Opening a communicative space

between Korea and the world

Government Finalizes
Plan for Four Rivers 7
JULY
ISSN: 2005-2162

Incheon-Seoul Canal Finally Being Made Reality 2009

Korea-US Summit Brings Allies Closer www.korea.net

 JULY 2009
CONTENTS VOL. 11 / NO. 7

12 16 28 48 58
Publisher
Kim He-beom,
Korean Culture and
Information Service
06 News in Focus
• Government Finalizes Plan for Four Rivers
• Incheon-Seoul Canal Finally Being Made Reality
• Exquisite Relics of a Kingdom Now Long
Lost 48 Sports
•
•
Boat Race Nurtures Local Water Sports
Korea’s Quiet Judo Dynamo
• 100 Years of Ups and Downs for Korean
Chief Editor Manhwa Artists • Universiade Returns in 2015
Ko Hye-ryun

Editing & Printing 12 Diplomacy

• Summit Brings Allies Closer Korean Artist
• Athletes Conquer Nature in Asia’s Longest
Bike Race
JoongAng Daily
• Korea, ASEAN Look Ahead 36 • Haegue Yang: Exploring Neglected Corners
Cover Photo
a panoramic view of
E-mail
webmaster@korea.net
• First Lady Promotes Cuisine, Scenic Beauty
56 Korea through the Lens
• The Crested Ibis Comes Home
the Nakdong River
and scenic river
areas
Design
JoongAng Daily
• Uniting Asia Through Music
38 Korean Literature
• Kim Hye-soon: Pushing Poetic Limits

20 Global Korea
58 Travel
• Exploring a Prince’s Heaven on Earth
• Aid from Korea Earns Thanks from Mexico
42
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced in any form without permission from Korea Series
and the Korean Culture and Information Service. • Local Nuclear Technology at Core of Energy
The articles published in Korea do not necessarily rep-
resent the views of the publisher. The publisher is not
liable for errors or omissions. 22 Green Growth
• Harnessing Mother Nature to Power the Future
Policy
62 People
• Scholar-Priest Sees Lessons in Dialogue
Letters to the editor should include the writer’s full name
and address. Letters may be edited for clarity and/or 45 Hidden Champions
• From Casinos to Malls, Kortex Is Every-
• A Hunt for a Challenge Took Her to Korea —
and Baduk
space restrictions.

If you want to receive a free copy of Korea or wish to 26 Culture

• Mounted Warriors of Legend Revealed where

66
cancel a subscription, please e-mail us.
A downloadable PDF file of Korea and a map and glos- • Korean Wave Engulfs Theatre Foreign viewpoints
sary with common Korean words appearing in our text
are available by clicking on the thumbnail of Korea on
the homepage of www.korea.net.
᳆ಮᖛᤇᴲ㛢=#44044433:60333349039
• Preserving Korean Tradition, But Fighting
For Modernity
46 Science
• One Small Step for Korea’s Dream of Space
Exploration
• Equality for Women Key to Birth Rate

4 korea JULY 2009 JULY 2009 korea 5


Government Finalizes Plan
for Four Rivers Revitalization
22 trillion won set aside to prevent natural disasters, raise quality of life
President Lee Myung-bak, fourth from right, discusses the four-river restoration project at a recent Cabinet
meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae.
W
hen the Korean government
billed it as the country’s largest-
ever hydro-engineering project,
it wasn’t kidding.
Last month, the Land Ministry announced
the final blueprint for its project to revitalize the
country’s four major rivers. The tab: 22.2 trillion
won ($17.7 billion) by 2012. That’s as much as
8.3 trillion won added to what the government
initially planned for the project.
In an interim plan announced April 27, the
government said 13.9 trillion won will be spent
refurbishing four of the nation’s major rivers -
the Nakdong, Han, Geum and Yeongsan.
The four rivers In the final plan, the government earmarked
3 trillion won more.
project is “The main reason for the increased budget
designed to is that we expanded the size of some small-scale
projects at the request of local residents,” said
resolve water the Land Ministry. “Also, we needed more bud-
supply issues get for improving water quality.”
The other 5.3 trillion won will be spent on
and provide renovating tributaries to the rivers, which was
new bases for newly included in the final plan. The Seomjin
[JoongAng Ilbo]
and 13 other smaller rivers and streams linked
The Han River meanders through Seoul from
green industry to the four rivers will be developed, the minis-
east to west. and tourism. try said. The government said it will break
6 korea July 2009
News in Focus
[NEWSIS]
ground for the projects in October, and until
then cultivating the land around the four rivers
will be forbidden. A total of 1.5 trillion won is
earmarked for compensation to local farmers.
The river project is meant to solve water-
related problems. The government estimates
Korea will suffer a shortage of 800 million tons
of water by 2011, while floods cause several
trillion won in damage every year. To change
that, the government plans to build two multi-
purpose dams and 16 reservoirs by 2012.
Improving water quality and developing
riverside areas are other reasons behind the
projects. The government seeks to purify
around 86 percent of the four rivers into sec-
ond-class water, or water whose biological oxy-
gen demand is less than 3 milligrams per liter.
Such water is capable of sustaining most aquat-
ic life and can be used for recreational purpos-
es. As of 2008, roughly 76 percent of the water
in the four rivers was second class.
The government hopes the project, a cen-
terpiece of the Lee Myung-bak administration’s
Green New Deal, will create 340,000 jobs,
pumping 40 trillion won into the economy.
The government plans to spend 50 trillion
won ($39 billion) on the Green New Deal over
July 2009 korea 7
 News in Focus

for leisure and rest, positively contribut-

ing to citizens’ quality of life,” Professor 4-river restoration project
Kang said.
He compared the positive impact of Total
the four-river project to that of the Han Gangwon Dredging 570 million cubic meter
Province Reservoir 16
River development project of the
Ecological river section 537 kilometer
1980s. Han River Seoul
Empowered bank section 377 kilometer
Those efforts, he said, were initially Ipo Reservoir
Water storage basin 4
Flood control revervoir 2
met with skepticism, as people worried Yeoju Reservoir Newly built dams 2
they might ruin the river’s water quality Gyeonggi Province Gangcheon Reservoir Bike trail 1,206 kilometer
and ecosystem, leading to more natural North Chungcheong
Province North Gyeongsang Province
disasters. South Chungcheong Province
“But now that the Han River has Nakdong River

[YONHAP]
Geumgang Reservoir
been developed, water quality has been Geumnam Reservoir Sangju Reservoir
dramatically improved, and animal and Buyeo Reservoir Nakdan Reservoir
Gumi Reservoir
The photos in the above row are recent photos of the four rivers, from left, Han, Yeongsan, Geum and Nakdong. plant species that had once left the pol-
The photos in the below row are the image photos of the four rivers what the government expects to be after the project. luted river have returned,” he said. Geum River Chilgok Reservoir
“Today, the Han River provides a pleas- Gangjeong Reservoir
North Jeolla Dalseong Reservoir Daegu
the next four years. A further 1 trillion lion won, whereas the investment in canal would bring catastrophic damage ant space for recreation and leisure for Province
Hapcheon Reservoir Ulsan
won was recently announced in the prevention was one trillion won for the to the environment, not to mention its citizens.”
Seomjin River
supplementary budget. Seoul hopes past five years. That means we are using questionable usefulness for transporta- The Seomjin River, included later in South Gyeongsang
Haman Reservoir
Busan
that the environmentally oriented ven- funds that could be saved otherwise.” tion. the program as a tributary, is actually Yeongsan River Gwangju Province
ture will help the country overcome the The ministry created a vice minis- After the poor experience with the longer than the Yeongsan River at 173 Seungchon Reservoir
Juksan Reservoir
ongoing economic crisis and boost ter-level position to oversee the project canal project, many have recommended kilometers compared with 112 kilome- South Jeolla Province
future growth. in May. the government make a sincere effort to ters for the Yeongsan.
According to the government, the Kang Jun-mo, a professor of urban build a national consensus on the river The Seomjin River flows through
four rivers were chosen in part because and civil engineering at Hongik Univer- project before launching construction. three Korean provinces — South Jeolla,
they are the nation’s economic arteries, sity, says the work is “timely.” In fact, the Land Ministry plans to com- North Jeolla and South Gyeongsang —
flowing through major industrial and The imbalance in rainfall is an atmo- plete a survey on the possible environ- and passes through 15 cities and coun- Han River Geum River Yeongsan River Nakdong River
farming areas. The Han River is located spheric phenomenon caused by reckless mental effects of the project by around ties. Dredging 50 million cubic meter 50 million cubic meter 30 million cubic meter 440 million cubic meter
Reservoir 3 3 2 8
in Seoul, the Geum in Chungcheong development and consequent environ- October, when construction work is Some wondered why it was not Ecological river section 127 kilometer 124 kilometer 73 kilometer 213 kilometer
and North Jeolla, the Yeongsan River in mental damage, he said, and without an scheduled to begin. named in the initial blueprint. Accord- Empowered bank section 75 kilometer 71 kilometer 17 kilometer 214 kilometer
Water storage basin 2 2 1
South Jeolla and the Nakdong River in effective solution, the imbalance is like- Supporters, on the other hand, say ing to the government, this was because Flood control revervoir 2
the Gyeongsang provinces. ly to worsen, threatening the entire the focus needs to be placed on the pos- the river had experienced less environ- Newly built dams 2
Land Minister Chung Jong-hwan, country and the lives of its people. itive effects of the renovations. mental damage than the four that were Bike trail 189 kilometer 248 kilometer 220 kilometer 549 kilometer

who is at the helm of the river project,
said it will eventually save massive
amounts of government funds.
Korea has suffered from repeated
and worsening cycles of drought and
flood every year over the past decade,
with summer rainfall suddenly increas-
ing and winter precipitation decreasing.
The worst drought in Korean history hit
last year, with people in southern Gang-
won still suffering water shortages.
In a report published in 1990 by
Population Action International, a
United States-based private research
group, Korea was designated a “water-
stressed” country.
“In a nutshell, their functions have
yet to be maximized,” said Minister
Chung in a statement, referring to the
four rivers. “Moreover, the average cost
for restoration after a disaster is 4.2 tril-
“Flood control on the four rivers will
resolve the water shortage and contrib-
ute to permanent disaster prevention
and water quality improvement,” he
concluded.
To enhance the country’s flood-con-
trol capacity, the government said it will
dredge the rivers of 540 million tons of
sand. Along with other plans including
replacing old embankments, this will
secure 890 million tons of additional
water, the government said.
Some critics see the project as a
replacement for President Lee Myung-
bak’s failed plans for a “grand canal.” A
former CEO of a construction firm, Lee
pledged during his campaign in 2007 to
build a canal across Korea, but the idea
soon fizzled in the face of public opposi-
tion.
Critics argued that building such a
On top of the benefits for the nation-
al water supply, they say, cultural tourist
attractions can also be developed by uti-
lizing riverside space in nearby cities
and maintaining local ecosystems
intact.
The government plans to build
1,728 kilometers (1,073 miles) of bicycle
paths that will link the four rivers. Con-
struction of an artificial lake is also
included in the plan.
According to Land Minister Chung,
the ministry will also hunt for historical
and cultural heritage sites near the riv-
ers that can be used to develop tourist
attractions. He said the ministry will
also build water sports facilities to sup-
port leisure activities and develop sce-
nic river areas for other uses.
“The river project will not only
boost local tourism but also offer places
selected.
It was during a meeting with Presi-
dent Lee at Cheong Wa Dae that offi-
cials from Gwangyang, South Jeolla,
proposed the Seomjin be included.
Now, after a series of public hearings
and consultations with related minis-
tries and agencies, the government has
announced a final plan with the Seomjin
River included.
The government says that most of
the planned construction under the
four-river refurbishment project is
expected to be done by 2011, although
the building of dams and reservoirs will
not be completed until 2012. The other
agencies participating in the project are
the Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism, the Ministry of Food, Agricul-
ture, Forestry and Fisheries and the
Ministry of Environment.
“We expect damage from natural
disasters to be prevented and the quality
of people’s lives to be enhanced,” said
Land Minister Chung.
“The rivers, the arteries that cut
across our territory, will also become a
developmental foundation for local
governments.”
Kang at Hongik also praised the cre-
ativity of the plan, saying people need to
think inventively and ensure “the resto-
ration project becomes a comprehen-
sive land management system for the
future development of the country, not
just a conventional civil engineering
project like past ‘river improvements,’
which have simply involved building
Source: Land Ministry
dams and artificial structures.”
Kang said the scope of the project
can still be expanded into other Korean
regions for an even more significant
outcome.
Experts also say newly created sites
along the four rivers project will be used
to generate pollution-free reusable
energy such as solar power and play the
role of an advance base for green indus-
try.
“We can expect considerable job
growth in manufacturing and service
industries, as well as in construction, if
cities near the rivers are used as the core
of local economic development,” Kang
said. By Moon Gwang-lip

8 korea July 2009 July 2009 korea 9

 News in Focus

F
or the first time in more than
This rendering shows how the 800 years, a new canal will cut
canal will appear, stretching across the capital city of Seoul,
from the sea in Incheon to when the Gyeongin Waterway
the Han River in western project is completed in 2011.
Seoul. The Korea Water Resources Corpo-
ration recently announced that it will
invest a total of 2.25 trillion won ($1.78
billion) to build the 18-kilometer water-
way by December 2011. Work began in
March.
Major construction companies
including SK E&C, GS E&C, Daewoo
E&C and Samsung C&T will help build
the canal, which will be 80 meters wide,
6.3 meters deep and three times the
length of Cheonggye Stream in Seoul.
The new waterway from Seo Dis-
trict on the coast of Incheon to Gangseo
District in western Seoul looks as though
it may succeed where other attempts to President Lee Myung-bak, fifth from right, listens to an explanation of the plans for the
build a canal to Seoul have failed. canal.
During the Goryeo Dynasty (918-
1392), Choi Chung-heon, the son of a way in 2030. are expected to attract international
famous military official, set out to dig a The capital city will also be trans- tourists during the 17th Asian Games,
similar waterway, but was stopped by a formed into an international port, with to be held in Incheon in 2014.
heavy rock layer. In the Joseon Dynasty goods entering from Japan and China. Five kilometers east, a bridge will be
(1392-1910), Kim Ahn-no, a high gov- Despite these high expectations, built in section three, with a rest stop
ernment official, failed in his attempt for however, some experts say few people and boardwalk. Another kilometer east,
the same reason. will be interested in traveling on the a riverside park, including an artificial
Every presidential administration waterway as an alternative to faster land waterfall and an observatory, will open
since 1995 has tried to revive the project transportation. Critics also worry about in section four. Section five will feature
as a part of public investment, only to be pollution and damage to local ecosys- a traditional marina and garden.
foiled by the 1997 Asian economic crisis tems due to the construction process. An ecological park will be built in
and protests from environmental But the government bodies in charge section six, with a port for cruise ships
groups. Now, at last, the canal is on of the project are confident in their cost- and water buses and taxis.
schedule, snaking its way toward Seoul. benefit analysis, which they say verifies Section seven will host a 198-square-
“With the completion of construc- the feasibility of the canal. Those agen- meter terminal near Gimpo, including
tion, the waterway will become a land- cies expect the new waterway to con- two docks, capable of handling 1,000
mark of the western metropolitan area,” tribute to the creation of nearly 250,000 passengers per day. Another theme park
said Kim Hyeon-sik, vice head of the new jobs as productivity increases, and marina will also be built there.
[KPPA]

Korea Water Resources Corporation. boosting economic growth. Even though a detailed plan for the
According to the Korea Transport To share expected benefits with last section along the Han River in Seoul
Institute and the Korea Water Resources locals, the government plans to build a hasn’t yet been decided, the government
Corporation, in 2005, 55 percent of con- variety of cultural facilities, including a has confirmed that the area will focus

New Incheon-Seoul Canal tainer traffic in the Seoul-Incheon area

came from Busan Harbor or Gwang-
yang Harbor, hundreds of miles south.
36-kilometer bicycle path running from
Incheon to Gangseo. The waterway will
also be divided into a total of eight sec-
on water sports and leisure activities,
with a theme park for water skiing and
yachting.

