady told him to just
move in. Bartholomew went on to live
there for about five years and fell in love
with the house. It was during this time
that he decided to settle down in Korea.
Bartholomew found a job at a shipping
company and moved to Seoul, but he
could not forget Sungyojang. In 1974, he
moved to the hanok of Dongseomun-
dong, where he lives to this day.
Living in a hanok can be a bit more
taxing on your body than a Western-
style apartment, since the floor constantly
needs sweeping. But Bartholomew loves
his house because it is in touch with the
slower way Koreans used to live.
Bartholomew also had a few choice
words for Korea’s policy on hanok
and on construction as a whole. In the
name of redevelopment, traditional
homes are being bulldozed and
Peter E. Bartholomew has lived in hanok for 38
years and praises its unique structure (above).
A room of Bartholomew’s hanok showcases a
typical and classic interior (opposite).
replaced with towering apartment
buildings. Bartholomew says there’s
something wrong with that picture. The
growing population obviously means
a rising demand for housing, but new
apartments should be built outside
Seoul, he argues. He thinks there is no
need to take down the hanok, important
cultural and historic icons. Bartholomew
says that Koreans treasure the landscape
paintings of Kim Hong-do and Goryeo
celadon, but hanok, something that
captures people’s everyday lives,
seems like its fading away. “You rarely
see a country like this anywhere,”
Bartholomew says, welling up. “When
I first came to Seoul, there were about
800,000 hanok in the city alone. But
today it’s just left fewer than 7,000.”
Bartholomew calls hanok a complete
work of art that intertwines literature
and visual aesthetics with philosophy
and science. Perhaps it’s time for
Koreans to take another look at hanok
and rediscover the virtues that the
traditional house has long provided.
www.korea.net | 11
cover story
vendors are more intent on explaining
the history of their hometown than on
selling their goods.
Jeonju came to national prominence
during the Joseon Dynasty. Yi Seong-
gye, who founded the 500-year dynasty,
and his ancestors were born and raised
in Jeonju. The city’s residents took great
pride in the fact that their hometown
was the birthplace of the founder of
the Joseon Dynasty, one of the most
important figures in Korean history. The
Hanok Village stores the portrait of Yi
Seong-gye in its Gyeonggijeon Shrine,
which honors the Yi family.
The founding of Jeonju Hanok Village
is also rooted in history. During the
Joseon Dynasty, Jeonju had a huge
fortress and four gates, just as Seoul did.
But during the Japanese colonial rule,
three of the four gates were removed
and the Japanese started living where the
gates once stood. So Jeonju people began
building hanok to protest the Japanese
occupation. Seeing the traditional
Korean homes nestled among Japanese
Traditions of the
and Western buildings in what today
is Pungnam-dong and Gyo-dong, the
residents of Jeonju felt proud of their
Joseon Dynasty Live On
heritage.
The Last Imperial Descendant
Sadly, most of the hanok in the village
Jeonju Hanok Village became the seventh Korean area to be named a “slow city”
are now gone and only about 550
by Cittaslow International, last year. Still palpable are the traces of Yi Seong-gye,
remain standing. The Jeonju municipal
who built the Joseon Dynasty, and Jeonju in Jeollabuk-do Province, southwest of government has a policy of preserving
Korea, has become the place where people are proud of Korean culture and arts. those remaining hanok, a source of
pride for the residents. “Jeonju is a place
where our basic necessities of life and
The hanok village in Jeonju, located traditional souvenirs. office. It can be really crazy. We’re trying traditional culture are all vividly alive,”
in the southern province of Jeollabuk- “We’ve got about 20 people who our best to serve every single visitor.” said Song Ha-jin, mayor of Jeonju. “We
do Province, is not your average rural provide commentary on culture, and on The passion and pride of Jeonju will try to make sure Jeonju will duly
village. On a typical weekend, Koreans weekends, we have so many visitors that residents for their culture and art are represent Korean traditions and help
and foreign tourists easily mix, to a all of our guides are out on streets,” said beyond imagination. For instance, globalize Korean culture.” Hanji, or
point that it can be hard to tell if you’re Kang Chul-min of Jeonju’s municipal there is no admission fee to walk on traditional Korean paper, has helped
actually in Korea. They are immersed in tourist information center, who guided these broad streets with so much to turn Jeonju into one of the country’s
cultural experiences and shopping for us through the village. “Look at our offer. Parking is also free. And street top art towns. The city’s clean water,
12 | korea | march 2011
which has a relatively low iron content,
allows mulberry trees to flourish. The
region is home to some of the best hanji
craftsmen in the country, who use this
high-quality mulberry tree pulp in
their work. The quality paper has given
rise to great calligraphers, too, which
in turn led to the development of the
area’s publishing industry. The fact that
Seunggwangjae is the home of the last living
descendant of the Joseon Dynasty, Yi Seok
(above, below). The structure of hanok is
displayed in Jeonju Hanok Village (opposite).
the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty -
registered on UNESCO’s Memory of the
World for its detailed recording of the
dynasty’s history - is stored in Jeonju’s
historic library is no accident. Other
hanji-based crafts, such as hapjukseon,
a kind of traditional fan, along with
pansori, a type of music performed with
a fan in hand, have all thrived in Jeonju
for similar reasons.
Visitors to Jeonju Hanok Village
should be sure to check out
Seunggwangjae, the home of Yi Seok,
the last living descendant of the Joseon
Dynasty. He was born to Prince Imperial
Ui, who was the son of Emperor
Gojong. He was born in Sadong Palace
in Gwanhun-dong near Jogyesa Temple
in Seoul. Having spent his childhood
in a royal palace, Yi Seok is particularly
passionate about hanok.
“I still remember when I was a child,
my father, Prince Ui, put me in front
of him on horseback as we ran around
the front yard of the palace,” Yi said.
“The towering ridge of that palace was
magnificent. The grand and yet elegant
hanok roof is part of my memories.”
These days, Yi lectures visitors to
Seunggwangjae on the history of
Joseon and virtues of the royal culture.
Yi dreams of spending the rest of
his life reproducing traditional royal
wedding ceremonies at palaces such as
Gyeongbokgung in Seoul.
Last November, Jeonju became the
seventh Korean city to be designated a
“slow city” by Cittaslow International.
It’s the first such city with more than
50,000 in population. In keeping with
the new designation, the city also offers
a slew of slow traditional Korean food,
including bibimbap. With so much
history and culture, time almost stands
still in Jeonju and its hanok village.
If you want to discover Korea and its
traditions, don’t miss Jeonju.
www.korea.net | 13
pen & brush
Finding hope in death
Is it futile to struggle against the
truth that all beings are born to grow
old and die? Kwon Moo-hyoung
confronts this essential human
question in his works. He has delved
into the meaning of life and death
through his paintings, installation
pieces, performances and photo-
graphs. Throughout them all there is
line of hope, suggesting that life does
not just end at death.
by Lee Se-mi | photographs by Park Jeong-roh
Kwon Moo-hyoung’s work, Stairs of Life b (above).
14 | korea | march 2011
Kwon Moo-hyoung’s imposing 180cm figure has been a
central feature of his photographs and drawings for the last
decade. The artist often appears in ethereal settings with a
stringy black beard and long braided hair.
Kwon’s works explore the ever-changing flow of life and
time. After many years of experimentation, Kwon decided to
focus on primitive rather than modern themes and techniques.
Kwon began his career as an artist producing Western-
style paintings. As a student, Kwon painted mostly realistic
paintings. In his late twenties, Kwon moved to Paris and visited
every classic and modern art museum in Europe. However, he
secretly felt ashamed of his own art. He says that his own art
during that time was just an imitation of preexisting artworks.
Every project he planned had already been completed by
someone else using better materials on a larger scale. With his
doubts mounting, Kwon thought of quitting painting. So he
put down his brush and picked up a camera. For a year, Kwon
traveled with his camera looking for ways he could transform
his art into something that was both meaningful and original.
When the year was up, Kwon decided to turn his career in a
completely new direction.
“I started thinking about ‘time,’” Kwon says. “When others
were working in horizontal compositions, I started working in
vertical compositions. I walked away from the high-tech era
and chose to go toward more primitive themes. I realized that
for art, one must research and investigate one’s whole lifetime
to dig deep and find meaning. I wasn’t interested in the high-
tech, nor did I have the ability to follow such methods.”
There was another benefit to Kwon’s new path. As a poor
student studying abroad, high-tech projects were out of his
budget. He confesses that during that period, “I could not
work on projects that used quality materials.” The restrictions
of Kwon’s approach opened new doors to him and helped
shape the primitive artworks he is so well known for today.
Recording the order of nature Kwon Moo-hyoung
© Kwon Moo-hyoung
Kwon Moo-hyoung
started to thicken his paints. This painting project began in
1998 and as more layers of paints were added, the paint started
to grow thick, crack and fall off the canvas from its own

weight. The project lasted more than10 years and the canvas
Kwon painted weighs more than 25kg.
Kwon drew billions of circles with his paint. From a distance
the circles look like dots, from up close they become a plane
and from an adequate distance they seem to be curved lines.
Through the painting, Kwon expressed the never-ending cycle
of nature with simple but symbolic circles.
For Kwon, circles have no start or end, like the cycle of
seasons. Just as autumn passes and winter sets in and spring
afterwards, numerous circles overlap into a painting without
anyone knowing when this cycle will end. The artist explains,
“the boundaries of the canvas is the body and my action is
the spirit. Many paintings that sell well are not important to
me. What is important is that I draw until the day I die. My
16 | korea | march 2011
One of Kwon Moo-hyoung’s
most representative photo-
graphed work, Meditation
(left). Kwon showed an
impressive performance to the
audience, using his hair as a
brush, at 798 Beijing Biennale
in 2009 (below). Exhibits from
PIP Festival 2009 (opposite).
paintings can be about circles but it also can be just dots. The
repetition of the action of painting starts to pile up. It is like
writing a diary. As the wrinkles on a man are the trace of time,
a painting’s thickness and cracks are also the traces of time
for a painting. And sooner or later, the paint will fall off the
canvas. I call this an ‘out-of-body experience.’ I will paint until
my body and spirit are separated from each other.”
However, Kwon says that if his work ends here he will
feel empty. The paint that falls off will corrode and become
a powder and return to its original state before once again
becoming paint.
© Kwon Moo-hyoung
“Paint falling off the canvas is not death,” Kwon says. “It is a
return to nature. It is a lump of hope to be born again. It will
one day become paint again or it can become the fertilizer for
new life. There is no such thing as death.”
Kwon’s obsession with the cycle of life and death comes
from a traumatic childhood experience. When he was a young
boy, Kwon nearly died because his esophagus was blocked. He
says that from that point on he pondered death.
To help articulate his vision of rebirth, Kwon employs his
own hair. He observed how humans accommodate the rules of
nature into their lives, cutting their hair and nails as they grow,
for example. He found that painting alone was too limited to
capture this idea, so he began to use photography and video.
It was at midnight, February 28, 1999, that Kwon started
a new project by cutting his hair and beard. This meant, he
says, a returning to nothingness and being born again. Kwon’s
hair started to grow like new sprouts from the earth and he
waited for his hair to grow so long it touched the ground.
Kwon decided that this would be his cycle, and he cut his hair
again. He recorded the process of his body changing. His hair
and beard grew, only later to become grey then white and
start falling out. His face started showing signs of age spots
and wrinkles. Kwon describes this process as “a documentary
of life through my own image.” He has been working on this
project for the last 12 years and his hair is now 170cm long
and touches his ankles. When his hair touches the ground,
Kwon will cut his hair again.
Meaning of existence For Kwon, the death of one’s body
is not the end, but merely returning into a handful of earth
from which new life is born. This is the hope and meaning of
existence.
While the artist’s works document the eternal cycle of birth,
death and rebirth, Kwon’s philosophy does not rest in any one
religion. His artworks hint at these grand themes through
subtle imagery that pushes viewers to see things not visible to
the naked eye. In this way, he photographs the wind, gravity
and even hope. People will think the wind is blowing if they
see Kwon’s photograph of a fluttering piece of cloth. An image
of a conch leads viewers to think of the ocean.
Kwon uses his own body in photographs to suggest other
aspects of nature. In one photograph, his braided hair reaches
toward the sky and his stringy beard stretches downward,
alluding to a tree’s branches and roots. Another image of
Kwon with an egg to his ear makes viewers imagine that he is
listening to a pulse. In most of his pictures, the artist’s eyes are
closed. Kwon says he does this to break people’s expectations
about portraits and allow them to think freely. “When I close
my eyes, people see everything,” he explains. “Don’t look at my
eyes but how I am in the picture.”
Kwon’s projects all have a common thread. His works give
viewers an opportunity to forget the hassles of daily life and
meditate. Kwon says that this meditation is less like that of
ascetic practitioners and more like a form of relaxation. He
compares it to the relaxation one feels upon seeing black
spaces in Asian paintings.
While Kwon’s works are considered Asian in Europe, Kwon
considers himself a citizen of earth and refuses to be confined
by the boundaries of one country or culture.
Kwon is currently affiliated with the French government
and is well known in Europe, the United States, China, Japan,
Brazil and New Zealand. He went to Paris in 1996 to study
and acknowledging his exceptional talent, the government
assigned him a permanent workshop in the 12th District.
In 1998, the artist held his first private exhibition at the
Pavillon de l’Arsenal gallery and in
2000 submitted works to numerous
international art fairs, including the
Art Cologne art fair in Germany. In
2007, Kwon Moo-hyoung was an invited
artist at the Contemporary Istanbul Art
Fair and was recognized as one of eight
featured artists at the fair. Last year,
Kwon won the Film and Video Award at
the Pingyao International Photography
(PIP) Festival.
Kwon is preparing for an invitational
private exhibition in Beijing this coming
June. Additionally, the artist is planning
to hold a workshop in Manhattan, New
York, this autumn.
www.korea.net | 17
people

The late Father John Lee spent

the second half of his life in
Sudan, as a priest and doctor,
to help those suffering from
poverty and illness (right,
below, bottom). A documentary
film, Don’t Cry for Me Sudan,
reflects on Father Lee’s noble
life and has touched many
Koreans’ hearts (opposite).

Koreans recently became aware of Father Lee’s remarkable

story through the documentary film, Don’t Cry for Me Sudan.
The film was released last September, and 400,000 people
have seen the film in theaters so far. While it was originally
screened in five theaters around Seoul, more than 60 theaters
across the country have agreed to show the documentary.
The film’s audience has expanded from Catholics to the
nonreligious, everyone from students to government officials.

© The Sudan Youth Education Foundation (top, middle, opposite); Mountain Pictures (bottom)
Group trips to see the film arranged by government bodies

The late Father John Lee as well as enterprises have added fuel to Father Lee’s growing
popularity in Korea. Father Lee explains in the film, Don’t

Miracle of Love
Cry for Me Sudan, why he chose to dedicate his life to serving
those in Africa.
“I am often asked why I went all the way to Africa when
I can help many with medicine and there are so many poor
people in Korea, too. There is no special reason. It’s just that
there is this noble duty that affected my life: the words of
Tonj is a small village in Sudan. In this land, scarred by a brutal civil war, there was a man who Jesus, who said whatever you did for one of the least, you did
dedicated everything he had to help others. His name was Father John Lee, or Lee Tae-seok for him; Doctor Albert Schweitzer who gave up everything
(1962-2010) in Korean, and he passed away on January 14, 2010, at the young age of 48, after to dedicate his life to Africa; the devoted lives of fathers and
spending a year fighting cancer. Father Lee served as a priest, doctor, architect and conductor, sisters I witnessed at an orphanage near my house as a young
boy; and most of all the honorable life of my mother who
but more than anything he was a trusted neighbor to the people of Tonj. Though he is no longer
sacrificed her life for my 10 siblings. These are the beautiful
with us, the love he showed throughout his life lives on in the hearts of many. by Lee Se-mi scenes that moved my heart.”

18 | korea | march 2011 www.korea.net | 19

Lee’s work felt throughout Korea Father Lee
graduated from medical school. Yet instead of beginning a
promising career as a doctor, Lee decided to become a priest.
While studying at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome,
Lee took part in a voluntary program in Nairobi, Kenya. There
he met the Indian priest, Father James, who had been working
in southern Sudan for two decades and Father Lee decided
that he, too, would work in Sudan. In November 2001, Father
John volunteered as the first Korean priest to work in Africa.
Father Lee proved to be a charismatic figure that Koreans
could rally around. His book Will You Be My Friend, published
in June 2009 when he was fighting cancer, is a best-selling
book in Korea. The book touchingly describes the days of
poverty and pain he spent together with the people of Tonj,
and is the only book Father Lee wrote. Fans of Father Lee
who read his book and saw the documentary about his life fill
Internet forums with praise.
The first thing Father Lee did upon arriving in Tonj was take
care of the ill. As he was the only doctor in Tonj, people would
walk as far as 100km to meet him. He saw an average of 300
patients per day. The lights of the hospital in Tonj would never
go off. Father Lee poured his heart into serving the ill, and
refused to turn away patients regardless of the time of day.
There was no electricity in Tonj when Father Lee arrived,
so to protect the vaccines that needed to be kept cold, he
installed solar panels on the roof of the hospital and bought
refrigerators. In order to administer to patients living in
remote villages, Father Lee kept vaccines in a portable icebox
and visited his patients in their homes once a week. When
Father Lee made a trip to a village built for those with Hansen’s
disease, more commonly known as leprosy, he threw himself
into helping the villagers. The village was far from Tonj in a
place where most Sudanese avoided for fear of getting sick.
even helped out with the education program by teaching a
mathematics course to middle school seniors and high school
freshmen. The children of Tonj were excited to learn. While
there weren’t enough desks or chairs for the 120 high school
seniors that filled one class, students willingly shared desks or
stood in order to learn. Around 150 students who came from
villages far away would stay at the dormitory set up near the
school to concentrate on their education.
Father Lee was also talented in music. He had already
begun composing when he was in middle school. Throughout
medical school and priesthood, music stayed with him. In
2005 when Sudan signed a peace treaty putting an end to the
civil war, he wrote a song titled “Shukuran Baba” or “Thank
you God.” Then he formed a brass band, believing that the
children who had their hearts broken by the long war would
be filled with joy and hope once they learned music. He selected
35 musically talented children, taught them instruments, wrote
scores and dressed them up in uniforms sent from Korea. The Three students from Tonj came to Korea to study medicine
image of the children holding the instruments as they once and agricultural technology, giving organizations hope to
held guns was striking. It was the first brass band in southern implement a regular study abroad program for Tonj students.
The late Father John Lee especially cared for the children of Tonj Sudan, and the government frequently invited the children to The village has seen more volunteers recently, and beginning

Father Lee built the villagers brick houses, set up water pump
facilities and gave them specially made shoes that fit their
toeless feet, decorated with pictures he designed himself.
Father Lee’s selfless life is breaking down religious barriers
in Korea today. Last January, at the Memorial Hall for the
History and Culture of Korean Buddhism at Jogyesa Temple,
the headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism,
more than 200 religious leaders, including Head Ven. Jaseung
and Buddhist priests, as well as those belonging to Christian,
Confucius and Chondogyo groups, gathered together to watch
the movie and discuss the true role of religion.
Father Lee has left a lasting legacy on Tonj’s schools. He
built schools in the village and then brought in experienced
teachers from Kenya to instruct the children. Father Lee
© The Sudan Youth Education Foundation (above); Mountain Pictures (left, opposite)
village and concentrated on their education (above, opposite).
He also built schools and even formed a brass band using his musical official events.
talents (below).
Love is Sharing The Sudan Youth Education Foundation,
a group that sponsored Father Lee’s works during his lifetime,
has continued the projects that he started in Sudan. While
the foundation had 800 supporters at the time of Father Lee’s
death, they now have more than 4,000. Members of their web
community have gone from 2,000 to 18,000. During the same
period, donations to the organization more than doubled.
Improvements to Tonj and its surrounding villages have
continued energetically. The construction of Don Bosco High
School was recently finished through the linking of three
shipping containers. With more material support, stationary
and hospital equipment have been secured in larger quantities.
at the end of February a new doctor will arrive to resume
medical services.
When Father Lee came to Korea at the end of 2008 for
a short visit, he was diagnosed with terminal colorectal
cancer and could never return to Tonj. Even on his sickbed,
Father Lee missed and worried about the children of Tonj.
Throughout his illness, Father Lee stayed positive and was
never seen without a smile on his face. Right after he was
diagnosed, he played the guitar and sang at a charity concert.
His last words summed up his life philosophy: “Everything
is good.” Father Lee dedicated his life to helping the most
disadvantaged. His belief that everyone can help a neighbor
gives Koreans hope that we will see more people follow his
path of compassion in the future.