Finally Being Made Reality The government expects the com-

pletion of the Gyeongin waterway to
bring more efficient water transporta-
tion to the capital region.
Korean leaders have attempted to connect Seoul to the sea for a thousand years. The government body predicts that
Now, with investment of nearly $2 billion, the new waterway is set to open in 2011 930,000 20-foot containers, 60,000 cars,
570,000 tons of steel and 10 million tons
of sea sand will pass through the water-
tions, each with a different theme. In the
first, near Incheon, a marina will be
built for water leisure activities.
A 2.84 million-square-meter water
terminal will open in section two, capa-
ble of serving 500 people, with a
1000-space parking garage and a theme
park next door. The cultural amenities
“The Gyeongin waterway will defi-
nitely improve the quality of life for the
people,” said Kuen-ho Kim, 64, CEO of
the Korea Water Resources Corpora-
tion. “This waterway will also become a
famous brand representing Korea
around the world.”
By Park Sang-woo

10 korea July 2009 July 2009 korea 11


Summit Brings Allies Closer
S
outh Korea and the United
States adopted a new vision for
their alliance on June 16, stipu-
lating the provision of “extended
deterrence including the U.S. nuclear
umbrella” amid tensions over North
Korea’s nuclear brinkmanship.
President Lee Myung-bak of South
Korea met with U.S. President Barack
Obama at the White House for a summit
to discuss the Korea-U.S. alliance, North
Korea and economic cooperation as well
as global issues including climate change
and the financial crisis.
The 50-minute summit was the sec-
ond of its kind. But where the meeting
between Lee and Obama in London on
the sidelines of the G-8 summit in April
was brief, the June meeting was a chance
for the two leaders to discuss issues
between the two nations in depth.
Following the summit, Lee and
Presidents Lee Myung-bak
and Barack Obama address
journalists in the Rose
Garden of the White House
after the summit meeting.
12 korea July 2009
Obama addressed journalists in the Rose
Garden of the White House.
“We had very substantive talks,” Lee
said. “We, of course, talked about the secu-
rity situation surrounding the Korean
Peninsula, but also about the future of our
Korea-U.S. alliance and our joint vision for
this future.
“Now, the future in this new era is
about not only strengthening our mutual
partnership but also working together
side by side to tackle issues of global con-
cern,” Lee said at the conference.
“And in that regard, I am extremely
pleased to note that today is a meaningful
and very significant day for the Korea-U.S.
alliance, which is being upgraded to a new
plateau for our relationship and partner-
ship.”
President Lee added, “President
Obama reaffirmed his firm commitment
to ensuring the security of South Korea
through extended deterrence, which
includes the nuclear umbrella, and this has
given the South Korean people a greater
sense of security.”
A statement adopted at the summit,
titled “The Joint Vision for the Alliance of
the Republic of Korea and the United
States of America,” also addressed the
North and bilateral economic coopera-
tion including ratification of the U.S. free
trade agreement.
Noting that the South Korea-U.S.
mutual defense treaty remains the corner-
stone of the countries’ security relation-
ship, the statement said the bilateral alli-
ance will accommodate the changed secu-
rity environment of today.
“We will maintain a robust defense
posture, backed by allied capabilities
which support both nations’ security
interests,” it read. “The continuing com-
mitment of extended deterrence, includ-
Provided by Cheong Wa Dae
ing the U.S. nuclear umbrella, reinforces this assurance.”
The two leaders also agreed that South Korea will take
the lead role in the combined defense of the nation, sup-
ported by U.S. military forces.
At the press conference, both Lee and Obama said
they will not tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea under
any circumstances, promising robust implementation of
the sanctions put into effect by the recently adopted UN
Security Council resolution to stop its nuclear and missile
development.
As a way to push forward the six-nation nuclear dis-
armament talks, Lee said he and Obama agreed that the
five countries except for the North would discuss “new
measures and policies that will effectively persuade North
Korea to irrevocably dismantle all their nuclear weapons
programs.”
While Seoul, Washington, Beijing, Tokyo and Mos-
cow have tried to persuade Pyongyang to give up its
nuclear arms program, the North has ratcheted up ten-
sions through a series of provocative acts, including a
rocket launch in April and a nuclear test in May.
At the press conference, both Lee and Obama said in
the past North Korea had been rewarded with food, fuel
and other benefits for belligerent behavior.
“The message we’re sending -- and when I say ‘we,’ not
simply the United States and the Republic of Korea, but I
think the international community -- is we are going to
break that pattern,” Obama said.
At the Rose Garden, Lee also said South Korea wants
to maintain the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint ven-
ture between the two Koreas that has been in jeopardy
since the North detained a South Korean worker about
80 days ago for alleged political crimes.
Lee said Seoul wants to keep the Kaesong project not
only because it is a channel for dialogue but also because
it employees 40,000 North Korean workers.
The president expressed concern about the North’s
detention of two U.S. reporters convicted of political
crimes. “Once again, I urge in the strongest terms that
they release these two American journalists, as well as the
Korean worker being held,” Lee said.
Lee said he and Obama also talked about the free
trade agreement now waiting on ratification in both
countries’ legislatures. “We welcomed the initiation of
working-level consultations to make progress on the
issues surrounding the KORUS FTA and agreed to make
joint efforts to chart our way forward on the agreement,”
Lee said.
“I also took time to invite President Obama to visit
South Korea. And I conveyed to him our warmest grati-
tude on behalf of the Korean people to the people of
America. Once again, I’m very pleased to note that he and
I engaged in very constructive discussions, and I’m very
pleased with the results.”
According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Lee Dong-
kwan, Lee and Obama talked for about 50 minutes,
[KPPA]
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greets Korean President Lee.
accompanied only by interpreters. The
In Washington spokesman said a luncheon followed the
the president conference, where they were joined by
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and chief
met with chief White House economic adviser Larry
policy makers Summers.
“The two leaders mostly discussed
in the Obama environmental issues during the lun-
administration cheon,” the spokesman said. “Because
both Korea and the U.S. emit significant
and Congress. amounts of carbon dioxide, Lee and
Obama agreed that they should cut back
on fossil fuel consumption and work for
low-carbon green growth policies.”
Following the summit, President Lee
paid visits to leaders in the U.S. House of
Representatives and the Senate, where he
thanked Congress for its continued sup-
port of the two countries’ alliance and dis-
cussed measures to resolve the North
Korea nuclear crisis.
Lee and the U.S. lawmakers also talked
about cooperation to overcome the finan-
cial crisis, and the Korean president
expressed his wish to strengthen the two
countries’ economic relations, including
through the free trade agreement, accord-
ing to Cheong Wa Dae.
Lee arrived in Washington June 15 for
a three-day visit. He met Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton on the first day, and also
U.S. trade envoy Ron Kirk, Defense Secre-
tary Robert Gates and Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner.
“The talks between Lee and Obama
were smoother than any before,” said
spokesman Lee. “The meeting certainly
upgraded the strategic partnership
declared last year.” By Ser Myo-ja
July 2009 korea 13

Pledges to upgrade cooperative ties between countries participating in the ASEAN-Korea Commemo-
rative Summit were put down on paper in a 40-point joint statement.
Korea, ASEAN Look Ahead
M
arking the 20th anniver-
sary of the relationship
between Korea and the
Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, a commemorative sum-
mit took place June 1 and 2, where Presi-
dent Lee Myung-bak promoted his New
Asia Initiative through a series of bilat-
eral summits.
Leaders of the 10 ASEAN member
nations — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philip-
pines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
— gathered on the resort island of Jeju for
the summit, under the theme “Partner-
ship for Real, Friendship for Good.”
Most of the events focused on region-
al and global issues including climate
change, energy security and cooperative
measures to recover from the financial
crisis. Leaders also addressed concerns
about the escalated threat posed by North
Korea, including its recent nuclear test.
The summit was also seen as a key
opportunity for President Lee to strength-
en his New Asia Initiative.
Announced in March this year fol-
lowing visits to Australia, New Zealand
and Indonesia, this diplomatic campaign
seeks to upgrade Korea’s role as a power
14 korea July 2009
player in Asia by engaging the region and
attempting to create stronger ties.
The initiative also represents a shift in
Korea’s foreign policy focus from the
global superpowers of the United States,
Japan and China to regional neighbors.
In addition to the Korea-ASEAN
summit, Lee’s presidential diplomacy to
engage Southeast Asian leaders began
before he even left for Jeju. The president
held bilateral meetings in Seoul before
and after the event and also met with
ASEAN leaders bilaterally on Jeju on the
sidelines of the commemorative event.
During the summit proper, President
Lee announced an ambitious plan to
increase support for the Korea-ASEAN
relationship by expanding official devel-
opment assistance to the member nations
while pushing for cultural exchanges.
In his keynote address, Lee praised
the 20-year relationship between Korea
and the association. “To support this
cooperative relationship, Korea created
the Korea-ASEAN Cooperative Fund
and has raised $39 million,” he said.
“With the fund, 190 projects have been
completed successfully, particularly
focused on providing information on the
region and youth exchanges.”
The expansion of ties is key to Korea
and ASEAN’s future, Lee said the two
sides should increase trade from $90.2
billion in 2008 to $150 billion by 2015.
Lee also said the Korea-ASEAN Coop-
erative Fund will raise $5 million every
year starting 2010, with $2 million of that
to be used to improve cultural exchange.
As part of this effort, Korea will invite
7,000 students and workers from ASEAN
countries to visit here by 2015 for voca-
tional training, while sending 10,000
Korean volunteers to Southeast Asia to
share advanced technology in the IT and
telecommunications sectors.
Lee also promised that Korea would
share its development expertise with
ASEAN nations and provide assistance
to fit each country’s unique needs.
The president announced a plan to
double Korea’s official development
assistance to the association to $400 mil-
lion by 2015, another part of the New
Asia Initiative. Korea’s pledges to upgrade
ties with ASEAN were put on paper in a
40-point joint statement released at the
end of the summit.
The two sides also signed a free trade
agreement on investment on June 2,
expected to boost trade by removing tar-
iffs and improving transparency.
Korea and ASEAN now have three
separate FTAs for merchandise, services
and investment. The deals on merchan-
dise and services were ratified in June
2007 and April of this year, respectively.
Trade between Korea and ASEAN
last year totaled $90.2 billion, with Korea’s
investment in the region at $5.9 billion.
Korea is ASEAN’s third-largest trading
partner, while the group is Korea’s fifth-
largest trade partner.
The leaders agreed that they will try
to increase trade between Korea and
ASEAN member nations to $150 billion
by 2015 through bilateral free trade
agreements and complementary mea-
sures, according to the joint statement.
ASEAN also welcomed Korea’s deci-
sion to contribute $5 million from 2013
to 2017 for the Initiative for ASEAN Inte-
gration, aimed at narrowing develop-
ment gaps among ASEAN nations. Lead-
ers also supported the strengthening of
the Asian Bond Markets Initiative, an
issue raised by President Lee at the sum-
mit. The plan aims at expanding regional
bond markets through the mobilization
of savings for productive investments,
particularly infrastructure development,
Diplomacy
to spur regional growth.
ASEAN leaders also appreciated Korea’s proposal to
establish an “Asian Forest Cooperation Organization”
for green growth and to fight climate change.
The Lee administration’s vision of low-carbon green
growth was also promoted at the summit.
“Green growth and fighting climate change are not
a matter of choice. They’re a matter of survival,” Lee said
at the May 18 meeting with journalists from ASEAN
nations ahead of the event. “Korea will cooperate with
ASEAN in this matter. Korea has contributed $200 mil-
lion to the East Asia Climate Partnership.”
The Green Technology Exhibition was also held at
the lobby of the International Convention Center in Jeju
from May 31 to June 2. The event was designed to pro-
mote Korea’s low-carbon green growth vision to visiting
officials and businessmen from ASEAN nations.
Southeast Asian leaders also joined South Korea in
pressuring North Korea to comply with nuclear disar-
mament agreements, suggesting that the international
[KPPA]
community use an upcoming regional security forum
to address Pyongyang’s recent actions.
In addition to the first statement at the summit, a
separate joint statement devoted solely to North Korea’s
nuclear test last month was issued on June 2.
Despite the international community’s efforts to
deter North Korea from developing nuclear weapons,
Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on May 25, follow-
ing up one it performed in 2006.
“The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
through the resolution of the North Korean nuclear
issue in a peaceful manner is essential in maintaining
peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region,” the state-
ment read.
Participants in the summit said they are hopeful that
the upcoming ASEAN Regional Forum, to be held in
July in Thailand, will contribute to peace and stability
on the Korean Peninsula. The forum is the premier
security conference for the region and typically involves
the 10 ASEAN member countries plus the participants
of the six-party nuclear talks: the United States, Russia,
South Korea, China, Japan and North Korea.
“All the ASEAN member nations have traditionally
maintained a close relationship with North Korea,”
‘Green growth Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said after
the commemorative summit. “It is a fruitful achieve-
and fighting ment of the South’s diplomacy that the ASEAN nations
climate change united their voices and condemned the North’s nuclear
test during the summit.”
are not a The spokesman also said, “The commemorative
matter of summit opens a new era in South Korea’s ties with
ASEAN. Until now, economic exchange was the pri-
choice. They mary nature of the ASEAN-Korea relationship, but it
are a matter will expand to diplomacy and security cooperation in
the future.”
of survival.’ By Ser Myo-ja
July 2009 korea 15