20 | korea | march 2011 www.korea.net | 21

great korean
Most Koreans have heard of Jeong Yak-yong. He was a
prominent philosopher during the Joseon Dynasty, which
united Korea under one ruler and propagated Confucian
ideals throughout the country. But what many people don’t
realize is the critical role of Jeong played in modernizing
the peninsula.
Jeong Yak-yong was born in Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do
Province, as his family’s fourth son. From a young age, he
devoured the books of his family’s library and showed a
remarkable talent for writing. Jeong passed gwageo, or civil
service examination, in 1783, and served the government in
various capacities for the rest of his life. His first post was as
the Gyeongui Jinsa to give a lecture in the Royal presence.
In the next year, he became interested in Western ideas and
Roman Catholicism through one of the founding fathers
of the Catholic church in Korea, Yi Byeok. Jeong and his
brothers were among the earliest Korean converts to Roman
22 | korea | march 2011
Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon in early 1792. He used a device
of his own invention called a geojunggi, a type of pulley, to help
construct the fortress. Jeong became a secret royal inspector in
Gyeonggi-do Province in 1794, investigating the misconduct
of other government officials. This experience awoke Jeong to
the large scale of corruption in the government bureaucracy
and may have inspired some of his later writing on the proper
roles of government.
Jeong Yak-yong While King Jeongjo protected Jeong from political rivals
who disliked the philosopher’s investigations into corruption,
the king’s successors were not as kind. When King Sunjo
A showroom of Dasan Cultural Hall (above left). The entrance of the
Museum of Silhak (above right). One of Jeong’s works, Suwon Hwaseong
fortress (below). Jeong’s statue at his birthplace in Namyangju (opposite).
The Joseon and Queen Jeongsun seized power, they sought to get rid of
reformers like Jeong. He was exiled to Gangjin, Jeollanam- his books on the art of governing, Mokminsimseo or The Mind
Dynasty’s Social
do Province, for 18 years. During that period, Jeong lived in of Governing the People and Gyeongseyupyo or Design for Good
poverty and studied the plight of rural Koreans. His writing Government, were written during this period.
during this time covered everything from land systems and Jeong was pardoned by King Sunjo in 1819, but his health
Reformer political structure reforms to the fairer distribution of wealth
and abolition of the social hierarchy system.
In keeping with the Silhak philosophy, Jeong asked how
had suffered from his years of exile. He died in 1836 in his
hometown, Namyangju.
Even today, Jeong is revered as an ideal Korean bureaucrat.
As a leader of Silhak, or Realist School of Confucianism could be applied to solve the problems of He was a brilliant inventor who introduced baedari, a bridge
Confucianism, Jeong Yak-yong became one of poverty. He concluded that the government should play a made of many boats, and the geojunggi pulley, and he was an
the greatest social reformers in Korean history. major role in improving the lives of the poor. In his writing, upright politician. While Jeong was unable to see his vision
Jeong blended the traditional values of Jeong stressed the importance of a fair governor who of a fair and responsible government materialize during the
maintains his integrity during every official action. Jeong’s Joseon Dynasty, he never stopped believing in the egalitarian
Confucianism with a philosophy to find
important work on jurisprudence, Heumheumsinseo, as well as principles found throughout his writings.
solutions to real-world problems. Through
Silhak, he introduced technologies for Korea’s
modernization. by Lim Ji-young | photographs by Kim Nam-heon
INSIDE THE ARTICLE
Jeong Yak-yong as a master of Silhak
Catholicism. While Jeong’s new religion helped shape his
later work with the Silhak Movement, the conversion created Silhak was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in
problems for him with the government. The government the late Joseon Dynasty. It developed in response to the
increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-Confucianism that
repressed freedom of religion and discriminated against seemed disconnected from the rapid agricultural, industrial
Catholics in particular. While Jeong was appointed the and political changes that occurred in Korea between the late
governmental positions of Gajuseo and Geomyeol in a row, he 17th and early 19th centuries. At the age of 28, Jeong
suggested that boats could be strung together to form a
was exiled to the small town of Haemi not long after receiving pontoon, and when he was 31 years old, he discovered the
these posts. King Jeongjo took pity on Jeong, however, and he principle of the pulley while building the fortress wall in
© Tasan Cultural Foundation (above); Topic Photo (right)
was able to return to court after only ten days of exile. Suwon. He was also interested in an early form of vaccination
and his books carry notes on inoculation. Most of the Silhak
In the late 18th century, Koreans became interested in scholars were from factions excluded from power and other
using scientific methods to help improve public welfare. The disaffected scholars calling for reform. Jeong was the most
Silhak Movement arose as philosophers like Jeong tried to renowned Silhak scholar and his pen name, Dasan, remains
synonymous with the movement. He advocated for an
blend Western concepts and philosophies with the dominant empirical Confucianism deeply concerned with human
ideology of the day, Confucianism. Under his pen name, society at the practical level. He argued for reforming the
Dasan, Jeong published numerous books that explained and rigid Confucian social structure, land reforms to relieve the
plight of peasant farmers, redefining the traditional
applied Silhak to everyday life. relationship with China, promoting Korea’s own national
Jeong was appointed to supervise the construction of identity and culture, encouraging the study of science.
www.korea.net | 23
my korea

When I arrived in Korea for the first time in the spring of
2009, some cultural aspects seemed very foreign and unusual
to me, though others, while still different, felt very familiar.
It had been only three years since I had graduated from
college, during which I had learned about a lot more than
just journalism. I had lived in something of a fraternity,
drops a shot glass of booze (usually a hard liquor or liqueur)
into a larger glass of something else (normally beer) before
chugging it down as quickly as possible. In Canada, it’s almost
always consumed by a group of people simultaneously – unless
you happen to be the loser of a drinking game – as part of an
evening of merriment.

Poktanju:
and while it wasn’t exactly Animal House, we explored the
various creative manners in which to consume alcohol
like it was our job. Be it Boilermakers (beer with a shot of
whisky) or Jagerbombs (beer with a shot of Jagermeister)
It wasn’t something my friends and I did that often, but
when we did, we all knew what kind of night it was going
to be. When I would be scraping myself out of bed the next
morning, feeling the agony of too much drink the night before,

Getting
or, on St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Car Bombs (Irish cream and
whisky dropped into a pint of Guinness), I was already well
acquainted with bomb shots upon my arrival in Seoul.
A bomb shot, for those who are unfamiliar, is when one
it wasn’t uncommon for me to think to myself, “I never should
have had that bomb shot. It all went wrong after that.”
Little did I know that in Korea, bomb shots are not just
a “sometimes drink” but a significant part of the drinking

Bombed
Korean
STYLE Knocking back a glass of beer with a shot
of soju or whisky in it might seem like a good
way to get tipsy quickly. But the Korean bomb
shot, called poktanju (literally, bomb alcohol),
is a central part of Korean communal
drinking culture. The traditions and
customs that go along with drinking
poktanju help colleagues bond
while getting bombed. Foreigners might
find the poktanju ritual daunting at first,
but it offers a great opportunity to
get to know your coworkers in a
laid-back atmosphere.
“One shot!”