Enthusiastic First Lady Promotes
Korea’s Cuisine, Scenic Beauty
Summit a chance to show off the best in local food
L
ast month, Korea’s first lady
Kim Yoon-ok hosted a series
of events to accompany the
summit that commemorated
20 years of diplomatic ties between
Korea and the Association of Southeast
Asian nations, where she promoted
Korea’s scenic beauty, tourist attractions
and cuisine.
On June 1, Kim and a group of
Southeast Asian students studying in
Korea participated in a Jeju “olle” hike.
Olle is a regional Jeju word for a narrow
pathway that connects the street to the
front gate of the house.
Suh Myung-sook, retired chief edi-
tor of a weekly news magazine, created
the hiking trails around the resort island,
inspired by an 800-kilometer (500-mile)
pilgrimage in 2006 from France to San-
tiago de Compostela in northern Spain.
Suh and a team of volunteers restored
the secluded pathways across Jeju, and
the first trail opened to the public in Sep-
tember 2007. There are now 200 kilome-
ters of olle walkways, and 11 routes are
now open.
Kim, 15 Korean students and 20 stu-
dents from ASEAN member nations
walked the seventh Olle trail for an hour.
The students came to Jeju to attend the
ASEAN Campus Summit on the side-
lines of the state leaders’ meeting.
During the hike, Kim and the stu-
[YONHAP]
dents learned about the Jeju Olle pro-
gram and local myths and legends. The
trail overlooked the rocky coastline and
Kim Yoon-ok, the first lady of Korea, second from right, walks down a narrow path (olle in pine tree forests. “I came to Jeju for my
Korean) on Jeju island with students from ASEAN member nations. honeymoon, but it is my first time walk-
16 korea July 2009
Elaborate Korean meals like this one were served at the official welcome dinner during the ASEAN summit meeting.
ing on this trail,” Kim told the students.
“Please promote Korea’s natural beauty
and culture in your home countries.”
Kim also invited visiting dignitaries
at the ASEAN-Korea summit for a tour
on June 2.
The first ladies of Cambodia and
Vietnam, along with wives of cabinet
members and ambassadors, joined Kim
at some of Jeju’s popular tourist venues,
such as the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall and
the Jeju Folk Village Museum, which
features a collection of traditional arti-
facts from Jeju.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, Indo-
nesian President Susilo Bambang Yud-
hoyono and his wife Kristiani Herawati
praised the scenic beauty of Jeju Island
during their meeting with President Lee
Myung-bak and the first lady. Lee and
Yudhoyono agreed to promote Jeju and
Bali together to the international com-
munity, said Lee Dong-kwan, spokes-
man for the Korean president.
Another highlight was the food
served to the Southeast Asian leaders
and dignitaries during the summit.
Though North Korea’s recent nuclear
test, Korea-ASEAN cooperation and the
global economic crisis dominated many
of the conversations at the summit, offi-
cials of the Lee administration success-
fully made room on the plate for another
topic: Korean cuisine.
Under the direction of first lady Kim,
the special summit, attended by leaders
Diplomacy
of the 10 ASEAN member states, was used as a venue
to showcase some of Korea’s famous dishes in a bid to
raise awareness of hansik, the vernacular word for the
local food.
The Lee administration announced in May an
ambitious plan to globalize Korean food, hoping to
position it among the world’s top five cuisines, an elite
group that it said currently consists of Chinese, French,
Italian, Japanese and Thai.
The Task Force for Korean Cuisine to the World,
launched on May 4, is part of the government’s efforts.
The first lady, who serves as honorary chairwoman of
the task force, has stressed that globalization of Korean
food will be crucial to economic growth and the spread
of Korean culture worldwide.
“Korean cuisine has great potential to be well-re-
ceived by foreigners as it meets one of the prevailing
conditions of the current world food trend - being
healthy,” Kim said at the inauguration ceremony of the
task force. “But there are many [challenges] that lie
ahead.”
To get Korean food on the plates of people across
the world, a strategic promotional approach is a must,
Kim said. “We need to find the foods that foreigners
will like,” she said. “To make it suit their taste buds, we
need to make some adjustments. It is also urgent and
The first lady vital to increase the number of places and occasions
where foreigners can experience Korean cuisine.”
ensured the sum- In light of these comments it’s only natural the
mit was a presidential couple didn’t miss the opportunity to cap-
tivate the palates of the Southeast Asian leaders. Korean
chance for Kore-
delicacies were served for the official welcome dinner
an food to show on June 1 and at both the state leaders’ luncheon and
the first ladies’ luncheon on June 2.
its best face to According to the Blue House, it is customary at an
the world. international summit to serve the host nation’s tradi-
July 2009 korea 17

tional cuisine for one special meal, with leaders often
dining on Western-style dishes for the rest of the event.
But the Lee administration officials said they went the
extra mile, serving local specialties on both days of the
commemorative summit.
For the welcome dinner, leaders from ASEAN
member nations were given a choice of one of three
variations. The special dinner menu included pan-fried
Jeju abalone with sweet soy sauce and broiled Jeju beef
rib with ginseng.
Seafood and vegetarian options were also available,
Cheong Wa Dae said.
Throughout the dinner, Korean liquor was also
served. Leaders participated in a toast with maesil
(Asian apricot) wine. Clear strained rice wine and Jeju’s
traditional heobeokju were also served at the dinner.
The Blue House said modern variations on tradi-
tional dishes, including vegetarian and halal options,
were also served at the luncheons on June 2 with pear
wine. Because some ASEAN countries have large Mus-
lim populations, no pork was served, Cheong Wa Dae
said.
Lee, wearing an apron, personally handled the bar-
beque at the luncheon. Beef, lamb and abalone were
grilled by the Korean president and served to the
ASEAN leaders to showcase Korea’s delicacies. The
ASEAN leaders, particularly Singapore’s Prime Minis-
ter Lee Hsien Loong, enthusiastically welcomed Lee’s
friendly gesture, according to the presidential office.
During Lee’s summit with Prime Minister Abhisit
Vejjajiva of Thailand on the sidelines of the Korea-
ASEAN meeting, the two leaders discussed the global-
ization of Korean food.
“I am very much aware of the Korean government’s
efforts, led by first lady Kim Yoon-ok” to expand the
Jeju’s olle trails lead from the rocky coastline into the island’s beautiful pine tree forests.
18 korea July 2009
reach of the country’s cuisine, Vejjajiva
‘When the world was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae
knows about spokesman Lee Dong-kwan. “Thailand
had a similar campaign to become the
these tasty kitchen of the world, and we will share
[Korean] dishes, our experience and know-how with
Korea.”
they will be Lee said that he will visit Thailand’s
loved by every- Tourism Authority during his scheduled
trip to the country in October to learn
one.’ about its food promotion campaign and
medical tourism programs.
On the sidelines of the commemora-
tive summit, Cheong Wa Dae also hosted
a tasting event for journalists from
around the world to promote hansik.
The same luncheon served to the state
leaders was served, with slight varia-
tions, to journalists from Saveur, a food
magazine from the United States; Le
Monde and L’Express of France; the
Asahi Shimbun of Japan, and KTV and
the JoongAng Daily of Korea.Ahn Jeong-
hyeon, the chef who created the menu at
the event, explained each dish to the
journalists.
“The world knows little about Kore-
an food, and when they think about the
cuisine, they think about heavy, meaty
dishes,” said Beth Kracklauer, a senior
editor of Saveur. “But the dishes served
here are so fresh, light and healthy. When
the world knows about these tasty dish-
es, they will be loved by everyone.”
By Ser Myo-ja
[JoongAng Ilbo]
The ASEAN-Korea Traditional Music Orchestra consists of 80 members playing 52 different instruments, a first for the region.
Uniting Asia Through Music
ASEAN-Korea orchestra brings together 52 traditional instruments from 11 nations
“I
t’s a musical journey across
Asia.”
That is how Ngo Tramy, a
musician from Vietnam, described the
“orchestra without borders” that per-
formed at the Jeju Convention Center
on Jeju Island to commemorate the
ASEAN-Korea Summit June 1 and 2.
Traditional sounds from across the
continent combined to create a literal
cross-cultural harmony to match the
strengthening threads of international
cooperation.
The ASEAN-Korea Traditional
Music Orchestra, consisting of 80 mem-
bers from 11 nations speaking a variety
of different languages, performed 12
pieces of folk music including “Kwaejin-
achingching” from Korea and “The Life
of Rice” from Thailand on 52 different
instruments.
No one could quite be sure what
these divergent instruments would
sound like played together. They includ-
ed the Korean daegeum bamboo flute
and stringed haegeum, the Malaysian
rebab fiddle and the Filipino tongal, a
wind instrument. From Indonesia came
the xylophone-like gambang, from Viet-
nam the dan tranh plucked zither, and
from Myanmar the saung (the “Burmese
harp” made famous in a story by Michio
Takeyama). The khloy flute arrived from
Cambodia and rounding out the Korean
contingent was the 12-stringed gaya-
geum.
The orchestra performed during the
two-day summit for heads of state from
seven countries including Korea, Viet-
nam, Cambodia and the Philippines.
“We were all curious about how the
instruments would sound. When played
together, it was amazing because they
sounded at once familiar and yet unfa-
miliar,” said Hong Jun-hui, a representa-
tive of the organizers. The story of the
orchestra begins in 2008, when the
Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism suggested to ASEAN member
nations the idea of using traditional
music to promote friendship and under-
standing across borders.
“Asian folk music has not been able
to adapt to shifting times and has been
pushed aside by Western popular music,”
said composer Park Bum-hoon, the co-
director of the orchestra. Park founded a
pioneering Asian music group, the
Orchestra Asia, in 1993. “Today, tradi-
tional music is used primarily in special
ceremonies or is performed for tour-
ists.”
Diplomacy
[JoongAng Ilbo]
But, he says, it is time for traditional
music to take its rightful place on the
world stage. “Asian music has unique
features with historical significance, art-
istry and popularity. It in no way lags
behind Western music.”
But putting together such a diverse
orchestra wasn’t easy, with organizers
working long hours to recruit perform-
ers and the musicians themselves prac-
ticing for more than 10 hours a day dur-
ing their paltry rehearsal time.
“It’s a once in a lifetime thing,” says
Anant Narkkong, a musician and com-
poser from Thailand who studies ethno-
musicology. Though performers from
different countries and backgrounds
mean different ways of thinking about
music, Narkkong says overcoming these
differences is what life’s all about. “Music
is a harmonic connection between all
living beings.”
And the story won’t end here, with
the ASEAN-Korea Traditional Music
Orchestra set to perform at the Asia Cul-
ture Complex when it opens in Gwangju
in 2012. The complex will be the anchor
of the Hub City of Asian Culture, a gov-
ernment-sponsored project designed to
provide a focal point for pan-Asian cul-
tural exchange. By Lee Eun-joo
July 2009 korea 19