24 | korea | march 2011 www.korea.net | 25


culture. In my first job in Korea, I worked at a newspaper,
where I quickly learned about a corporate culture that
promoted evenings of drinking as staff bonding experiences
where sobriety is sacrificed in the name of camaraderie. And
there are few quicker ways to sacrifice sobriety than drinking
poktanju (literally, bomb alcohol).
The first time I encountered the Korean version of a
Boilermaker was after a company soccer game, when the boss
took everyone out for barbecue, despite our outfit’s loss at the
hands of a rival media company.
While some Korean bosses can be very conservative and
traditional, their serious demeanor often disappears the
moment they leave the office.
My boss at that time, who on any given work day wore a
dour expression of disappointment, was in his element sitting
at the middle of the table, happily handing out drinks to one
and all like it was Christmas Day. Immediately after we sat
down, bottles of soju and beer arrived at our table and the
fun began.
I watched as he took a small beer glass and filled it halfway,
then half-filled a shot glass with soju. He then floated the shot
glass inside the beer glass and topped it off with soju until it
26 | korea | march 2011
was just about to sink. Once he had prepared
two glasses, he handed them out to the
first two victims.
They stood up and promptly
downed these little cocktails in
“one shot,” to light applause.
Those same two beer glasses
and two shot glasses were then
refilled for the next people.
Two-by-two, everyone took
his or her turn.
Sitting at that long table
of newspaper journalists,
there were a few distinct
groups: those for whom
downing a few poktanju
meant just another day at
the office, so to speak; those
who recoil in disgust when the
glass is handed to them, dreading
each and every time it’s their
turn to drink and the attention and
embarrassment they will face if they
refuse; and those who can’t wait for it to be
their turn again.
When it came to me, I was anxious to give it a
try. Along with one of my foreign colleagues, we rose and
knocked them back, and I gave the glass a little shake to show
I’d drank it all. I know many foreigners who dread the taste
of soju. But this, I thought to myself, was really good! Truly, a
cultural experience I could embrace wholeheartedly.
The poktanju ritual, where everyone takes his or her
turn drinking from the same glass, is central to the Korean
communal drinking culture. The boss, or the most senior
person at the table, has bottle rights, which means he or she
will be the one pouring the drinks for everyone (except him
or herself, of course). But with great bottle rights come great
bottle responsibility: to ensure everyone at the table is on their
way toward intoxication, whether they like it or not.
And really, getting drunk as fast as possible is what a bomb
shot is all about. For us Canadian beer drinkers, we might
have a Boilermaker on a special occasion like a birthday or a
going-away party. But visit a busy hof or barbecue restaurant in
central Seoul around quitting time and you’ll see that poktanju
needs no special occasion.
Many countries’ drinking habits and traditions play a big
role in the nation’s overall cultural reputation. Russians are
known for their consumption of vodka, Germans for their love
of giant mugs of beer. But if there is one thing that separates
Korea’s drinking culture from all others, it’s speed.
Koreans may not be the world’s biggest drinkers, but they
may well be the fastest.
Perhaps it’s because of the famed ppali, ppali (hurry, hurry)
mentality that predominates here, but at happy hour (or even
lunchtime), the soju flows fast and easy. I learned very quickly
that in this environment, an empty glass rarely stays empty for
long. It’s customary for someone to give you a refill as soon as
they notice you’ve consumed it all. It doesn’t take long until
you begin to spot “bombed” office workers heading for home,
perhaps destined to fall asleep on the subway, awakening only
after they’ve completed a round trip on subway line No. 2, as a
friend of mine once did.
Because soju is so cheap and ubiquitous, it is the most
common liquor used in poktanju. But it can also be a whisky
and beer mix. I’ve always been puzzled by the practice of
dropping an expensive fine whisky into a glass of beer. It seems
like such a waste of a quality liquor to dilute its taste in beer.
Some dispense with the placing of the shot glass in the beer
glass, and simply mix the two together, a drink referred to as
somaek if it’s made with soju. While some disagree, I feel that
adding a little soju to beer makes it taste a little better. While
Korean beer is refreshing and crisp, it’s also quite plain.
It’s been my experience that bomb shots, ironically, are not
that popular among university students, even though a similar
communal drinking culture does exist. Some student friends
of mine introduced me to a drinking game called Titanic,
where each person takes turns pouring soju into a shot glass
floating in a glass of beer. The one who sinks it, must drink it.
While in North America, institutions of higher learning are
the centers of this type of drinking activity, the poktanju ritual
seems to be most common among office workers here. In
Korea, it’s quite common for companies to hold retreats, where
the staff goes away for a few days to a hotel or resort under the
auspices of Membership Training. In many cases these MT
retreats are less about professional development and more
about the bonding experience with your fellow coworkers. As
you might expect, poktanju serves as a catalyst.
On one company outing, at the end of the day, we gathered
in one big hotel room. We played a game where we all took
turns singing a solo for the room. When it was my turn, I was
handed a cup of beer and soju and was told it was my turn
to sing. As was the custom, I downed my poktanju in “one
shot” and launched into my own rendition of Hotel California.
Then it was my turn to mix a drink and hand it off to the
next vocalist. It was a great night, but fast forward to the next
morning and the whole occasion seemed a lot less joyous.
But back on that spring day in 2009 when I had my first
taste of Korean bomb shots, we ate galbi (roasted ribs of pork
or beef) and drank many more poktanju at the urging of my
boss. By the end of the evening, he told me he was proud of
me, and assured me that I’d do just fine in Korea. I felt good
about that, although by the next morning I wondered whether
all those bomb shots were really such a good idea.
Korean drinking culture can be a little complex for some,
especially when it comes to drinking with colleagues. From the
way you hold your glass, to the way you touch glasses during
cheers, to who gets to pour the drinks for who, it can be a
lot to remember. But these traditions for me make it a little
more interesting. All over the world, people gather together
and drink to get to know each other a little better. Through
experiencing the poktanju culture, I did a lot more than just
get bombed. I became a little closer with my colleagues and
gained some insight into the Korean way of life. by Matt
Flemming | illustrations by Jo Seung-yeon | photograph by Park
Jeong-roh
PROFILE
Matt Flemming is Canadian who
has been living in Seoul for almost
two years. He is currently the
English editor of MorningCalm,
the in-flight magazine for Korean
Air. He enjoys exploring Seoul,
indulging in delicious Korean
cuisine and playing ball hockey
near Olympic Stadium.
www.korea.net | 27
seoul
Situated on the border of the Jongno-gu and Jung-gu districts,
Cheonggyecheon Stream is a tourist attraction and a resting
place for citizens. Nearly every week of the year, people gather
along the stream for various cultural festivities and events. The
stream’s modern form is the result of the Cheonggyecheon
Stream Renovation Project that took place between September
2005 and July 2007. The project was led by then-mayor of
Seoul, Lee Myung-bak. The 6km-long, newly renovated stream
begins at the Dong-a Ilbo building in Gwanghwamun and
flows to the Sindap railway bridge in Seongdong-gu District.
Cheonggyecheon Stream was called Gaecheon during the
Joseon Dynasty. Gaecheon means to “dig a stream,” indicating
that the stream was modified to meet the requirements of
everyday life. The stream was originally a natural watercourse
that formed where water gathered in the center of Seoul from
the mountains surrounding the city. Consequently, heavy
rains would cause flooding in the area, damaging surrounding
houses. Due to continuous damage in the area, King Taejong,
the third king of the Joseon Dynasty, started to structurally
maintain Gaecheon.
While Taejong confined his renovations to the stream’s
main channel, his successor, King Sejong the Great, worked to
control the stream’s sub-branches. All the small tributaries that
flowed into Gaecheon were renovated and supyo, or pillar with
gradations to measure water levels, was installed in Gaecheon
to prevent flooding. King Yeongjo renovated the stream
Cheonggyecheon Stream
further by piling rocks on the banks and altering its flow so
that it went in a straight path.
600 years of Seoul
The name Cheonggyecheon Stream, which means “clear
flowing stream,” first appeared during the Japanese colonial
rule. Presumably, the stream got its name in 1914 when Japan
history
renamed all the streams. Following the 1945 liberation from
Japanese rule and the end of the Korean War in 1953, the
Cheonggyecheon Stream area became the slums of Seoul. The
government decided that the only solution to the economic
Cheonggyecheon Stream served as a political
© Korea Tourism Organization (left, opposite bottom left, middle)
center for the monarchy as well as a place
where people made their livelihoods and
celebrated special events during the Joseon
Dynasty. After being covered by a highway
overpass, the stream found new life through a
2005 renovation project. Today,
Cheonggyecheon Stream is flowing in the
heart of Seoul and once again breathing life
into the city. by Lee Se-mi | photographs by Kim Hong-jin Cheonggyecheon Stream is not just a stream itself, but also a stage for many cultural events (above left, middle, opposite top). A view of the scenery near the
starting point of Cheonggyecheon Stream (opposite bottom). Walking along Cheonggyecheon, you can encounter Gwangjang Market (above right).
28 | korea | march 2011
blight in the area was to completely cover the stream.
Construction began in 1958, and by 1970 Cheonggyecheon
Stream was hidden under an overpass. In the 1990s, the area
was a hotbed of noise, automobile exhaust fumes and traffic
congestion with the gathering of large and small shopping
districts specializing in tools, printing and lighting. Finally, in
2003, the Cheonggyecheon Stream Renovation Project was
implemented to create a green center, leaving behind the area’s
polluted past.
new paradigm for eco cities The Cheonggyecheon
Stream Renovation Project helped spark an interest in the
environment in Seoul and was the city’s first step toward
becoming an eco city. Since the renovation project, other
waterways in the Seoul metropolitan area have seen
revitalization projects including the Seongbukcheon,
Jeongneungcheon and Hongjecheon streams. Such stream-
based urban environment renovation projects have become
models for other cities like Tokyo and Osaka, who are
interested in making their metropolises more eco-friendly.
Cheonggyecheon Stream is a leading tourist destination in
Seoul today. The banks are filled with plazas and parks that
feature landscape architecture, fountains and special lights
that give the stream a different feel at night. The trails on each
bank of Cheonggyecheon Stream are perfect for tourists,
because they connect popular sites such as Gwanghwamun,
Jongno, Insadong, Myeongdong and Dongdaemun. Visitors
to the stream can eat at a variety of nearby restaurants or
immerse themselves in one of Seoul’s oldest and most famous
traditional markets, Gwangjang Market.
The Cheonggyecheon Stream of Korea’s past, where children
would swim and nobles would gather, no longer exists. But
the stream is slowly collecting new memories from its visitors.
Five years have passed since the renovation project and the
future of the Cheonggyecheon Stream area is bright.
www.korea.net | 29
travel

Jeungdo Island
Time Runs Slowly Here
Just as it takes a certain amount of time for it to turn from winter to spring,
the Cittaslow movement believes that there is a proper pace to human lives.
The movement designates places around the world as “slow cities,” where
traditional ways of living are valued. A journey to Korea’s slow area of
Jeungdo Island is a vacation from the fast lane and a chance to return to the
natural speed of our body and soul. by Seo Dong-cheol | photographs by Kim Hong-jin

© Korea Tourism Organization

A sunrise at Ujeon-ri, Jeungdo Island

Time always flows at a certain speed. Yet
the way people experience that time can
vary widely. If you’re very busy, you’ll
find that a month or even a year has
flown by without you noticing it. You
might grab a cab to get to work instead
of walking, and you might eat fast-
food or a candy bar instead of a proper
dinner. Your idea of a break might be
having a cup of instant coffee and some
cookies from a cafe chain.
The Cittaslow movement rejects life
in the fast lane in favor of slow living.
In its designated “slow cities,” you can
taste dishes made from organic seasonal
ingredients that have been prepared
with a care that takes time. In a slow city,
people work and rest according to the
sunrise and sunset. While it may sound
old fashioned, local culture thrives in
such cities.
The Cittaslow movement began in
the small Tuscany village of Greve in
Chianti, Italy, in October 1999. Started
as a slow food campaign, the movement
soon spread throughout Europe
and then the globe. In December
2007, the Cittaslow Organization
accepted Jeungdo Island (Sinan-gun
County), Changpyeong-myeon Village
(Damyang-gun County), Cheongsando
Island (Wando-gun County), Agyang-
myeon Village (Hadong-gun County),
Daeheung-myeon and Eungbong-
myeon villages (Yesan-gun County),
Jeonju Hanok Village (Jeonju City)
and Yuchi-myeon Village (Jangheung-
gun County) as slow cities of Korea.
Korea was the first country in Asia to
have designated slow cities. Since then,
Agyang-myeon Village (Hadong-gun
County) and Daeheung-myeon (Yesan-
gun County) were added to the list,
indisputably making Korea a leader of
slow cities in Asia.
One of these slow cities, Sinan-gun
County’s Jeungdo Island, was first put
32 | korea | march 2011
in the global spotlight in 1975. In that sea fish belonging to the Goby family, travel information
year, a fisherman accidentally fished up mudskippers use their pectoral fins to
celadon pottery from the ocean, which walk across the land. If you walk along transportation
led to a large-scale excavation project. the 470m long Jjangttungeo (meaning
Train Take the KTX or Saemaul trains at
Treasures that had been buried beneath mudskipper in Korean) Bridge that cuts Yongsan Station in Seoul to get to Gwangju
Seoul
the sea for several hundred years once across the middle of the intertidal zone, or Mokpo. Transfer to an intercity bus bound for
again saw the light of day. Between 1976 you see the mudskippers hopping along Jeungdo Island.
Bus Take an express bus from Central City
and 1984, as many as 28,000 Chinese the mud. Between the mudskippers and Terminal in Seoul to Gwangju or Mokpo Bus
artifacts dating back to the Song and the millions of other living creatures Terminal and take an intercity bus to Jeungdo Island. Jeungdo Gwangju
Yuan dynasties were salvaged. squirming in the mud, the intertidal For more information, visit http://eng.shinan.go.kr.
Car Take Seohaean Expressway and head Mokpo
While Jeungdo Island is no longer zone looks like a living creature moving south until Hampyeong Junction to take the
digging up jewels from the ocean, the this way and that. Gwangju-Muan Expressway. Exit through Bukmuan
island is still a treasure. Jeungdo Island If you cross the bridge and continue IC and head toward Saokdo on Route 24. Then cross
Jeungdo Island Bridge.
is home to salt fields that produce walking along Ujeon Beach, you’ll come
high-quality bay salt, restaurants that upon Jeungdo Mudflats Eco Exhibition Dining
cook fresh and healthy slow food and Hall on your left, standing in front of the
Salt Restaurant Located next to the Salt Cave Healing Center, Salt Restaurant serves
residents that are kind and welcoming. El Dorado Resort. The hall hosts a well- traditional Korean dishes that are foreigner-friendly. All dishes are seasoned with bay salt
organized exhibit showing how mudflats and glasswort, making them tasty as well as healthy. Glasswort is a type of plant known to be
Pine trees thrive
just beyond are formed, the vast ecosystem of effective in preventing high blood pressure and diabetes and is also rich in dietary fiber that helps
Ujeon Beach, fight obesity. The menu includes roast fish, glasswort chicken fries with sweet sauce, glasswort
providing a
mudflats and what mudflats in different minced meat and more. For more information, call +82 [0]61 261 2277.
perfect trail parts of the world look like.
(above). A
farmer makes Along with a rich ecosystem, the Lodging
salt at a island is home to Taepyeong Salt Farm,
Taepyeong bay El Dorado Resort The El Dorado Resort sits on the hills of Ujeon Beach. This 121-room,
(right). You can which produces bay salt. Formed in elegant resort will make you feel like you‘re in a private villa. In keeping with the island’s
experience
some of the 1953, the farm sits in the middle of the eco-friendly spirit, greens are found in every corner of the resort grounds. El Dorado also features
Ocean Spa Land, with its salt cavern, germanium hot spa, seawater spa and massage facilities.
effects of salt at island and farmers harvest salt from For more information, call +82 1544 8865, or visit www.eldoradoresort.co.kr.
the Salt Cave
Healing Center the lake the same way they have been
(below).
doing for almost 60 years now. It is
Korea’s largest salt lake and every year
16,000 tons of bay salt are produced
the art of being slow When you in the wind and sun. Climb up to the
cross Jeungdo Island Bridge, the first salt field observatory on the eastern
thing that comes into view is the vast part of the island and the 300m-wide
intertidal zone. The mudflats lining the field will come into view. More than
El Dorado Resort Ugeojitguk soup Tteok-galbi ribs
southwest coastal lines of the Korean 60 salt storage units stand next to the
Peninsula are a biological treasure shimmering field, creating an exotic
trove. In particular, the coasts of Sinan- scene you will find nowhere else. months to a year to dry out. Once the You don’t just have to eat to benefit
gun County teem with sea life such as Jeungdo Island’s bay salt is different salt is dry, farmers harvest the salt for from Taepyeong’s gorgeous bay salt. The
fish, crabs, clams and octopus as well from the common refined salt that is consumption. Salt Cave Healing Center, located next
as countless seashore plants including produced by electrolyzing seawater. Bay salt only accounts for 2% of to the Salt Museum on the eastern side
glassworts, sweetbriers and more. The bay salt is truly a “slow food” as it is the world’s salt production and it is of the island, gives visitors a really good
© Korea Tourism Organization (middle)
UNESCO recognized the island’s unique created with assistance from the wind, currently produced in Australia, Peru, chance to improve their health through
intertidal ecosystem and designated it a sunlight and human labor. It takes about China, France and Austria among other inhaling small particles of salt. The
biodiversity conservation area. a month for seawater in the field to turn places. Jeungdo Island’s mineral-rich anion and micro salt emitted by bay salt
The wide intertidal zone that into salt. As salt crystals flower on the ocean water and intertidal zone makes is known to heal asthma, bronchitis, and
stretches across the west coast of the surface of the field, they are raked into a Taepyeong’s bay salt some of the best in even psychological conditions such as
island is famous for mudskippers. A storage house where they will sit for six the world. depression.
www.korea.net | 33
special issue
riding
high in
winter
sports
Once again, Korea has proven that its success at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games last year
was not a fluke. Korea ranked third by winning 13 gold medals, 12 silver medals and 13 bronze
medals in the 7th Asian Winter Games in Astana-Almaty, held from January 30 through February
6. Korean skaters won nine medals in ice sports, while in the skiing competition Korea won four
gold medals, the most ever in a single sport in the history of Korean sports. by Kim Hyeon-jin
Korean athletes have been lauded for their competitiveness
in winter short track events, but it wasn’t until the Vancouver
Winter Olympic Games that the world saw just how versatile
the country’s winter athletes could be. Last year, Korean
competitors won gold medals in speed skating, figure skating
and short track at the Olympic Games. In the Astana-Almaty
Winter Asian Games, Korea continued its balanced growth
by winning five gold medals in speed skating and four gold
medals in short track.
© Yonhap News Agency
Lee Seung-hoon, a world-class speed skater, took home
three out of five of Korea’s gold medals. Lee changed his
specialty from short track skating to speed skating in August
2009. Just seven months later, Lee won the silver medal in the
34 | korea | march 2011
men’s 5,000m and the gold medal in the men’s 10,000m at the
Vancouver Olympics, a first for an Asian speed skater. At this
year’s Winter Asian Games, Lee won gold medals in the men’s
5,000m and 10,000m races. He grabbed his third gold medal
of the games in the mass start race, which made its debut as a
competition this year in the Asian Games. Lee went down in
history as the first male speed skater to complete the feat.
In ladies’ speed skating, Noh Seon-yeong rose from
obscurity to snag two gold medals in the mass start and team
pursuit competitions. In the ladies’ 5,000m, Park Do-young
won the silver medal, rounding out Korea’s skating success.
Mo Tae-bum and Lee Sang-hwa surprised the world by
finishing first in the men’s and ladies’ 500m speed skating
competitions, respectively, to win gold medals at the
Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. While they both were
recovering from injuries and not in top form at the Asian
Games, Mo took home silver medals in the men’s 1,500m and
team pursuit competitions while Lee won the bronze medal in
the ladies’ 500m competition.
Veteran skater Lee Kyou-hyuk, who took part in five Winter
Olympic Games, won the bronze medal in the men’s 1,500m
and took the silver medal in the men’s team pursuit at this
year’s Asian Games. Lee was recognized as a champion short-
distance skater this January after winning gold medals for
two straight years at the World Sprint Championship, held
this year in Heerenveen, the Netherlands. Lee has won a
total of four gold medals (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011) at the
championship. He and three other athletes who have each
won four gold medals at the championship share the honor of
taking home the second most gold medals in the history of the
championship.
While “Queen” Kim Yu-na was too busy preparing for this
March’s World Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo to take
part in the Asian Games, Korea’s Kwak Min-jeong took the
bronze medal in Astana-Almaty. Kwak is rising as a star figure
skater, and she is expected to follow Kim Yu-na’s success.
Kwak’s medal is Korea’s second medal in the figure skating
event and Korea’s first in the single figure skating event in the
history of the Winter Asian Games.
In the short track events, where Korea has traditionally
excelled, Korea grabbed four gold medals at the Asian Games.
Noh Jin-kyu took home two of those gold medals, one for the
men’s 1,500m and one for the men’s relay. Noh is the brother
of speed skater Noh Seon-yeong, and the siblings set a new
record at the Asian Games for winning a combined four gold
medals at the games. While Korea had not won any gold
medals for ladies’ short track competitions since the 1994
Kwak Min-jeong, bronze medalist in ladies’ figure skating, performs (above
left). Skaters who won a gold medal in speed skating ladies’ team pursuit
carry the Korean flags after their winning race (above right). Lee Seung-
hoon celebrates his gold medal (opposite top). Kim Sun-joo won two gold
medals in the 7th Asian Winter Games (opposite bottom).
Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games, both Cho Ha-ri and
Park Seung-hi took home gold medals at the Asian Games.
Remarkable Advancement in the Skiing Event While
Korea has not traditionally excelled in skiing events, the
country won four gold medals in the Asian Winter Games at
Astana-Almaty. Kim Sun-joo became Korea’s first female skier
to win two gold medals in the Asian Games by finishing first
in the downhill and super giant slalom events. Rookie Jung
Dong-hyun won the gold in the super combined.
Lee Chae-won showed great potential by winning Korea’s
first gold medal in the ladies’ cross-country event in the Asian
Games. The Korea Ski Jump Team won the precious bronze
medal in the large hill K125 group competition, as well.
Thanks to Korea’s efforts to bring the Winter Olympic Games
to Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, more and more
Koreans are interested in winter sports. The government has
also been improving Korea’s winter sports infrastructure and
providing more support for athletes, which has translated into
better performances in international competitions.
Korea is in the midst of its third bid to host the Winter
Olympics in Pyeongchang, this time for the 2018 Games.
While the country was disappointed in its previous failed bids,
Koreans are more optimistic than ever about their chances of
hosting the global winter sports festival.
www.korea.net | 35
now in korea

One of Korean telecommunications and mobile phone operator, LG Uplus, launched SNS service apps “placebook” and “Wagle” in January (above).