Aid from Korea Wins Thanks
T
he handful of Korean compa-
nies that operate in Mexico have
never been more grateful to the
government of their mother
country. When the Influenza A H1N1
scare prompted many panicked coun-
tries to halt all flights in and out of Mex-
ico and even quarantine Mexicans enter-
ing their territory, the Korean govern-
ment immediately reached out to help
the stricken country. After the flu hit in
early May, Seoul offered emergency aid
worth $500,000 to help it cope with the
public health crisis. This move impressed
the government and people in Mexico so
much that Korean entrepreneurs operat-
ing in the country say their local busi-
ness partners have expressed gratitude
for Korea’s aid efforts, leading to better
relations with the locals. Meanwhile,
Korean expatriates in Mexico stress that
now is the best time for them to forge a
closer relationship with the local busi-
ness community and improve the repu-
tation of Korean companies.
According to officials at the Korea
Trade Investment Promotion Agency
branch in Mexico City, many Mexicans
applaud Korea’s latest aid efforts, with
such words as “Korea is a country of
20 korea July 2009
gentlemen.” Such gratitude is rarely
expressed to Korean companies operat-
ing in Mexico. Rather, they have often
been criticized for giving little back to
the community.
The help from Korea came in the
form emergency aid packages, including
10 refrigerators for storage of blood
packs, 500 pairs of gloves and countless
masks, waste bags for contaminated
items and ear thermometers, which
made headlines in Mexico for days.
Some 50 Mexican reporters crowded the
cargo terminal with their camera crews
at Benito Juarez International Airport
on May 6 to cover the arrival of the items
and to interview Korean Ambassador to
Mexico Cho Hwan-bok, who went out
to check the items flown from Korea and
later handed them over to Mexico’s Dep-
uty Foreign Minister Maria de Lourdes
Aranda Bezaury.
“The Korean government will active-
ly support the Mexican government and
the Mexican people in order for the
world to cooperate based on science and
solidarity rather than disintegrate in the
face of this global health crisis,” said
Cho.
The news gave Korea an image boost
A man stands in front of a thermal camera
set up to screen outgoing passengers for in-
fluenza at the international airport in Mexico
City June 10.
at a time when many other countries had
quickly turned their backs on Mexico at
the news of the epidemic. In other Asian
countries, Mexican travelers were often
quarantined indiscriminately at local
hotels and hospitals for days, while some
nations’ negotiations for visa waiver pro-
grams with Mexico suddenly came to a
grinding halt.
Even fellow Latin American coun-
tries offered little solace during one of
the biggest public health crises in Mexi-
can history. After the outbreak of the flu,
many of the country’s neighbors were
among the first to stop all of their flights
in and out of Mexico.
“Mexicans felt very disappointed
and shocked when their so-called ‘broth-
er countries’ turned their backs on Mex-
ico,” said Park Dong-hyung, KOTRA’s
Korea Business Center director in Mex-
ico City.
Park said Seoul’s well-timed aid
efforts helped improve Korea’s image
among ordinary Mexicans a great deal.
Even Mexican President Felipe Cal-
deron publicly expressed his gratitude
for Korea’s aid packages. Calderon, dur-
ing his May visit to Torreón in Coahuila
state, said the swift aid efforts of the
Global Korea
A boy wearing a face mask as a precaution
against the flu rides the subway in Mexico
City June 11.
[AP]
from Stricken Mexican Public
Korean and U.S. governments were very ico last month, Korean Vice Foreign and infrastructure. Mexico has also
mature diplomatic actions that exem- Minister Kwon Jong-rak met with his expressed a keen interest in taking part,
plify their goodwill towards Mexico. counterpart, Aranda, who again at Korea’s request, in a series of upcom-
He also said that he hoped more of expressed deep gratitude for Korea’s ing events in Seoul aimed at strengthen-
the Mexican public would learn about contributions. The two discussed ways ing diplomatic relations with Latin
the two countries’ contributions. to deepen ties between their countries, American countries, including a confer-
“Our contribution can’t compare to including starting preliminary steps for ence for senior government officials to
the massive aid from China, but a lot of a Korea-Mexico free trade agreement. be held in October or November and a
Mexican officials are expressing their The two also discussed the establish- Latin American cultural festival to be
thanks for our pushing ahead with ment of direct flights between Korea held across Korea in July and August.
scheduled events and actively support- and Mexico, and deeper ties in energy By Jung Ha-won
ing the Mexican government without
being intimidated by the flu scare,” said
one Korean government official who
declined to be named.
As of early June, there were more
than 19,000 confirmed cases of the new
strain worldwide, and the virus was
responsible for 117 deaths, according to
the World Health Organization. Most of
the cases have been reported in the
United States, Mexico and Canada, but
Provided by Korea’s foreign ministry
Mexico has the most casualties, at about
100. Korea is no exception, as the coun-
try’s public health authorities have con-
firmed 42 cases of the flu so far, although
most of the patients have recovered and
no deaths have yet been reported.
Korea’s aid efforts certainly bore
diplomatic fruit. During a visit to Mex- A Korean doctor listens to a patient describe symptoms at his clinic in Mexico.
July 2009 korea 21

K
orea, one of the world’s biggest energy consumers,
is now making efforts to become a global leader of
green industry, building an eco-friendly economy
that conusmes less energy and emits less carbon.
At the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit held on
the resort island of Jeju in early June, President Lee Myung-
bak emphasized that his country and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations need to make joint efforts to fight
climate change, particularly in the areas of renewable energy
and eco-friendly technology.
During the summit, leaders of ASEAN member nations
praised Korea’s efforts to support green growth in East Asia,
such as the East Asia Climate Partnership, which the Lee
administration announced last year at the G8 Summit. Under
the partnership, Korea will invest $200 million over the next
five years in projects to help Southeast Asia’s emerging econ-
omies reduce their emissions of carbon and other greenhouse
gases known to contribute to global warming.
On the eve of the summit the Green Growth Exhibition
was held in Jeju. Some 30 businesses from Korea and South-
Korea hopes the Jindo Uldolmak Tidal Power Plant will be the world’s
largest when its expansion is complete. [JoongAng Ilbo]
22 korea
22 korea July
July 2009
2009
east Asia participated in the exhibition, which took the theme,
“Green Growth, Green Asia.”
The exhibition included 27 displays including one on
polysilicon, a key component of solar photovoltaic cells, and
a replica of a “smart grid” electrical delivery system.
At a forum held alongside the ASEAN Summit, business
leaders met and agreed that one of the big challenges compa-
nies face today is striking a balance between economic com-
petitiveness and environmental sustainability.
Angela Cropper, deputy executive director of the United
Nations Environment Programme, mused, “We realize that
economies based on the burning of carbon-emitting fossil
fuels have powered economic growth over the past 50 years
at a huge cost to the environment, the ecosystems and the
natural capital that form the very basis of wealth creation and
human security.”
Since Korea imports almost all of its fossil fuels, develop-
ment of alternative, renewable energy is vital here not only for
the environment’s sake but also for the sake of stable eco-
nomic growth. As part of those efforts, Korea completed the
Jindo Uldolmok Tidal Power Plant, the first of its kind here,
on an island in South Jeolla in May. The plant will initially
generate enough electricity to power 430 households.
About 12.5 billion won ($9.9 million) was spent to build
it, and all the technologies it uses were locally developed.
Uldolmok, the setting for a famous sea battle between
Korea and Japan during the Joseon Dynasty period (1392-
1910), is known for its swift tides. Thirteen ships led by Admi-
ral Yi Sun-sin defeated some 330 Japanese ships here during
the 1592-98 Imjin War, partly helped by smart use of the fast
currents, according to historical documents in Korea.
The Uldolmok Tidal Power Plant, which makes use of
these same currents, will see its capacity expanded by 2013 to
provide electricity for around 46,000 households, according
to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs. The
expanded plant will have a 90-megawatt capacity, compared
to 1 megawatt at present, the ministry said.
When the expansion is complete, it will be the world’s
biggest tidal power plant, according to the Land Ministry, and
it will save Korea 200,000 barrels of crude oil every year.
quote
Harnessing Mother Nature
to Power Korea’s Future
Renewable energy, eco-friendly autos and a national bike path system
are just the beginning of the country’s path to green leadership
Green Growth
The government wants the plant to help Korea achieve its
goal of generating 5,260 gigawatt hours of electricity from
tidal power by 2020. The ministry is also conducting feasibil-
ity surveys in the sea near Jindo on sites for two additional
tidal power plants.
“Low-carbon green growth is a solution to the fast deple-
tion of fossil fuel energy and climate change,” said Vice Land
Minister Choi Jang-hyun at the completion ceremony for the
Uldolmok plant in May. “That’s the reason we are focused on
the development of the sea, which is rich in renewable energy
sources.”
According to some Land Ministry officials, the U.S.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has asked
to partner with Korea on tidal power technology. Korea is also
set to roll out its first wave power plant, with a 25.4-kilowatt
capacity, in Sihwa, Gyeonggi, by the second half of next year.
The country is even speeding up development of new
technologies for solar power, a classic example of renewable
energy. A team led by Lee Kwang-hee at the Gwangju Institute
of Science and Technology said in April that it had created a
July 2009 korea
July 2009 korea 23
23

highly efficient plastic-based power cell.
According to the team, the cell is
designed to mimic the photosynthesis
of plants, and reached an unprecedented
efficiency of 6.2 percent.
“This is the world’s highest number
ever reached by any single-layer plastic,
organic photovoltaic solar cell,” Lee said.
“It will greatly help commercialize pow-
er generation using sunlight.”
Though energy think tanks such as
Lux Research have warned since early
2008 that the “solar bubble” would burst
this year, with supply far exceeding
demand, they also say that those with a
higher level of technology will survive,
making higher margins.
Another alternative energy is hydro-
gen fuel cells, which produce electricity
using hydrogen and oxygen. Fuel cells
can be applied in individual vehicles or
huge power plants. Installed in homes
and buildings, they produce heat and
power directly where they are needed,
avoiding the energy loss that occurs
during transmission from power plants.
They also cause lower carbon dioxide
emissions than thermal power.
POSCO Power, an affiliate of POS-
CO, the world’s fourth biggest steelmak-
er, and the Seoul Metropolitan Govern-
ment opened a new 2.4-megawatt
hydrogen fuel cell power plant in
Nowon, northern Seoul, in May. They
24 korea July 2009
A bike rental jointly invested 15 billion won in the development of
the plant, the first in the country. It can generate
offering tax breaks of up to 3.1 million
won on new hybrids. The benefits are
program like enough power to supply 3,200 households with elec- expected to be available from this July
Paris’s Vélib’ tricity and 1,000 households with heat.
Such eco-friendly projects were also discussed at
until December 2010, officials said.
The benefits will come just in time
will let citizens the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in Seoul in mid- for Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia
borrow bikes May. There, municipal leaders from across the globe
mapped out strategies to combat climate change.
Motors Corp. to release the first locally-
developed hybrids. The former is unveil-
at automated Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said in the sum- ing a hybrid sedan that runs on liquid
stations. mit’s keynote speech, “We know that if we don’t reduce
greenhouse gases by somewhere [around] 80 percent
petroleum gas, the Hyundai Avante, in
July, while a hybrid from Kia will hit the
by 2050, bad things are going to happen.” market two months later.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “Climate change is They will compete with Toyota
already an undeniable phenomenon. Depending on Motor’s Prius, the world’s first and best-
how we deal with it, it could turn into a disaster that selling hybrid model, which will be
will destroy us, or an opportunity that will take human introduced in Korea in October.
civilization to the next level.” Meanwhile, LG Chem Ltd. broke
Before the opening of the summit, the Seoul Met- ground last month on Korea’s first elec-
ropolitan Government and the Clinton Foundation’s tric-car battery plant at the Ochang Sci-
Clinton Climate Initiative signed a memorandum of entific Industrial Complex in North
understanding called the Climate Positive Develop- Chungcheong. Construction began
ment Program. The program supports the develop- after LG Chem earlier this year signed
ment of large-scale urban projects that demonstrate an agreement with General Motors to
cities can grow and reduce greenhouse gas emissions supply batteries for the U.S. automaker’s
at the same time. Sixteen cities in 10 countries have plug-in vehicle the Chevrolet Volt. The
either signed or plan to sign on to the CPDP. Korean company will also provide bat-
Seoul hopes to turn the Magok area into an “eco- teries for hybrids to Hyundai and Kia.
town” with minimal emissions by using fuel cells. The The production line should go
Korean capital already pledged in 2007 to become a online by next year, and LG Chem plans
greener city by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by to invest 1 trillion won until 2013 to turn
25 percent and energy use by 15 percent. Ochang into the center of the world’s
But what about vehicles, sometimes considered the next-generation battery industry.
main culprits of air pollution? The Korean govern- But it’s not just cutting-edge tech-
ment is trying to encourage consumers to go green by nology that’s helping Korea go green.
Korea’s also looking back at what was
once regarded as an antiquated means
of transportation here: the bicycle.
The Ministry of Public Administra-
tion and Security plans to spend more
than 1.25 trillion won by 2018 to create
a nationwide bike path network. To pro-
tect the safety of bicyclists, more roads
will have speed limits under 30 kilome-
ters per hour, and the length of exclusive
bike lanes will increase from 9,170 kilo-
meters nationwide to 17,600 by 2012.
A public bicycle rental program,
modeled after Changwon, South
Gyeongsang’s “Nubija” program, will be
introduced to provide ready access to
bikes across the country.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
The Nubija program is the Korean
version of Paris’s Vélib’, which allows-
subscribers to take bikes from one auto-
Left, President Lee Myung-bak leads a pack of bicyclists. Above, a user rents a bicycle from a mated station, using a card, and return
station in Changwon’s Nubija program. them to any other station. Nubija, which
Green Growth
Korea plans to overcome its dependence
on imported fossil fuels with advanced
solar power and fuel cell technology and
conservationist policies.
started in October 2008, now has more than 3,000
users a day, with over 7,700 subscribers as of May 10.
“To encourage people who hesitate to take a bicycle
because they believe them to be dangerous, our city
took out bicycle insurance policies to cover all 500,000
of our citizens,” said Changwon Mayor Park Wan-su.
Encouraged by Changwon’s success, the central
government aims to increase the percentage of people
who use bicycles for transportation nationwide from
the current 1.2 percent to 5 percent, and to raise bike
ownership from 16.6 percent to 30 percent by 2012.
In Changwon, 7 percent of peoples are bicycle rid-
ers, but that’s expected to rise to 20 percent by 2020.
The central government will also designate eight
areas as pilot zones for a “U-bike” program, which will
link bicycles and other forms of public transportation.
That initiative will involve discounted public transpor-
tation fares when riders transfer from bicycles.
Han Seok-kyoo, director of regional development
policy at the Ministry of Public Administration and
Security, said the ultimate goal is “to enable a journey
across the nation by using a single card to transfer
between bicycles and buses.”
The Ministry of Knowledge and Economy said in
May that it will establish a high-tech bicycle research
and development network in Daedeok, South Chun-
gcheong.
And manufacturing complexes exclusively for
bicycle parts and materials will also be erected in Sun-
cheon, South Jeolla, and Yeongcheon, North Gyeong-
sang. The complexes in Suncheon and Yeongcheon
LG Chem will specialize in new materials and parts to make
bicycles lighter and stronger.
hopes to build President Lee recently said about the program,
the hub of the “Korea was a latecomer in automobile manufacturing,
but after 20 years Korea has become one of the world’s
world’s next-
top five auto manufacturing countries. Korea may be
gen battery depending mostly on imported bicycles, but in fewer
than five years Korea will likely be one of the three
industry right major bicycle countries in the world.”
here in Korea. By Koh So-young
July 2009 korea 25

Mounted Warriors of Legend
Revealed in Ancient Tomb
T
he warriors’ bones have long since
decayed into dust. But the armor that
protected them from the enemy’s
swords and arrows has survived, and
now, 1,600 years later, it has been unearthed.
This unique find sheds light for the first time
on the cavalry of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. - A.D.
935), a favorite subject of Korean folklore, fiction
and art. Though not quite as impressive in scale as
the terracotta warriors of ancient China, it is cer-
tainly comparable in magnitude for Korean
archaeology.
The sets of armor, believed to have been used
during the fifth century, were discovered in a
tomb in Hwango-dong, Jjoksaem District in
Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang. Jjoksaem has the
largest concentration of ancient Silla tombs.
It is the first time such a vast array of cavalry
armor from the Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C.
- 668 A.D.) has been found in decent condition.
That era refers to the time when three separate
regimes, Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, dominated
the country.
In June, archeologists at the Gyeongju Nation-
al Research Institute of Cultural Heritage opened
the site to the public. The relics on display includ-
ed scale armor, horse armor and harnesses.
“It’s the first discovery that confirms the exis-
tence of Silla’s heavily armed cavalrymen,” said
Lee Geon-mu, head of Korea’s Cultural Heritage
Administration. “[These] provide an important
clue as to how Silla adopted the use of heavily
armed cavalrymen from Goguryeo and used them
to beef up its national defense capabilities to the
extent that it later conquered Goguryeo and
Scale armor from the fifth Baekje and ushered in Korean unification.”
century was recently un- Silla conquered Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo
earthed in Gyeongju, North in 668. Thereafter, Unified Silla occupied most of
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Gyeongsang, the first such the Korean Peninsula. The capital of Silla was
discovery in Korea. Gyeongju, and a significant number of the king-
dom’s tombs can still be found in the city. In 2000,
26 korea July 2009
Culture
the area was registered as a UNESCO Stunned archae- scale armor on top of that.
World Heritage site.
In the academic world, the surprise ologists discover,
“It seems the bodies were laid on top of the sets of
armor,” said Ji Byeong-mok, the director of the
find is a breathtaking breakthrough for the first time, Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural
that solves a decades-old mystery.
Archeologists at the Gyeongju
institute dug up some horse armor in
ancient horse
and scale armor
Heritage. “This arrangement flattened the armor.”
Ji and the archeologists surmise that if the dead
had been buried wearing their armor, or if the armor
Haman County, South Gyeongsang in had been laid on top, it would have been uncovered
1992, and have found plain metal from the 5th in an uneven fashion, due to the variable decay of the
armor as well. But they have never been century, solving bodies and wood.
able to recover scale armors except in Once the institute completes the excavation, it
a mystery that
tiny pieces, presumed to be simple plans to preserve and exhibit some of the findings.
accessories. had dogged But their work in Jjoksaem is anything but over.
Scale armor was made by intricate- The 384,000-square-meter area, full of relics from
ly connecting hundreds of small metal Korean histori- Silla’s royal families, is still an untapped treasure
pieces. It is much easier for warriors to ans. trove. The area was damaged when people began
move in than ordinary plate armor. building houses there in the 1960s, but in 2002 the
Korean historians were aware that Cultural Heritage Administration purchased the
their ancestors used scale armor dur- area, and began its excavation in 2007.
ing the Three Kingdoms period based The archeologists have also recovered about 150
on murals from the era, but without tombs and 3,000 relics including golden jewelry and
any hard evidence they could only saddles.
guess as to what it might have looked The city of Gyeongju hopes to develop Jjoksaem
like. into a public park for ancient tombs. It’s expected to
One reason this armor was so hard take at least 20 more years to finish the investigation
to come by for such a long time was the into the area. By Kim Hyung-eun
burial traditions of the time.
“In Goguryeo it was customary to
leave the belongings of the dead out-
side the tombs so that passers-by would
take them. This tradition made it
extremely hard to preserve those rel-
ics,” said Lee of the Cultural Heritage
Administration.
“Scale armor is known to have been
used in other countries like China, but
it only existed in rock paintings here
and we never actually saw it,” he
explained.
The site where the collection of
armor was found, dubbed Tomb C10,
showed all the typical characteristics of
early Silla tombs, with a coffin where
the body was laid and next to it anoth-
er box where the belongings to the
dead were kept. The coffin and the box
were made of wood, and placed in a pit
dug to fit.
It was in the coffin, which measures
440 centimeters long and 220 centime-
ters wide, that the archeologists found The existence of the heavily armed Silla Dynasty cavalrymen, which have such a hold on Ko-
the armor, horse armor at the bottom, rean folklore, was previously known only from paintings like this one.
July 2009 korea 27

Korean Wave Engulfs Theatre
Japanese actors perform in the Japanese version of the Korean musical “Singing in the Rain,”
more widely known as “Sabita.”
I
n the early evening on the second
Saturday of June, the lobby of
Chungmu Art Hall in Jung Dis-
trict, central Seoul, was packed
with hundreds of people, all eager to see
“The Three Musketeers,” a Korean
adaptation of the Czech musical.
But there was something unusual
about this audience for this famous sto-
ry, which recounts the adventures of
d’Artagnan as he becomes a guard of the
musketeers - many of the seats were
filled by Japanese women.
And they didn’t look like residents,
either. Did they just happen to be in
Seoul and decide to drop by? No. In fact,
they were here for the cast.
“I’ve been a fan of Shin Sung-woo
since 2005, and I’m here just to see him
performing in the musical,” said Masako
Arakawa, 39, referring to the famous
Korean singer-actor who appeared as
Athos in the play.
“Though it is a musical all in Korean
28 korea July 2009
and I don’t understand Korean, it doesn’t
matter if only I can see him and his per-
formance,” she effused.
Masako and her four companions,
all around her age, introduced them-
selves as members of Shin’s fan club in
Japan, and said they came to Seoul on a
four-day tour to attend his performanc-
es on Friday and Saturday. In fact, many
of Shin’s fans make the trip from Tokyo
regularly to see the show, the group
said.
But Shin has a rival for the affections
of Japan’s middle-aged ladies in Park
Geon-heong, another Korean actor
starring in the musical whom another
group of Japanese women in their 30s
was there to see.
“It costs about 40,000 yen (500,000
won) to make this trip to Seoul, but I
don’t regret spending the money at all,”
said a woman who identified herself
only as Tomoko, and confessed that this
is already the fifth time she’s seen the
pare pamphlets in foreign languages -
English and Japanese - which include a
more detailed synopsis of the play so
that they can have advance knowledge
of the piece and enjoy it despite language
barriers,” said Yu Seung-jeong, a man-
ager at M Musical Company, which pro-
duces “The Three Musketeers.”
“The Three Musketeers is a well-
known story, so the language barrier
does not seem to be as high,” she add-
ed.
According to Yu, the solid fan base
of Korean singers and actors seems to
play a key role in boosting the popular-
ity of their shows.
“Shin Sung-woo has a large number
Provided by M Musical Company
of Japanese fans due to his long singing
career in Japan, while Park Geon-heong
is also a rising Hallyu star with the airing
of his TV dramas in Japan,” Yu said.
Yu said the M Musical Company
even decided to subtitle another of its
famous musicals, “Singing in the Rain,”
better known in its Korean incarnation
as “Sabita,” in Japanese and English
show. because of “the increasing number of
“I understand little Korean, but I just foreign viewers.”
enjoy watching Park’s performances. “The musical’s popularity among
Korean actors, including Park, act so Japanese in particular can be attributed
well that I hardly have any difficulty fol- to its presentation previously in Japan,”
lowing the story even though it is nar- Yu said.
rated only in Korean,” Tomoko said, In fact, “Sabita” is something of a bi-
adding that she had already seen other cultural marvel. M licensed the musical
Korean musicals, including “Dracula,” to Japanese entertainment behemoth
“On Air” and “The 200-Pound Beauty.” Toho Co. in 2007, with Japanese actors
They may disagree on their idols, performing on the original Korean sets
but these groups do have in common an with just a few changes. It was the first
infatuation with the “Korean Wave,” or time Japanese actors had performed a
Hallyu in Korean, that developed after Japanese version of a Korean musical.
they saw the hit 2002 TV drama “Winter Toho premiered the show last July at
Sonata,” starring Bae Yong-joon, the Toramo, a theater in Tokyo.
breakout star whose popularity in Japan “It was a success,” Yu said. “We had
earned him the vernacular pet name almost a full house, though it was a
“Yon-sama.” small theater with about 250 seats. And
“As far as we know, a number of it is now expected to make a tour of
Japanese tourists who come to see Kore- Japan next year, which reflects its popu-
an performances have some knowledge larity in that country.”
of Korean. However, for foreign viewers Japanese spectators on Hallyu “expe-
who may lack Korean skills, we also pre- ditions” book seats at performances in
Culture
Korea through several different methods. A Web site
Despite the called “Seoul-Navi” is a well-known spot for Japanese
language who visit Korea, and local tourist agencies are now
jumping on the Hallyu bandwagon, coming up with
barrier, more package tours that include concerts or performances
Japanese fans here.
The Chungmu Art Hall, which hosts a variety of
are making the performances including the open run of The Three
trip to Seoul to Musketeers and concerts starring famous Korean sing-
ers, confirmed that it has received e-mails from a num-
see their favorite ber of Japanese fans booking seats for themselves.
stars in musicals “We are currently holding a series of concerts titled
‘Stars on Stage’ featuring 12 K-pop singers, including
and concerts. Kim Tae-woo and Son Ho-young, both of whom came
of the idol group G.O.D., and many e-mails [from
Japanese fans] ask how they can get an advance ticket
for Son’s performance,” said Shin Ye-jin, a manager in
charge of planning performances at the venue. “And
there were not only individual reservations, but also
group reservations where a tourist agency reserved
dozens of seats in advance for a group of Japanese
visitors.”
Shin added, “In Son’s case, about 5 percent of all the
320 seats, that is 20-30 seats, for each of his seven con-
certs have already been reserved by Japanese fans, the
majority of whom are regulars rather than one-time
visitors.
“It is interesting now that not only non-verbal per-
formances such as Nanta and Jump, which are free
from language barriers, but those with Korean actors
speaking only in Korean are drawing more foreign
viewers.” By Park Sun-young
[JoongAng Ilbo]
A group of Japanese women from Korean actor Shin Sung-woo’s fan club in Japan pose in
front of the poster for the musical “The Three Musketeers,” starring Shin, at the Chungmu
Art Hall in central Seoul.
July 2009 korea 29

Preserving Korean Tradition,
But Fighting For Modernity
T
he offices of the Space Group,
an architectural firm, occupy
a landmark building. In fact,
it’s two buildings in one — an
older, ivy-covered red brick structure
designed by the firm’s founder, Kim
Swoo-geun (1931-1986), one of Korea’s
top 20th-century architects, and a more
modern edifice of glass, concrete and
steel designed by Chang Sea-yang (1947-
1996), the firm’s second head. In the
center courtyard stands a small hanok,
or traditional Korean house.
At first glance, the headquarters look
as though they have traveled through
time. That’s appropriate, since the Space
Group itself is a big part of Korean archi-
tectural history. The firm was involved
in shaping Seoul’s urban landscape,
30 korea July 2009
from high-profile projects like the Olympic Stadium in
Songpa District to the Seoul Central Post Office build-
ing in Chungmuro, central Seoul.
The witness to this history is the Space monthly
magazine, the country’s leading architectural journal,
which publishes its 500th issue in July. Since Kim
launched the magazine in November 1966 under the
name “Gonggan,” or “space” in Korean, it has made
invaluable contributions to Korean culture.
Kim described Gonggan’s mission thus: “We need
to make a record of fading traces of culture.” So the
The firm’s magazine initially covered not only architecture but
founder hoped also art, dance, theater and music. It was the first such
general arts magazine in the country.
to create ‘a Gonggan was the first publication in Korea to cov-
record of er the video artist Paik Nam-june and the dancer and
choreographer Hong Sin-ja, and the first to give seri-
fading traces ous consideration to samulnori, the traditional percus-
of culture.’ sion ensemble associated with Korean farming com-
The modern headquarters
of the Space Group in
Wonseo-dong, Jongno
[JoongAng Ilbo]
District, central Seoul, is
brightly lit at night.
Culture
munities.
The Space Theater, located in the basement of the
firm’s headquarters, was a companion to the magazine,
giving a forum to artists it had introduced in print. Paik
presented his work here in 1974, and the magazine
released a special report on Paik’s video art in the July 1982
issue.
This was the first venue for Kong Ok-jin’s dance and
for Kim Deok-su’s samulnori.
“Breaking down genre barriers is a common theme
these days, but at that time, the magazine’s attitude was
something unprecedented and very progressive,” said
Park Gil-ryong, a former editor of Space and professor of
architecture at Kookmin University.
The magazine also had an important social agenda. In
December 1979, it proposed making the Demilitarized
Zone a natural preservation area. It criticized the Park
Chung Hee administration’s authoritarian architectural
policy in the late 1970s and disapproved of the construc-
tion of a hotel in front of City Hall.
Beginning with the July 1994 issue, the magazine
included articles in both Korean and English. In mid-
1997, it narrowed its focus to architecture, offering a place
for domestic and foreign architects to express their views.
That same year, the magazine adopted its English-lan-
guage name.
“We concluded that it was more meaningful to do
something that not everyone can do or does, so we turned
it into an architectural magazine,” said Lee Sang-leem,
current chairman of the Space Group. “Now, we focus on
promoting Korean architecture and architects around the
world.”
To mark the 500th issue, the Space Group is holding
special events in front of its headquarters on July 7. Just as
the group tried to incorporate traditional images into
modern Korean architecture, these ceremonies aim to
integrate the past, present and future.
In a solo pantomime performance, folklorist Sim
Woo-sung will use paper dolls to portray the lives of the
people who once lived in the area near the Space head-
quarters. After that, Tacit Group, a multimedia perfor-
mance group that plays synthesizers, will present a work Top, sample covers of Gonggan (later Space) magazine. Cen-
using computer-generated images projected on the wall ter above, Space Group’s old ivy-covered headquarters were
of the new headquarters building. designed by its founder, Kim Swoo-guen. Above, an old pho-
By Limb Jae-un to documents the first poetry reading at the Space Theater.
July 2009 korea 31