As more and more people buy smartphones, social network services (SNS) are
revolutionizing the way we interact with others. Applications like Facebook mobile keep
people connected 24 hours a day and are used throughout the world. But as one of the
leading countries in the IT sector, Korea’s take on the SNS revolution has been different.

Homegrown Korean companies have released their own, homegrown answers to Twitter and Facebook.
And they’re finding success in the country’s mobile market. by Seo Dong-cheol

SNS in the © (clockwise from top left) Daum Communications ; SK Telecom; Kakao
Last month, Kim Hyeon-woo, a resident of Sillim-dong in program, and Me2day, a micro blog service, I felt that I was in

Limelight
Seoul, bought a new smartphone. Kim’s previous phone
was still functional and new enough that he had to pay a
cancellation fee because he got rid of his old phone before
his contract was finished. But Kim couldn’t wait to buy a
smartphone any longer. He was starting to feel out of date,
seeing his friends and colleagues build networks through SNS
© Yonhap News Agency
a new world.”
Mun Eun-jin, an employee at TDK Korea, has changed the
way she talks with friends after purchasing a smartphone. Mun
says she now communicates with her friends mostly through
KakaoTalk, as most of them also have smartphones.
“I have seldom used SMS [Short Message Service] since

and communicate with their friends anytime and anywhere getting a smartphone,” Mun explains. “I like it, as I can send
with their sleek, new smartphones. photos or videos free of charge.”
“Smartphones have a lot of functions. But I bought one to She adds, “A big benefit is the fact that I can talk to multiple
use SNS,” Kim said. “While using KakaoTalk, a free messenger people without a computer.” For example, when Mun made

36 | korea | march 2011 www.korea.net | 37

travel plans with five friends, she invited all of them to The Strengths of Korean SNS The number of smartphone 1.2 million people sign up for KakaoTalk every month. Thanks Me2day the competitive edge they need in the SNS market.
KakaoTalk and they easily decided the schedule and course users in Korea surpassed 7 million at the end of 2010 and is to this application, 80% of smartphone users in Korea now Korean companies are also making use of SNS to develop
of the trip. now close to 8 million. The three wireless telecommunication enjoy text messaging free of charge. KakaoTalk expects the the social commerce market. A social commerce business
Smartphones have radically changed how Koreans like Mun carriers in Korea aim to reach 20 million smartphone users number of registered users to surpass 20 million by the end of allows companies to interact with and sell products to
and Kim communicate. According to a survey conducted in by the end of this year. SK Telecom hopes for 10 million, this year. In January, KakaoTalk made headlines for becoming customers through SNS. The front-runner of the Korean social
January by Scotoss Consulting, a management consulting firm, KT wants 6.5 million and LG Uplus expects 3.5 million. The the most popular free application in Hong Kong, Macao and commerce market is Ticket Monster, which was established
Koreans spend more time using SNS than e-mail. The survey number of smartphone users in Korea is expected to triple in four countries in the Middle East: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar with just five employees in May 2010. Seven months after
of 650 people in their 20s to 50s found that Koreans used SNS 2011 from last year. and the United Arab Emirates. its founding, the start-up venture hit 20 billion won in
for 44.5 minutes per day during the week and 47.1 minutes Since the SNS market is so tightly connected to the Analysts attribute the success of KakaoTalk to the sales. Ticket Monster has been showing amazing growth
per day on the weekend. This smartphone and tablet application’s uniquely Korean characteristics, which set it apart and the company aims to have 500 employees and post 200
compared to an average of just market, competition from Twitter and Facebook. KakaoTalk billion won in sales in 2011. The social
24.9 minutes per day during the in Korea between was the first to offer smartphone users a commerce market is expected to heat up
week for e-mail and 18 minutes SNS providers has group chatting service. in Korea as Groupon, the world’s largest
on the weekend. This means they been fierce. Korean “Facebook and Twitter are more social commerce company, is considering
spent nearly twice as much time applications like stranger-based communication services, making inroads in the region.
on SNS than they did writing or KakaoTalk and Me2day, compared to KakaoTalk,” says an Korean SNS companies continue to
reading e-mails. The survey also however, are proving to application developer who wished to evolve and record rapid growth. Among
found that the Koreans surveyed be strong players on this remain unnamed. “KakaoTalk users the newest SNS applications are SK
talked to people on the phone for market that includes communicate mainly with acquaintances Telecom’s Social Talk and Checking.
30.9 minutes per day and sent foreign brands like whose phone numbers are saved in their Social Talk enables users to upload
text messages for 22.7 minutes Twitter and Facebook. smartphones. This is more Korean.” recorded voice messages to personalized
per day on average. This led KakaoTalk is a The developer added that KakaoTalk voice blogs that they can then share with
researchers to conclude that SNS keeps improving its application. others. Checking enables people to share
has become the most popular “KakaoTalk is expanding into diverse reviews of TV shows and movies. KT
communication tool among Daum, one of the
sectors. For example, KakaoTalk began currently has a text-based messenger
Koreans. leading Internet a ‘gifticon’ service to send online gifts application, Show Talk, and is planning to
companies, offers
Celebrities have been quick to pick up mobile Internet to friends in partnership with KT at the release a new communication messenger,
phone service that
on this shift in communication methods. is popular in the
end of last year.” Olleh Talk. The new messenger
By utilizing SNS, everyone from musicians Me2day, another homegrown SNS, is will connect the functions of

SNS field (above).
LG Uplus recently
and movie stars to cartoonists and cultural held an SNS
critics have found a new way to interact promotion with
Samsung’s Galaxy
with the public. Without the hassle of a Tab (right).
publicist or even a journalist, celebrities
now express their opinions and communicate directly with
their fans on Twitter and Me2day. One Korean singer even
used SNS to gather ideas from his fans on how he might help
marginalized people and then implemented some of the ideas,
creating a new paradigm for celebrity-fan interactions.
The Korean government has been actively using SNS as a
tool to publicize policies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade signed a partnership deal with NHN, Korea’s largest
Internet company, in January and it now delivers government
news to SNS-savvy Koreans through NHN’s Me2day service.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also has a
Me2day account that offers news and information on culture,
sports and tourism. These government services have been
popular among concerned citizens.
© Daum Communications (above); LG Uplus Corp. (left); Kakao (opposite above); NHN Corp. (opposite below)
also rapidly growing. It has increased its
registered users from just 28,000 at the
KakaoTalk, Korea’s
end of 2008 to 4 million today. Me2day popular
application, offers
has made inroads in the SNS market English service
by differentiating itself from similar (top). The site
symbol for Me2day,
homegrown application through which smartphones are able applications like Twitter. While Twitter Korea’s home-
grown SNS
to exchange messages from anywhere in the world. Through functions like an open blog, where anyone application (above).
this service, people are able to chat in real time and can share can see what you post, Me2day limits
photos and videos without a sending fee. viewers to people you’ve approved, giving the service a more
The application pulls information from the smartphone’s intimate feel.
phonebook, so users can seamlessly communicate with their “Me2day is clearly different from Twitter,” said Korean
friends or colleagues without having to create a whole new singer Ho Ran after using both services. “I feel that Twitter
contact database for the application. In this way, KakaoTalk is like a window and Me2day is like a space. The difference
helps users keep in touch with their friends in a convenient between Twitter and Me2day might be the difference between
and cost-effective manner. a plaza and my room. Twitter is more Western and individual.
Since its release in March 2010, KakaoTalk has seen Me2day is more Eastern as Eastern people want more trust
dramatic growth. The number of KakaoTalk’s registered users and stronger personal relationships.”
exceeded 6 million just 10 months after its release. Today, This different cultural approach may give KakaoTalk and
popular SNS such as Twitter,
Facebook and Me2day.
NHN, the operator of the giant Internet portal Naver, will
soon launch a new SNS-friendly homepage called Naver Me.
Naver is used daily by 3.4 million Koreans, about 90% of
the total number of Internet users in Korea. Naver Me will
be a social homepage where people are able to use not only
personalized web services such as e-mail and address books
but also SNS pages such as Me2day, blogs and message boards
on a one-stop basis.
Last year, the world saw how smartphones and SNS could
revolutionize the way we communicate with each other.
While SNS designers got a late start in Korea, industry leaders
like KakaoTalk and Me2day have proved that homegrown
applications can compete on the global market. With
smartphone sales expected to increase again this year, people
will be looking to Korea for exciting and innovative SNS
applications that bring people closer together.

38 | korea | march 2011 www.korea.net | 39

summit diplomacy

Oegyujanggak books
heading home
It has been 145 years since French troops looted precious palace records
from Korean soil during Byeong-in yango, the French invasion of Korea in
1866. In the fires of Byeong-in yango, historical records from the Joseon
Dynasty stored in Oegyujanggak library disappeared. Now, the ancient
books are heading back to Korea after a two-decade-long battle.
by Lim Ji-young | photographs by Kim Nam-heon

On September 18, 1866, French forces
invaded Ganghwado Island, west of
Seoul (then, Hanseong, the capital of the
Joseon Dynasty). The invasion is known as
Byeong-in yango, which means “Western
disturbance during the byeong-in year.”
France invaded the country to retaliate for
the execution of French missionaries by the
Joseon government. The encounter was
the first armed conflict between Korea and
a Western power.
The overall result was a French retreat
and a check on its influence in the region.
However, historically important books
and documents on political and cultural
events of the period were looted during
the invasion. The 5,607 books kept in the
royal library, Oegyujanggak – an annex
of Kyujanggak royal library in Hanseong,
known as the safest library in the Joseon
Dynasty – were set on fire or stolen. The
books recorded and illustrated all of the
rituals, formalities and daily routines of the
royal court during the Joseon Dynasty.