Strong illumination raises contrast on
the third floor. The one in the front
is a celadon flowerpot. Those in the
back are celadon bottles.
Provided by Horim Art center
Exquisite Relics
of a Kingdom
Now Long Lost
Goryeo’s celadon artifacts on display
include pots, plates and even drums
32 korea July 2009
G
oryeo celadon, the first
kind of porcelain devel-
oped by Koreans, has been
praised for its unique
beauty, often characterized by intricate
inlays and jade-green hues.
The inlay technique, called sang-
gam, is not only celebrated in Korea, but
also in China, where porcelain is gener-
ally believed to have originated.
You can now get your fill of Goryeo
celadon at the Horim Art Center, which
is hosting a large exhibition displaying
200 such works.
A highlight of the exhibit is the “Cel-
adon Jar,” which is the biggest piece of
Goryeo celadon ever shown to the pub-
lic. It measures 48 centimeters (18.9
inches) high and has a diameter of 50
centimeters. It is also the first time this
particular piece of celadon has been put
on display for the public.
“There are few Goryeo celadon
pieces as big as this one,” said Yu Jin-
hyeon, curator of the exhibition.
Another notable piece is the “Celadon
Gourd-shaped Lidded Ewer” from the
12th century Goryeo Dynasty — one of
six nationally recognized treasures on
display. The work, which is listed as
treasure No. 1540, is considered a typi-
cal example of jade-green celadon, both
in shape and color.
Another treasure — No. 1451, from
the 13th century — is the “Celadon
Bottle Table Ewer” created with the
famous inlaying technique.
“Scholars excavated Goryeo kilns
and they found only a small number of
inlaid celadon pieces,” Yu said.
“This shows that inlaid celadon was
rare and precious even in the Goryeo
Dynasty.”
The exhibit also shows celadon
inlaid with iron-rich clay drawings. The
clay was diluted with water and then
Top: Celadon bottle with inlaid chrysanthemum drawings. Black
surface is attributed to iron clay.
Bottom: Celadon jar, the biggest Goryeo celadon piece ever shown
to the public.
applied to the celadon with a brush.
Because of the high iron content, the
painted area turned black.
The exhibition shows that celadon
was used for a variety of purposes other
than serving food. There are celadon
drums, plates, tiles and poles, among
other types of pieces.
The Horim Art Center, located in
Sinsa-dong, Gangnam District, in
southern Seoul, is a branch of the Horim
Museum — which is one of the coun-
try’s three major private museums. The
other two are Gansong Art Museum
and the Leeum, Samsung Museum of
Art.
The art center is a site in itself, sur-
rounded by concrete layers that make it
look like a lotus in full bloom.
It is part of a 15-story office building
that looks like upside-down earthen-
ware, which has made it a landmark.
The tower has a metallic dark brown
Culture
tone and slit windows.
To enter the Horim Art Center, visi-
tors need to go through a dark corridor
with tiny lights sparkling on the ceiling.
The exhibition at the Horim Art Center
starts on the fourth floor. It opened on
June 24 and continues through Sept.
20.
The exhibit is open from 10:30 a.m.
to 6 p.m. every day except Sundays and
Chuseok holidays. It has extended hours
on Wednesdays, when it is open until 8
p.m. Guided tours are offered at 11 a.m.
and 3 p.m. Tours of the entire center are
offered at 3 p.m. Ticket prices range
from 5,000 won ($3.90) to 8,000 won.
Admission is free on the last Thursday
of each month. To get to the museum,
go to Gangnam-gu Office Station on
line No. 7, exit 3, and walk 10 minutes
south. For more information, call
02-541-3523 or visit www.horimmuse-
um.org. By Limb Jae-un
July 2009 korea 33

100 Years of Ups and Downs
K
orean comic books, or man-
hwa, have certainly come a
long way. Once viewed as
an evil distraction to Korea’s
young students, banned in schools and
even subject to book burnings in the
1970s, today they enjoy a huge fanbase
on their home soil, and they’re even one
of Korea’s key cultural exports — a
major player in the Korean Wave.
Korean manhwa have been licensed
or exported in countries including
Algeria, France, Japan, Germany, Thai-
land, China and the United States.
To commemorate the ups and
downs of Korean manhwa — and the
100th birthday of the art form in June
— the National Museum of Contempo-
34 korea July 2009
rary Art decided to organize an exhibi-
tion titled “100 Years of Korean Com-
ics.”
According to the museum, the exhi-
bition is the biggest ever to look back at
the history of the colorful entertain-
ment, with 1,500 pieces by 250 artists
including rarities such as the nation’s
first comic and others published in ear-
ly days of the 1930s and ’40s.
In addition, 60 manhwa-inspired
pieces by contemporary artists will be
on display as well. These offbeat works
borrow humor and wit from their cre-
ators’ childhood favorites. For example,
Seong Tae-jin’s Hunting Scene features
Taekwon V, a Korean fighting robot,
and parodies Suryeopdo, a depiction of
[JoongAng Ilbo]
a hunting scene during the Goguryeo
Kingdom (37 B.C. - A.D. 668) by insert-
ing the robot character into the Korean
classic.
“Today’s manhwa are more than
publications. They give inspiration to
diverse art genres and cultural content,”
said Lee Seung-mi, head of the educa-
tion and culture department at the
museum.
In fact, Korean manhwa has become
an important influence on many genres
of entertainment, including TV dramas
and films, in recent years.
The film rights to the manhwa Priest
by Hyung Min-woo have been sold to a
Hollywood studio for a live-action
adaptation, while other manhwa have
for Korean Manhwa Artists
been made into popular TV dramas
here at home. “Gung” or “Palace Story”
by Park So-hee is now available in 13
countries including Japan and Taiwan.
The exhibition touches upon man-
hwa history in three sections: The first
section starts from the very first satiri-
cal cartoon, published in the Daehan
Minbo, one of Korea’s first newspapers,
back in June 2, 1909, and moves for-
ward to modern manhwa, which are
easily accessible online.
In the second section, the different
genres of manhwa are explored, and the
third section shows how manhwa and
other artistic genres have fused with
one another.
Along with the exhibition, side
events such as a manhwa storytelling
session, a comic drawing demonstra-
tion and free screenings of animated
films will be available.
The exhibition runs through August
23 at the National Museum of Contem-
porary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi,
after which it will head to Jeju Island,
south of the peninsula, from September
5 to Oct. 31, at the Jeju Museum of Con-
temporary Art. For more information,
visit www.moca.go.kr or call (02) 2188-
6232.
Meanwhile, other manhwa-related
events are also being held in the capital,
such as the Seoul International Cartoon
and Animation Festival.
By Sung So-young
Culture
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Opposite: Clockwise from top left, rare
watercolors by Korean cartoonist Kim Sung-
hwan are displayed, the cast of the manhwa
Yeolhyeolgangho, and visitors to the exhibit
at the National Museum of Contemporary
Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. This page:
Clockwise from left, Hunting Scene by
Seong Tae-jin inserts the fighting robot
Taekwon V in an ancient Korean hunting
scene, children enjoy the exhibit. The hit
Palace Story by Park So-hee.“Untitled” by
Oh Young-won.
July 2009 korea 35

Exploring Neglected Corners
A
t the 53rd Venice Biennale,
Haegue Yang will become
the first woman to represent
Korea. And in her project for
the Korean pavilion, called Condensa-
tion, the artist explores private spaces
that might be considered marginal or
insignificant, and builds from them a
narrative of greater social meaning.
In her video essay, Yang uses light,
wind and scent to provoke nostalgia.
“Art is essentially about translating
agony,” says the Berlin-based Korean
installation artist. “Making art is about
seeing agony as a companion rather than
as something to overcome.”
It’s also the first time a non-Korean
national has served as Korean Pavilion
commissioner — Eungie Joo, curator of
the New Museum in New York. Conden-
sation fits into the biennale’s overall
theme, “Making Worlds,” curated by
Daniel Birnbaum, director of the Stae-
delschule international art academy in
Frankfurt. The main event will spotlight
artists from 77 countries.
The Korean exhibition comes in
three parts: sculpture, video and instal-
lation. Each reflects Yang’s concern with
the potential of marginalized spaces and
how the public can engage with them.
The video essay “Doubles and Halves
— Events with Nameless Neighbors”
forms the cornerstone. In it, Yang inte-
grates footage shot in the deteriorating
neighborhood of Ahyeon-dong in Seoul
where she used to live and the site of the
biennale itself, abandoned during the
off-season. Voices speak in three differ-
ent languages over the lingering traces
left by the residents and activities that
once occupied these sites.
This work is part of Yang’s continu-
ing attempt to create and add meaning
to her personal narrative and restore
authority to neglected subjects.
In “Sadong 30,” the artist’s installa-
tion from 2006, Yang used an abandoned
house that her grandmother used to live
36 korea July 2009
Korean Artist
Below, the installation artist
Haegue Yang (Seoul, 1971) received her B.F.A. from Seoul National Univer-
sity's Fine Arts College in 1994, and her Meisterschüler from Städelschule
Frankfurt am Main in 1999. Her works have been exhibited at many interna-
Haegue Yang is the first Ko-
rean woman invited to exhibit
at the Venice Biennale.
tional events including the Anyang Public Art Project 2007; BAK, basis voor
actuele kunst, Utrecht; the 55th Carnegie International, Pittsburgh; the Cubitt
Gallery, London; the Kunsthalle Hamburg; the Portikus; REDCAT, Los Angeles;
in on the outskirts of Seoul as the setting for her work. the 2006 Sao Paulo Biennial; the 2008 Turin Triennale; the Walker Art Center,
Yang demanded the active participation of her Minneapolis, and most recently at the Sala Rekalde, Bilbao, and the Power
audience, installing her work far away from downtown Plant in Toronto. Yang lives and works in Berlin and Seoul.
Seoul and providing maps and invitations with a pass-
word needed to gain entry. Inside, the artist added cer-
tain objects and left other traces of her grandmother’s
life behind, such as a mirror, origami, a lamp and a fan.
The work was unique in that the space was deeply per-
sonal to the artist, but it also conveyed a social memory
of the lives Seoul residents once lived.
In the second part of her exhibit at the Biennale,
called “Sallim,” which roughly translates as “running a
household,” Yang presents a full-scale reproduction of
her Berlin kitchen.
Influences that can be spotted in this work include
Martha Rosler’s “Semiotics of the Kitchen” (1975) and
other feminist artists of the 1960s and ’70s, who pro-
tested the low value placed on “women’s work.” By join-
ing Rosler, Yang explores potentially radical values in Above and below, through her installation Condensation, shown at the
the domestic sphere of the kitchen. The kitchen, lit by Venice Biennale, Haegue Yang explores hidden and marginal spaces, making
bare incandescent lights, generates the savory smell of viewers feel solitary, and ultimately vulnerable.
food in some places, but a rotting stench in others. Both
speak of everyday domestic nurturing.
“I believe that I have a particular tendency to per-
sonalize not only historical figures and events but also
machines and objects that are largely domestic,” Yang
said in a conversation with Joo, the show’s curator.
“There is something profoundly genuine about
household machines. They seem to me so dedicated
and committed to what they are supposed to do, which
moves me deeply.” Yang added, “I feel very close to
appliances, maybe even enough to be similar to them
in terms of attitudes, their silent presence, supportive-
ness, loyalty, understatement and substance.”
The last part of Condensation is “Series of Vulner-
able Arrangements? Voice and Wind,” a display of
Venetian blinds that stretch from the ceiling to the
ground. While the partitions define private spaces, they
‘There is also suggest the connection people have with the out-
something side world. A vent enhances the visual impact, adding
Provided by Yang Haegue, JoongAng Ilbo
movement, evoking a light, flowing dance. Scent emit-
profoundly ters infuse the work with sensuous moments.
genuine about “When I was pondering over the exhibition title, I
came across ‘condensation’ in my video essay,” Yang
household explained in a recent interview with the Korean news-
machines... I paper the JoongAng Ilbo. “It was the metaphorical con-
densation of a disposition in the hidden spaces and
feel very close marginal sites, making us feel solitary, seemingly inti-
to appliances.’ mate, but ultimately vulnerable.” By Park Soo-mee
July 2009 korea 37
 Korean Literature

Pushing Poetic Limits

Major works ‘Women still live under colonial conditions. Colonialism is

Poetry collections
From Yet Another Star
not merely a social condition, but a psychological factor.’
(Tto dareun beolaeseo, 1981)

My Father’s Scarecrow
(Abeojiga seiun heosuabi, 1985)

K
im Hye-soon (born 1955), who
Hell in a Certain Star
(Eoneu beolui jiok, 1987)
began writing poetry as a student of
Korean literature in college, credits
Seoul, My Upanishad Kim Su-yeong as her biggest influ-
(Naui upinishadeu, Seoul, 1994)
ence, the one who showed her what it means to
Poor Love Machine free oneself from the conventions of form. As a
(Bulssanghan sarang gigye, 1997) poet, Kim has endeavored to move beyond
Look, Calendar Factory Manager
restrictions, creating unique and unlikely imag-
(Dalyeok gongjangjangnim boseyo, 2000) ery by experimenting with language. Her writ-
ing progresses swiftly and often disfigures the
A Cup of Red Mirror
(Hanjanui bulggeun geoul, 2004)
accepted order of events, forcing the reader to
experience the world from a new perspective.
Kim defines poetry as “a method of reading
the world while living in it,” and uses not
Source: Korea Literature Translation Institute abstract ideas but the sensual body as the start-
ing point for her writing — particularly the
female body. Through her poetry she contem-
plates feminine modes of experience. With an
imagination worthy of fairytale, Kim breathes
new life into varieties of expression that were
perhaps suppressed by a patriarchal society.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Motherhood and womanhood, always “white”
in Kim’s work, suffer under male chauvinism
and patriarchal oppression, symbolized by the
color black.
Kim says, “Women still live under colonial
conditions. Colonialism is not merely a societal
condition, but a psychological factor engraved
into our DNA.”
In order to destroy this colonial mentality,
deeply entrenched in the female psyche, Kim
often utilizes exaggerated and bizarre images
distinguished by the color of blood, as in “red
baby,” “red embryonic fluid” and “red dew.”
By raising her voice in protest against the
violence and artificiality hidden under the
tranquil surface of social order, Kim urges us to
reevaluate our passive acceptance of the status
quo. The gravity of her message, however, is
often offset by her supple language, resulting in
the creation of an idealistic yet seductive poetic
world.

38 korea July
June2009
2009 July 2009 korea 39
 Korean Literature

Poor Love Machine Look, Calendar Factory Manager

(Bulssanghan sarang gigye) (Dalyeok gongjangjangnim boseyo)

This poetry collection
was awarded the Kim Su-
yeong Literature Prize in
1997. Seductive, torturous
and unsettling, the poems
collected in this volume take
ordinary objects from every-
day life and transform them
into entirely new and unfa-
miliar entities through
microscopic dissection and
selective magnification. In
particular, Kim explores the
subject of femininity and
female sexuality with daring
openness. In “Bright Rag”
the poet writes, “I want to lay
between the legs of women
carrying water jars/ I want to
lay between the legs of wom-
en who fill their jars from the
well down below / And carry
them on their heads up the
hillside / Women who draw
up the fresh nutrients from
deep in the earth … I want to
touch them between their The poems collected in all the calendar factories in would like to present this vol-
legs.” this volume make up the the world.” The calendar fac- ume of poetry.” The poet’s
Using these earthy imag- poet’s struggle with sterile tory manager is soon revealed hostility to the oppressive
es, Kim describes the female and corrupt city life. Noted to be God, the ultimate father figure is apparent in
sexual organs with vitality. for her ability to impress and embodiment of the father this foreword and continues
The impulse to “touch them move without descending figure: “To the one who made throughout the collection.
between their legs” expresses into sentimentality, Kim uti- day and night and steers this Mothers who toil their entire
the poet’s desire to affirm her lizes her childlike imagina- earth for all eternity / To the lives in suffocating domestic-
own womanhood and at the tion to explore the suffoca- father-manager who never ity and the fathers or the “cal-
same time is her attempt to tion and oppression that once neglected his duty of endar factory managers” who
interpret and embrace the afflict the female psyche. In supervising us / Us, the labor- impose this prison sentence
world through the bodies of the foreword, the poet ers caught in the cogs of time on their wives constitute the
women. addresses “the managers of in the world of numbers / I main focus of the collection.

Kim Hye-soon: A Poetics of Transformations

In the poem that bears the title of
Kim Hyesoon’s remarkable book Mom-
my Must be a Fountain of Feathers (ele-
gantly translated by Don Mee Choi),
motherhood blooms outward until the
private world of her children is trans-
formed into a vast feathered incubator:
“At mommy’s house, the floors are
also mommy, the dust that floats around
the rooms is also mommy, when you
open the door of mommy’s house I’m
under mommy’s feathers like an
unhatched egg.”
By blurring the lines between human
and animal consciousness and experi-
ence, Kim complicates the intimacy of
the private, often domestic space of
mothering by revealing how such spac-
es feed into a larger and often shock-
ingly violent historical or social machin-
ery.
“Uncle who lives next door and
checks the sex of the chicks killed all the
males and sent them to a food stall
where roasted sparrows are sold
All the female chicks were sent to a
boarding house
He says the female chicks will be
raised to be eaten later.”
Yet the aperture of the poem opens
exponentially wider to reveal the slight-
ness of these societal conditions in the
cosmic birth of all existence from with-
in mother.
“Beneath sleep there are stars that
have not hatched yet
Stars that call me desperately
Below the stars, far below
I, another mommy, have many
cold stars in my embrace”
From such assemblages of exqui-
sitely disjunctive images and narrative
swaths, shimmering shamanic, philo-
sophical, surreal, magical, and at times
brutally materialist portraits of a vast
samsara sea inhabited by countless sen-
tient beings in various forms of death
and rebirth appear on page after page.
While only some of the poems deal with
explicit Buddhist themes (“Why Can’t
We”), one finds oneself reaching for the
specific tone and breadth of Buddhism
to house Kim’s determination to chal-
lenge subject/object dichotomies,
inhabit and speak from non-human
forms of sentience, and continually
return her readers to the underlying flux
that results in our endless suffering.
While less than 100 pages in its Eng-
lish translation, it can be a difficult read,
because one wants to read nearly every
poem, to open up the bristling variety of
richly textured readings waiting within
each one.
The poem “A Hole,” for instance, is
a complex aggregate of feminist, corpo-
real, existential, and comical elements,
which collide to create an ambivalent
reading of “the hole” as orifice, genitalia,
suture, void, absence, epithet, and ori-
gin. The reader is taken around, through,
and back out of the paradoxical space of
the “hole” which shifts from absence to
presence depending upon the always-
changing position of the viewer. The
“hole” “makes good steamed rice,” has
“babies pop out of it” is indifferent, idi-
otic, open, frightened, made up, plea-
surable.
“The hole intensifies when it stays in
bed too long
In other words the hole becomes
deeper and deeper
When I get up in the morning I see
a mark on my pillow from the tears of
the hole.”
From transfigurations of dust mites
into microscopic kittens and kitchens
into infernos that conjures Ezra Pound’s
“Hell Cantos,” the poems within this vol-
ume return the reader again and again to
the sometimes sublime but often brutal
fact that we, like all animals, dwell within
transient, vulnerable bodies.
“I am my prison
I am my prisoner
My eyes are my prison’s guard posts
The pain that escapes my body
Is no longer pain
But I still want to step outside
The ribs tonight.”
These poems not only reveal how
dynamic and vital Korean poetry is
today, but the translation of this book
into English has enriched English poet-
ry as well, and will no doubt catalyze
greater interest in contemporary Kore-
an literature more broadly.
By Jonathan Stalling, assistant professor at
the University of Oklahoma and assistant edi-
tor of World Literature Today
A Hole
A hole walked in just as I was wiping off my makeup
I looked at the hole as I sat on the sofa and took off my stockings
The hole was about one meter and sixty centimeters wide
I hear the hole makes good steamed rice
and on some days babies pop out from it
However the hole isn’t certain whether someone is spitting into it or not
and even when a black cloud sits leaning against its thighs for decades
it doesn’t care
A fool, like a hell that keeps on walking
I poured left-over seaweed soup into the hole
Really the hole is nothing an idiot but it’s deep
When I took out my wisdom tooth a one-meter-and-sixty-centimeters-wide hole
opened up
However the problem is that a hole falls into the hole endlessly whenever it can
Where’s the hole’s end?
The hole remains a hole even if the water from all the ponds of the world is poured into it
Do people know that the hole puts on makeup?
That it cries when it is hit by lightning?
That a red tongue that detests the hole hides inside the hole’s mouth and kneads an ohohoh
sound?
The hole intensifies when it stays in bed too long
In other words the hole becomes deeper and deeper
When I get up in the morning I see a mark on my pillow
from the tears of the hole

40 korea July 2009 July 2009 korea 41

 Local Nuclear Technology
at Core of Energy Policy
Special
Series
A financial crisis is sweeping the
08 world, giving rise to fears of a global
economic depression. To overcome
New Growth Engine Industries
this global crisis, close cooperation
between countries is needed more
than ever before.
Beyond that, there is another
imminent global crisis that requires
the collaboration of the international
community: climate change. As part
of global efforts to reverse global
warming, the Korean government
has announced its green road map,
which is intended to cultivate new
growth engines by adopting low-
carbon green growth as the national
agenda.
On this green road map, nuclear
energy plays the core role. Nuclear
energy is a low-emission energy that
can greatly contribute to creating
jobs in many key industries. Nuclear
energy can lead to greener industry
and contribute to the recovery of the
domestic economy through the
export of plant construction tech-
nologies and the creation of related
jobs.
Korea’s nuclear technology has
advanced to the level where it can
export nuclear power plants on a
turnkey basis — involving the con-
struction and transfer of power
plants to the client in ready-to-use
condition. The local industry, led by
Korea Hydro Nuclear Power Co., is
endeavoring to export APR1400s,
advanced reactors developed by
42 korea July 2009
Korea.
The domestic industry is also
pushing ahead with the APR+ Tech-
nology Development Project, with
support from the Ministry of Knowl-
edge and Economy. The APR+ proj-
ect is designed to overcome export
constraints by localizing essential
designs and technologies for poten-
tial buyers. If this project is complet-
ed successfully, Korea will ultimately
be able to export nuclear power
plants on a turnkey basis.
Main issues
The strategic goal of the Lee
Myung-bak administration is to
maintain economic growth momen-
tum by developing renewable ener-
gies, that is, green, low-carbon ener-
gy sources. The new government
published its green road map, called
the National New Growth Engine,
on Aug. 22, 2008. The road map
includes various innovative pro-
grams to foster green growth until
2012, thereby developing the econo-
my and creating more jobs.
The national green growth
engine program selected nuclear
power as the most workable source
of renewable and low-carbon energy.
And by fostering the nuclear indus-
try as a key exporter, the Korean gov-
ernment will be able to contribute to
the development of the global econ-
omy and job creation across the
world.
Korea’s goal is to export nuclear plants on
a ‘turnkey’ basis — ready for immediate use.
The APR+ Technology Develop-
ment Project focuses mainly on
exporting homegrown nuclear pow-
er plant designs on a turnkey basis.
The project aims to advance Korea’s
existing nuclear technologies such as
essential design tools, nuclear plant
designs and construction and opera-
tion know-how to the level of major
nuclear vendors.
By introducing sophiscated and
competitive nuclear technologies to
the global market, Korea will be able
to contribute to the recovery of the
global economy.
The Korean government’s nucle-
ar technology development strategy,
called Nu-Tech2015, consists of two
main components. One concerns
the localization of key technologies
such as software for nuclear reactor
design, reactor coolant pumps and
man-machine interface systems.
The other component is the
APR+ Technology Development
Project, aimed at developing globally
marketable nuclear power plant
designs by making reactors safer and
more economically efficient. The
success of the APR+ project is essen-
tial for the success of the Nu-
Tech2015 strategy. If it succeeds,
Korea will be able to emerge as the
best nuclear reactor exporting coun-
try by 2015, when these technology Nuclear powerplant at Uljin,
development projects will bear Gyungbuk province.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
fruit.
The APR+ Technology Develo-
July 2009 korea 43
 Exporting nuclear plants requires concerted efforts
by government, industry and research institutes.
Special
Series
ment Project was launched on Aug.
08 1, 2007. It will lead to development
of a sort of Generation III+ reactor
New Growth Engine Industries
type, with improved safety and eco-
nomic efficiency. The project will be
carried out in three phases and com-
pleted by 2015. It will take a long
time for Korea to develop replace-
ment technologies for all the areas
on which Korea still relies on foreign
companies.
To attain its new green growth
vision, Korea is determined to exe-
cute its energy strategies and com-
plete development of proprietary
nuclear technology as soon as pos-
sible. By doing so, Korea will have
the capability to compete with for-
eign nuclear vendors in emerging
nuclear reactor markets.
This project is being promoted
nationally, with the joint participa-
tion of most of Korea’s nuclear-relat-
ed organizations under the leader-
ship of Korea Hydro and Nuclear
Power Co., Ltd. and with the active
support of the government.
The APR+ project will boost the
national economy and the export
capability of the domestic nuclear
industry. To achieve the goal of
exporting nuclear power plants, sup-
port from the government, indus-
tries, universities, and research insti-
tutes across the country is essential.
Major nuclear vendors, empowered
by advanced technology and nation-
al support, are striving to secure
44 korea July 2009
turnkey reactor export contracts in
emerging nuclear power markets.
It is possible to achieve the
national goal of exporting nuclear
reactors by 2015 only if each partici-
pant in the project — the govern-
ment, industries, universities and
research institutes countrywide —
does its best in performing its share
of the duties, bearing in mind that we
all must be dedicated to exporting
our own nuclear reactors.
The strategy of exporting nuclear
reactors should be set up at the gov-
ernment level. Formulating an
export plan by the Korean govern-
ment alone is good, but multilateral
cooperation based on a shared man-
agement philosophy will be much
better. It would be more efficient to
export reactors in cooperation with
foreign nuclear reactor vendors or
utilities, considering that each coun-
try has its own safety regulation and
inspection system. Therefore, the
future export plan should be formu-
lated through collaboration with for-
eign utility operators who know and
understand the business.
The strategy of exporting nuclear
reactors and the justifications for
local technology development were
described here briefly. It is not easy
to export reactors, which are part of
national infrastructure and are a
huge industry consisting of millions
of components. Exporting nuclear
power plants requires considerable
Hidden
Champions
From Casinos to Malls,
Kortex Is Everywhere
K
ortex, a display solution
company, holds the largest
time and concerted efforts by gov- share of the global market for
ernment, industry, universities and casino game displays.
research institutes. As a new growth The company was established in
engine, the nuclear industry will 1987 and is considered small, with only
revitalize the national economy and around 160 employees even now. In the
create high-end jobs. We hope read- beginning, it mainly manufactured
ers will understand that exporting computer monitors, but it began devel-
nuclear power plants is the first step oping TFT-LCD displays, touch screens
to an even bigger dream. and multimedia games in 1999.
Over 40 percent of Kortex’s sales
come from touch screens, with TFT-
LCD coming in second.
The firm may hold the top position
for gaming displays, but it has been
expanding into other areas, particularly
focusing investment on so-called digi-
tal information displays, or DIDs.
A DID is a large LCD monitor that
shows advertisements to customers at
department stores and other retail ven-
ues. In 2008, Kortex signed a contract
Kortex to supply DIDs to Japan’s NEC and
Huh Seong-chul The display firm is the world inked an OEM contract with Germa-
Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. leader in gaming displays. ny’s Loewe. Another deal, with Barco
from Belgium, was signed earlier this
Huh Seong-chul is manager of the nu- year.
clear technology team at Korea Hydro The revenue of Kortex’s DID divi-
and Nuclear Power Co. sion, which was 6 billion won (about $5
million) last year, is expected to shoot
Huh received his bachelor’s degree in up to more than 40 billion won in the
electrical engineering at Pusan National future.
University. The company also expects sales of
He received the Knowledge Economy medical monitors including those for
[Provided by HJC Helmet]
Minister’s Award in September in recog- ultrasound machines to increase 40
nition of his development of advanced percent this year. Kortex began devel-
electric technology. oping these products in 2005, and
signed a deal to supply them to Siemens
E-mail: seonghuh@khnp.co.kr
in March 2006.
Kortex has even been expanding
into education, developing electronic
blackboards, a high-tech industry the
government hopes to promote for
future growth.
With its diversified businesses and
aggressive marketing Kortex now has a
wide-ranging client list totaling 70
companies. One of its biggest custom-
ers is International Game Technology,
the world’s largest slot machine manu-
facturer. Kortex supplies 70 percent of
IGN’s displays.
The Korean manufacturer has two
overseas offices, one in the United
States, established in 2001, and the oth-
er, in Europe, opened a year later.
CEO Lee Dong-hun says the reason
behind the company’s success is its
competitiveness.
“Korea has the No. 1 spot in the
world in display competitiveness,” Lee
said. “Through aggressive investment
in research and development to pro-
duce top-quality products and differen-
tiated technology, we plan to grow into
a global company.”
Despite the economic downturn,
the company has enjoyed record per-
formance. Last year its revenue was
138.6 billion won with an operating
profit of 20.2 billion won, up from rev-
enue of 84.8 billion won and operating
profits of 7.3 billion won in 2007.
This year the company hopes to
achieve sales of over 160 billion won,
with an operating profit of 25 billion
won. By Lee Ho-jeong
July 2009 korea
July 2009 korea 45
45
 Science