Looted books rediscovered The
records taken by the French include 297
texts, with dates ranging from the 14th to
the 19th centuries. These books would go on
to become the core of the Korea collection
in the National Library of France. It was
not until 1975 that a Korean librarian, Park
Byeong-seon, who worked at the National
Library of France, discovered that the
Oegyujanggak books still existed.
“When the French army came to
Oegyujanggak on Ganghwado Island
where these palace records were kept, they
burned most of the books as well as the
building itself, except for the uigwe,” Shin
Byung-ju, a history professor at Konkuk
University, told the JoongAng Daily in
© Yonhap News Agency
2008. Uigwe are ancient documents that
dictate the protocols of royal ceremonies
and events of the Joseon Dynasty.
“It was because even foreigners
recognized the value of these documents
South Korean Ambassador to France Park Heung-
shin (left) and Paul Jean-Ortiz, French foreign
ministry director, signed an agreement in France
(above). The exterior of Oegyujanggak in
Ganghwado Island (opposite).
– with their silk covers, elegant binding,
quality paper and sumptuous illustrations.”
Uigwe have important historical
value because they describe how official
government and royal events were held
during the Joseon era. Uigwe were
developed as a reference for government
and court officials planning these events,
and include details such as the proper
procedure and cost of various ceremonies.
The records cover everything from
coronation and royal marriage ceremonies
to state funerals.
There were two types of uigwe, one for
the king and royal family and another for
general purposes. The uigwe covering royal
ceremonies were made with high-quality
silk covers and are valued for their artistic
and documentary value. The records were
stored in Oegyujanggak on Ganghwado
Island, since that library was considered
safer than the those in the capital.
When the French looted the island, they
stole many of the royal uigwe, denying
Koreans a precious historical asset. Korean
historians who have examined the uigwe at
the National Library of France found that
30 of the 297 records are the only existing
copies in the world. This uniqueness has
excited historians, who hope the uigwe will
give them greater insight into important
events that occurred in the latter part of
the Joseon Dynasty.
For a long time, it looked as if
researchers in Korea would be unable
to see the uigwe stolen by the French
firsthand. The Korean government argued
that the books should belong to Korea

40 | korea | march 2011 www.korea.net | 41


since they were looted during the war.
It took ten years of meetings before the
French government agreed to send the
books back to Korea.
The battle to retrieve the ancient
books Korea was met with fierce
opposition from France when it began
lobbying for the uigwe to be returned
in 1991. It wasn’t for two years that the
country saw any progress on the matter.
In September 1993, French President
Francois Mitterand gave Korean President
42 | korea | march 2011
The Kyujanggak library at
Seoul National University
Museum has many
archives (above). An
exhibition hall in
Oegyujanggak on
Ganghwado Island (left).
Kim Young-sam one of the 297 books and
promised to return the complete collection
in coming years at the Korea-France
summit in Seoul. Mitterand used the book
as leverage in his bid to export technology
for France’s high-speed train TGV to Korea.
While France won the bid, the president
reneged on his promise to return the uigwe
records to Korea. France suggested that
instead of returning the books, they could
permanently “loan” the uigwe to Korea
in exchange for other ancient Korean
documents. Koreans rejected this proposal,
saying that it amounted to sacrificing
more cultural properties in order to have
what was stolen from them. Koreans were
becoming more aware of the importance
of cultural heritage during this period and
pressed the government to be firm with
France on the uigwe matter.
In January 2002, a five-member Korean
delegation – which included historian
Kim Mun-sik, now a history professor at
Dankook University – headed to France
to examine the books in the National
Library. Because the Korean historians were
allowed to check out only one book at a
time, they could examine only 100 out of
the 297 books.
A Seoul-based civic group filed a lawsuit
against the library in France in 2008 to get
the stolen books returned to Korea. But
the Paris court turned down the demand
in the following year, saying the Korean
books were French national property.
Eight years passed since the historic
on-site inspection, and Korea’s royal
documents remained in France. Korean
historians continued their lobbying work
during that time and finally saw their
efforts payoff last year.
Books are returned to korea after
145 years The long-running dispute
reached a turning point when French
President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged in
November last year in Seoul to return
the centuries-old Oegyujanggak books
during the G20 Seoul Summit meeting. His
promise helped begin negotiations that
would resolve the thorny diplomatic feud
between the two countries. After months
of discussions, the two sides reached a
formal agreement in Paris.
The French government will return the
Korean royal books taken by France this
spring. In accordance with the agreement
between the two parties, all 297 volumes
will be relocated to the National Museum
of Korea in Seoul by May 31 on a
renewable five-year lease. While the lease
Renowned Korean Treasures Scattered
Around the World
Jikji: The oldest moveable
1
metal-typed book Jikji is a book of
Buddhist scripture created in 1377 with the
world’s oldest moveable metal type system. The
book was published at Heungdeoksa Temple in
Cheongju and is currently managed by the
French National Library. Collin de Plancy, who
worked in Seoul from 1890 to 1903 as a French
diplomat, took the second volume of the book
along with other historic collections to France.
Later, Jikji passed into the hands of antique
collector Henri Vever in France and was
donated to the French National Library by his
family in accordance with Vever’s will in 1950.
The book was printed nearly 70 years before
the famous Gutenberg Bible printing in
Germany, and is clear evidence that Korea was
the first nation in the world to design and use
metal type. Together with the Seungjeongwon
ilgi, Diary of the Royal Secretariat, Jikji was
designated a UNESCO Memory of the World.
Wang ocheonchukguk jeon:
2 the stolen artifacts momentum. One day
Korea’s first overseas
travelogue Written in 727 during the
Unified Silla Period, Wang ocheonchukguk jeon
records the experiences of the monk Hyecho as
he traveled through India, the Middle East,
Persia and Central Asia for four years. The
travelogue’s name comes from the Chinese
word for India in the 8th century, Cheonchuk.
Translated literally, the book’s title is “A Report
After Traveling Five Cheonchuk Countries.” In
1908, French archeologist Paul Pelliot
discovered an abridged version of the Wang
ocheonchukguk jeon in Cangjingdong within
Dunhuang’s stone cave in China. The book
took the form of a scroll where a total of 227
© Kyujanggak Institute For Korean Studies (top)
rows of Chinese characters were written. Pelliot
took the scroll with him to France and it now
resides in the French National Library. Korean
historians are eager to get a hold of the scroll
because of its historic descriptions of India and
Central Asia in the 8th century.
Mongyu Dowondo: A
3
masterpiece of Korean art
An Gyeon, an important painter of the Joseon
Dynasty, created this marvelous roll painting in
1447. Mongyu dowondo translates as
“Paradise in a Dream”, and was based on a
dream that Prince Anpyeong had. The painting
features verses and calligraphy by Prince
Anpyeong and is 106.5cm long and 38.7cm
tall. While Mongyu dowondo is unclear when
the painting was handed over to the Japanese,
it is believed the painting left Korea in the late
19th century. The painting was sold to antique
gallery Ryusendo around 1947 and then sold
to Tenri University, where it resides today.
Mongyu dowondo is a highly valuable painting
because it is believed to be the last remaining
artwork by An Gyeon.
Suwol gwaneum do: A
4 After the French government’s decision,
representative Goryeo
Buddhist painting Together with Goryeo
celadon, Buddhist paintings from the Goryeo
Dynasty have high artistic value. Suwol
gwaneum do portrays the journey of Sunjae, a
child monk, to meet the Buddhist Goddess of
Mercy at Mt. Botarak. Suwol means “the
moon reflecting over the water,” an expression
of vain desire in Buddhism. Suwol gwaneum
do is currently kept at Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo,
Japan. It is assumed that the painting was
either presented to the Japanese during the
Goryeo Dynasty or looted at the end of the
Goryeo era or during the Japanese invasion
of Korea in 1592.
format is not ideal, historians are excited
to finally be able to access the important
records in Korea.
The uigwe deal is a hard-earned victory
for Korean historians, after 20 years of
lobbying. Yet, Korea still has hundreds
of thousands of cultural assets that
were stolen during the 1950-53 Korean
War and Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule
of the peninsula. Experts say that more
than 760,000 ancient books, documents,
craftworks and other forms of cultural
assets are now in about 20 different
countries around the world. The majority
of the artifacts are in Japan, which seized
the Korean artifacts during its colonial rule.
the Japanese government has agreed to
return 1,205 ancient artifacts it seized,
although the agreement still needs
approval by its parliament. Historians are
hopeful that the return of Oegyujanggak
books will give their efforts to return
Korean historians may be able to study the
history and culture of this land by traveling
no farther than the National Museum of
Korea in Seoul.
Antique books and exhibition artifacts are on
display in the Oegyujanggak building (below).
www.korea.net | 43
global korea

Operation Dawn a success thanks

to international cooperation Korean Navy special forces,
the UDT/SEAL, conduct an
exercise off the coast of
The Dawn of the Gulf of Aden operation
began at 4:58am on January 21, 2011, when
Pyeongtaek on January 22. the 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young of the
An operation led by the South Korean Navy’s Cheonghae anti-piracy unit Korean Navy inched closer to the Samho
Jewelry. As a Lynx helicopter provided
rescued the freighter Samho Jewelry from Somali pirates on the Arabian Sea on
covering fire, rigid inflatable boats (RIBs)
January 21, 2011. Launched just before the sunrise, the operation Dawn carried Underwater Demolition Team (UDT)
of the Gulf of Aden was a resounding success thanks to the agents toward the Samho Jewelry. It was
international assistance Korea received. Many countries provided these agents that freed Samho Jewelry’s
reconnaissance jets and warships in nearby waters crew, but the navies of several countries
during the operation. by No Ju-seob aided in their success.
A P-3C patrol plane owned by the
United States Navy flying above the Samho
Jewelry passed on intelligence to Korean
rescuers that there were three people
on the hijacked ship’s stern, four on its
bridge and four others on the middle deck.
The Samho Jewelry was blocked on both
sides during the operation by the South
Korean destroyer Choi Young and a 394-
ton Omani naval destroyer. When the US
helicopter passed on the intelligence about
the pirates’ locations, Choi Young was
2.7 nautical miles away from the Samho
Jewelry, while the Omani destroyer was 4.7
nautical miles from the hijacked vessel.
As the Cheonghae soldiers forced the
pirates to surrender, they played a pre-
recorded message in the Somali language
warning the pirates to give up their
weapons if they wanted to live. A Dutch
naval destroyer had helped the Korean
Navy record that warning. Once the ship
was recovered, an SH-60 helicopter from
the US Navy helped to quickly transport
Seok Hae-kyun, the wounded captain of
the Samho Jewelry, to a hospital in Oman.
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul praised the
South Korean Naval officers who closely
coordinated their efforts with Oman,
Britain and the United States to make the
operation a success. Oman helped Korea
by treating and evacuating the injured.
© Yonhap News Agency

The US and Britain provided military

assistance during the operation. The entire
crew of the Samho Jewelry was rescued
from the Somali pirates on the strength
of collaboration between Korea and its

44 | korea | march 2011 www.korea.net | 45

three allies. The operation also served as a
powerful warning to pirates that Koreans
will not bargain with them in any future
hijackings.
The Geummi 305, which was hijacked
on October 9 by Somali pirates off the
Kenyan coast, was recently released
unconditionally. The ship’s release was
partially due to the fact that Geummi
Fishers, which owned the boat, had filed
for bankruptcy and could not pay the
ransom demanded. But it is likely that the
Navy’s swift action in the Samho Jewelry
case also played a role in the pirates’
decision to give the ship up without a fight.
The Dawn of the Gulf of Aden movie
Christmas Entertainment, which invested
in the popular Korean film The Host,
recently announced it would produce a
nonfiction film, tentatively titled The Dawn
of the Gulf of Aden. The company said the
film won’t just focus on the rescue of the
Samho Jewelry, but will also tell the stories
of the UDT agents in the Korean Navy.
The film will cost 20 billion won and
46 | korea | march 2011
Cho Young-joo, commander of Choi Young
destroyer (top). Five Somali pirates were
sent to Busan, Korea, for investigation
(above). The Samho Jewelry and Choi Young
docked at an Omani port (below).
is expected to feature some the finest
filmmaking staff Korea has to offer. The
company said the script is now in its final
phase and they will start shooting around
September, with February next year as the
target opening date. The company hopes
to distribute the film worldwide.
Pirates becoming smarter, more
brutal Somali pirates started emerging in
the early 1990s at the onset of the Somali
Civil War. With unemployment high in
Somalia, teenage boys turned to hijacking
ships. The ransom paid per hostage in
a hijacking can be tens of thousands of
dollars, making it a lucrative, though
dangerous, career.
Korean authorities are investigating
the five pirates who hijacked the Samho
Jewelry and were captured alive by the
Cheonghae unit. They are all young men
in their teens and 20s. Their names are Ali
Abdullah, a 21-year-old former soldier; Arai
Mahomed, a 23-year-old fisherman; Serum
Abdullah, a 21-year-old cook; Ali Abukad-
Aeman, a 21-year-old former soldier; and
© Yonhap News Agency
INSIDE THE ISSUE
Sailors aboard the Samho Jewelry replace the
existing members on January 31 (above). The
chief engineer from the Samho Jewelry during an
interview with the press (right below).
19-year-old student Brallat Aul.
The Kenyan Foreign Ministry recently
reported that Somali pirates collected
US$150 million in ransom in 2008 alone. In
a country that has made little industrial and
economic progress under volatile political
situations, piracy has grown into the most
promising and steady industry. Analysts
say as long as hefty ransom changes hands
and those in dire financial standings enter
piracy, it will be virtually impossible to
completely eliminate piracy.
As piracy becomes more entrenched,
Somali pirates have become more violent
with their hostages, physically abusing
them and torturing them, or sometimes
using them has human shields. Buster
Howes, the operation commander major
general of the European Union’s Naval
Force Somalia (NAVFOR), testified that
some Somali pirates hang their hostages
upside down and put their heads into
the sea, or lock them inside a refrigerator
and beat them up.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE Samho Jewelry
RESCUE, Diplomacy played A huge role
The successful rescue operation of the Samho
Jewelry ship, which had been hijacked by
Somali pirates, was largely aided by diplomatic
wheeling and dealing behind the scenes. While
the Defense Ministry led the military
operations, the Foreign Ministry provided
support as the agency handling piracy cases.
On January 15, immediately after the hijacking,
the Foreign Ministry set up an emergency task
force in Seoul and operations headquarters in
the Korean Embassy in Kenya. The ministry
quickly began discussing necessary measures
with Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of
Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs and other
related agencies. About 10 Foreign Ministry
officials – including Baek Joo-hyun, director-
general of the Overseas Koreans and Consular
Affairs Bureau, and Kang Seok-hee, head of
the Overseas Korean Nationals Protection and
Crisis Management Division, plus a military
officer from Combined Maritime Forces – were
dispatched to Oman as quick response team.
Their goal was to provide the Cheonghae
anti-piracy unit with any necessary supplies
before the unit’s rescue operation began. The
quick response team also worked closely with
the local embassy and helped three
Cheonghae soldiers and the Samho Jewelry
captain receive treatment at an Oman hospital.
The team also made sure the rest of the Samho
Jewelry crew returned home safely and
handled the legal issues involving the captured
Somali pirates. And before the operation, the
Foreign Ministry informed related countries,
through diplomatic channels, of the situation
and sought cooperation.
The Samho Jewelry had two sailors from
Indonesia and 11 from Myanmar. The Korean
government told those two governments,
through local embassies, about the rescue
operations and discussed cooperation. The
ministry also sought help from its allies with
experience in military operations against
pirates, such as the US.
Officials at the Samho Jewelry headquarters,
who remained on the edge of their seats
during the first six days of the hijacking,
breathed a sigh of relief on January 21, when
the news of the successful rescue operation
reached them. Along with ministry workers in
Seoul, the Korean Embassy in Oman played a
huge role in ensuring the success of the rescue
operation.
Ambassador Choe Jong-hyun and four Foreign
Ministry officials are stationed at the embassy in
Oman. They were able to secure support from the
Oman government from the beginning of rescue
planning. The embassy actively engaged with the
Cheonghae unit and the Oman government once
the destroyer Choi Young reached the coastal
waters of Oman and prepared all necessary post-
operation measures.
In particular, the embassy gained Oman’s support
in transporting the injured people and also in
providing a destroyer. When three soldiers were
wounded by pirates’ gunshots during Cheonghae’s
first operation on January 18, the Oman
government carried them in a helicopter to a
local university hospital. The next day, the Oman
navy sent out a destroyer to the operational area
and monitored the pirates. Buoyed by Oman’s
assistance, the Cheonghae was able to carry out
the operation with success. Ambassador Choe
spoke with Oman’s navy commander and kept in
close contact with other Oman government
officials.
When the rescue operation ended successfully,
Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan was hosting a
Lunar New Year reception for about 100
ambassadors and heads of international agencies
at the ministry headquarters. He delivered the good
news and drew applause from the diplomats.
www.korea.net | 47
international cooperation necess-
ary to fight piracy Over the last two
decades, Somali pirates have evolved
from rough-and-tumble groups trying to
make a living to more sophisticated units
that bring in hired guns to terrorize ships.
Only through international cooperation
can nations hope to eradicate this violent
industry. Pirates have been having a field
day attacking foreign commercial vessels
that sail to and from Saudi Arabia and
other oil exporting countries in the region.
Foreign vessels often carry huge
amounts of crude oil and have a large
crew. With so much oil and so many human
lives at stake, ship owners have little choice
but to shell out large ransoms. The ransoms
have allowed pirates to institutionalize
their industry.
They have even set up a stock market of
sorts now, with investors that help maintain
their pirating. Each pirate organization
registers at the pirates’ market, just as a
company lists itself on the stock market.
Investors provide operational costs or
weapons. Once the pirates earn ransom,
investors get a return on their investment.
There are about 100 such “piracy"
companies in Somalia. The military there is
reportedly involved in some of them, too.
With Somalia’s government and military
unable to stop piracy, prompt international
efforts are needed to tackle the problem.
Korea has endorsed six piracy-related
resolutions by the UN Security Council
and is a member of the Contact Group on
Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS).
Yet, the effect of these actions has been
minimal, says the Foreign Ministry. Instead,
the ministry says that ensuring peace in
Somalia, increasing the self-defense abilities
of shipping companies and coordinating
anti-piracy efforts with international
players will be key to ending piracy.
One step toward better international
coordination was taken at a UN meeting
on eradicating Somali piracy. Participants
discussed ways in which militaries could
48 | korea | march 2011
Seven South Korean crew members from the
Samho Jewelry were warmly welcomed by their
families and citizens upon their arrival to Busan
on February 2 (above).
work together on anti-piracy missions
and governments could eradicate the
international financial networks through
which pirates make their investments
and share ransom money. Maritime
countries and representatives of some
10 international agencies attending
the meeting expressed their concern
about the uptick in piracy and called for
stronger military coordination. Participants
also talked about setting up a special
international court in a neighboring
African country to Somalia, in case a Somali
court releases pirates captured by foreign
armed forces.
Combined Task Force 150, a multinational
coalition unit, has been battling the pirates
around the Gulf of Aden since August
2008, and Korea, Japan, China, the EU and
NATO have dispatched troops to the task
force.
The Korean National Assembly in March
2009 passed a motion on dispatching
soldiers and the Cheonghae unit was
founded on March 3 that year. They’ve
been in operation since April 16, 2009,
with the Choi Young Korean destroyer on
Somali waters.
Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, the secretary-
general of the International Maritime
Organization, attended the general
assembly of the International Association
of Maritime Universities held at Korea
Maritime University. He argued that
in order to resolve the Somali piracy
problem, the complex political situations
in Somalia must be taken care of. He
added that nations must also ensure the
safety of crews and secure routes for
ships passing through the region, increase
humanitarian aid to Somalia and finally,
encourage coordination between navies in
the Gulf area. Mitropoulos also said that
the political situation in Somalia could be
solved by a new, more stable government
in the country that can unite Somalis and
end the civil war there.
When a stable government has taken
control, Somalia can develop a coast guard
© Yonhap News Agency
or navy of its own to fight piracy. The
secretary-general urged the UN Security
Council, the African Union and NATO to
keep providing humanitarian support to
Somalia until the country is stable.
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 Falconry Inscribed in 2010 on UNESCO’s
Representative List of the Intangible Heritage
of Humanity, Falconry is the traditional
activity of taking quarry by means of trained
birds of prey. It has been practiced for
4,000 years and in 60 countries. In Korea,
a few falconers, including Park Yong-soon
(pictured on this page), have helped keep
this ancient human heritage alive.
© Choi Ji-young