One Small Step for Korea’s

Dream of Space Exploration

K
orea’s long held dream of free-
ly exploring the universe is
now one step closer as the
country’s first space launch
facility has officially opened Thursday
(June 11).
The Naro Space Center, located in
Goheung, 485 kilometers south of Seoul,
and covering 5.11 million square meters,
unveiled itself after nine years of con-
struction at a cost of 312 billion won
(US$248.6 million).
The vast center has a state-of-the-art
mission director center, launch and
flight safety control facilities, launch
pad, meteorological observatory and
both radar and optical tracking systems

to follow the trajectory of all rockets
launched.
With the establishment of the center,
Korea becomes the 13th member of the
so-called “space club” comprising coun-
tries that operate space centers and can
send satellites into orbit.
As of today, there are 26 space cen-
ters worldwide in 12 countries including
Russia, US, France, China and India.
The opening ceremony for the Naro
Space Center was held Thursday after-
noon attended by President Lee Myung-
bak, government officials and about
1,000 Goheung residents.
In a speech marking the opening of
the country’s first space center President
Lee said the Naro Space Center symbol-
izes the country’s bright future.
“Up until the last century, countries
[YONHAP]
[KPPA]
President Lee Myung-bak attending the opening ceremony for the Naro Space center tries to simu-
late facility.
gy and must become the world’s seventh largest space
developer within the decade.
The first domestic satellite launch from Korea’s soil
is scheduled on July 30.
President Lee Myung-bak (center) makes a fist with
researchers who will work at the Naro Space Center on
June 11.
The rocket called Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1
(KSLV-1) or Naro-1 is to be launched from to carry a
small scientific satellite into Earth’s orbit.
Following the successful launch of the KSLV-1,
‘In the 21st work is to begin on the construction of the KSLV-2 that
century, [the could be launched around 2018.
Although the KSLV-1 was built in cooperation with

Members of Korea’s young astro-
nauts club run in front of Korea’s
first space launch facility.
that controlled the sky and the sea led the
world, but in the 21st century, the ones
that advance into space will control the
world,” said President Lee.
He also added that Korea must step
up efforts to develop its space technolo-
countries] that Russia, the KSLV-1 will completely be made domesti-
cally without foreign assistance.
advance into Korea is also set to put efforts to send an unmanned
space will con- probe into the Moon’s orbit in 2020.
Korea has previously launched 10 satellites all from
trol the world.’ outside the country, mainly Russia. By Han Aran

46 korea July 2009 July 2009 korea 47


Boats await the competition a day prior to the
starting gun of the 2009 Korea Match Cup on
June 2.
Boat Race Nurtures
T
he International Boat Show was
a forum for industry insiders to
see the latest in boating and
marine technology firsthand,
but it was also a chance for curious visi-
tors to take a dip in the world of water
sports.
According to organizers, this year’s
event drew 250,000 visitors, 100,000
short of last year’s numbers and 150,000
behind their target. But it’d be hard to
48 korea July 2009
discern any drop in the mass of people
crowding the venues the day before
closing. Even families found ways to
stay entertained, with children trying
out the “kid bike” one-seat paddle boats
at the Jeongok Marina in Hwaseong,
Gyeonggi.
Plenty of other activities were also
available for visitors outdoors, includ-
ing canoes, kayaks and bumper boats.
Near the stately boats and yachts on
display, fashion shows, concerts and
other performances kept the atmo-
sphere upbeat on an outdoor stage.
The number of visitors from over-
seas fell short of 1 percent of the total at
about 2,000. The sluggish economy and
unstable relations between North and
South Korea were just two of the reasons
organizers cited for the decrease in
numbers, but the boat show continues
to showcase water sports to the public,
Local Water Sports
many of whom are not yet familiar with
them.
The companies that exhibited at the
show numbered 281 in total, with 115 of
them domestic and 166 foreign. That
was a 17-percent increase from last
year’s 240, with the number of foreign
companies that participated in the event
increasing by 37 percent.
The most interesting figure from the
show involved exports. The number of
contracts signed at the show to export
products from Korea rose 46 percent.
Despite the drop in attendance,
organizers were pleased with the event,
saying it did a good job of increasing
interest in boating and yachting, and
formed a solid step towards improving
Korea’s marine leisure industry.
Gyeonggi Province’s plans for the
future include completing a marine
industry complex in Hwaseong by 2012.
Sports
[NEWSIS ]
The complex will host retailers of boats
and yachts as well as service centers for
repairs. The all-in-one center in
Hwaseong is expected to solidify the
region’s efforts to make its mark as an
essential tourist stop to enjoy the waves
off Korea’s west coast. But the show
wasn’t the only exciting event to take
place on Korea’s waters in June. The
five-day Korea Match Cup came to a
climax on the same day as the show,
July 2009 korea 49
 Sports

show: June 7.
On the final day, Italy’s Paolo Cian of Team Shosholoza
defeated Britain’s Ian Williams and his Bahrain Team Pin-
dar. Cian, who cruised into the finals as the reigning Inter-
national Sailing Federation World Match Racing Tour
champion, lived up to his reputation against Williams, who
got there the hard way. Although Williams and his Bahrain
The Korea Match Cup is vital if
Korea is to overcome obstacles
to developing its marine leisure
industry.
Team Pindar had won the first Korea Match Cup last year,
the Italian crew, which ranked fourth then, topped the field
this year. It was sweet revenge for Cian, who lost the 2006-07
ISAF World Match Racing Tour semifinal to Williams.
A total of 12 teams from eight nations — France, Eng-
land, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden
and Korea — participated in the annual event. Cian and his
crew took home the 300 million won ($224,700) cash prize,
the highest among WMRT competitions.
A total of six America’s Cup teams entered the second
World Match Racing Tour held at the Jeongok Marina in
Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, heating up the competition over last
year. Some of the most recognizable names in the sport par-
ticipated, such as Sebastien Col of France, who took first
place last year, and Britain’s Ben Ainslie, along with Wil-
Coaxing Korea Into the Sea
liams; they were considered favorites heading into the five-
day competition.
The World Match Racing Tour is recognized by the ISAF
as a high-level competition, and it draws some of the top
teams in sailing. However, it’s not quite as prestigious as the
America’s Cup, with smaller yachts and crews. America’s
Cup yachts are significantly bigger than the 36-foot yachts
used in World Match races, which have about a quarter of
the team members on board.
An international event that draws attention around the
world, the Korea Match Cup semifinals and finals were
broadcast live on ESPN in 155 countries. Partially thanks to
this publicity, the competition and the boat show was an
important step toward improving Korea’s marine leisure
industry, still in its infancy compared to other Asian coun-
tries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, which are
more developed due to their colonial heritage.
“Despite being a prosperous and developed country,
Japan’s marinas and yacht clubs pale in comparison to some
other countries,” said Kim Joon-yeon, the secretary general
of the Korea Sailing Federation. “Korea is the same way, and
this is due to cultural and political reasons. We do not yet
have top facilities, while military zones restrict water activ-
ity, and both have hindered development of the marine lei-
sure industry.”
According to Kim, that is part of the reason some Kore-
ans treat water with caution. Marinas are also costly to build,
while restrictions in waters near the North serve as further
limitations for those interested in investing.
“In order to dispel such thoughts, it is important to build
marinas and clubs with top-notch facilities, which in
turn can attract people to the sport and increase the
level of play,” Kim said.
Despite lacking the basic necessities, Korea has
fared well in regional competition. Considered
among one of the top Asian countries in sailing, the
national team has won two consecutive sailing titles
at the Asian Games. The team has yet to compete
against top teams from Europe, Oceania and North
America, since it currently lacks the funding neces-
sary to do so.
“Our athletes cannot continue to train in Korea
alone; they need to participate in international tour-
neys to improve,” Kim said.
Seoul, the capital and the economic and cultural
center of Korea, does not have the resources for top
notch marina facilities. Conditions on the Han
River are not optimal for yachting. But Kim
believes the Korea Match Cup and the Interna-
tional Boat Show are very positive signs for the
sport.
“The interest they have created and the
economic effect they will bring to the coun-
try are some of the positives of the Korea
Match Cup and the International Boat
Show,” he said.
“If we focus our advanced resources
and skills on the marine leisure indus-
try, it can serve as a new mechanism
that can boost our economy,” said
President Lee Myung-bak in a vid-
eo message during the opening
ceremony. “The Korea Match

Park Byeong - ki
Park Byeong-ki, the skipper of the Korean
crew that participated in the Korea Match
Cup this year, didn’t fare well, but said it
was a good experience for his squad. The
46-year-old skipper and coach of the Geoje
City Hall team has been competing globally
since the Seoul Asian Games in 1986. Park
got into the sport as a college freshman af-
ter he followed his friend to a practice.
“It looked great, so I signed up for my
school’s yacht club the following day,” said
Park with a laugh.
Many of the races in Korea revolve around a
skipper (solo) or skipper crew (two-man). But
the Korea Match Cup and some of the other
international races involve five or more.
“A five-man crew requires a considerable
amount of teamwork,” Park explained.
[NEWSIS]
Cup and the International
Boat Show will serve to
improve our marine leisure
industry.”
“Our crew had merely 10 days to train and By the looks of things,
prepare for the Korea Match Cup..” Gyeonggi Province firmly
But the contest had its good side. believes in the positive
“The race was held fairly close to the dock, effects that can result from
so the crowd gathered to cheer for the continuing to develop the
crews, adding excitement to the race.” Jeongok Marina in
By contrast, at the Japanese competition, Hwaseong, and with the
“there were hardly any spectators,” Park national government’s
said. “The weather was also good and did support, sailing fans can
not pose any problems for our team.” expect bigger and better
Park says the idea that yachting is only for things in the future.
the wealthy is something of a myth. By Jason Kim
“Most who participate in the sport are
sponsored or do so through a school club
or program. Of course some buy yachts,
and doing so is costly but for that is not the
case for most competitors n Korea,” he ex- A team participating in competition
plained. on July 7.

50 korea July 2009 July 2009 korea 51


Korea’s Quiet Judo Dynamo
I
t has been a long time coming, but
Kim Soo-hwan has finally emerged
as a force to be reckoned with in
the top weight division for Korea.
Exactly 20 years ago, Cho Yong-chul —
a two-time bronze medalist at the 1984
and ’88 Olympics — ranked among the
top heavyweight judoka in the world.
Korea has traditionally produced
smaller and lighter judoka, strongest in
Kim’s politeness befits
a master of judo, which
means ‘gentle way.’
the 73-kilogram division. But Jang
Sang-ho, three-time Olympian and sil-
ver medalist in Beijing, did compete in
the 100-kilogram division.
“Having competed in the 100-kilo-
gram division, I have a special fondness
for Kim and other players in the heavy-
weight divisions,” says Jang, who retired
from competition after Beijing to
became a national team coach.
In judo, all the hard work that goes
into three or four practices a day pays off
52 korea July 2009
in a split second. Solid techniques and
conditioning are vital, but most impor-
tant is the ability to read one’s oppo-
nents. And Kim’s glad to have someone
who already knows those opponents as
a coach.
“Coach Jang knows me well,” the
athlete says. “He’s competed on the big-
gest stage against some of the opponents
I now have to face and often gives me
tips and guidance from his experience.”
The Yongin University junior
recently won the over 100-kilogram and
open weight divisions at the Asian Judo
Championship in Taipei, to help the
Korean team take home its second over-
all win at the tournament in history.
Kim not only won all his matches in
the heavyweight division, but he did so
by ippon, meaning a decisive victory —
as remarkable as a perfect record of
shutouts in a team sport. Kim even won
by ippon in the final match against Seiji
Suzuki, a 2004 Athens Olympics gold
medalist. The Korean went on to win
most valuable player, and helped his
country take home a total of six gold,
three silver and three bronze medals.
Kim was a fan of many sports grow-
Kim Soo-hwan and his
teammates tug on rub-
ber tubes to practice their
[Press Q]
throwing techniques.
ing up in Mokpo, South Jeolla, but at
first judo wasn’t one of them.
“I was always into sports and took
taekwondo for years until a coach at my
middle school approached me about
joining the judo team. I started taking
judo when I was 13 years old,” says Kim
in his quiet, polite voice — befitting a
champion of an art whose name means
“gentle way.”
Kim can come across as a bit shy off
the mat. But in competition and train-
ing, he’s a completely different person.
Although he’s quick to admit that it
wasn’t easy to get accustomed to team
manager Jung Hoon’s tough schedule at
the Korea National Training Center and
that it’s still tough to handle every now
and then, Kim doesn’t show it.
“Kim is a good kid,” Jung says. “He’s
quiet and steady. He never complains
and he does everything asked of him.”
After dominating the Asian cham-
pionships, Kim is busy preparing for the
Summer Universiade Games in Bel-
grade from July 1 to 12, then finally for
the biannual World Judo Champion-
ships in Rotterdam, Netherlands at the
end of August. By Jason Kim
Sports
Universiade Returns in 2015
Come 2015, Korea government and the promise of a unified Korean
will host its third Uni- team.
versiade games, with That might seem optimistic given the icy relations
the southern city of between South and North Korea lately, but city offi-
Gwangju winning the cials still hope to field a team of college athletes from
rights to host the both sides of the DMZ for the games.
summer tournament, “We were finally able to win the bid due to the
an Olympics-like unity and hard work of the residents of Gwangju over
multi-sport competi- the past two years,” Mayor Park told Yonhap, a Korean
tion for university news agency, at the FISU convention in Brussels.
athletes. “The hard work of the people of Gwangju and the
City officials hope this coup will lead full support of President Lee Myung-bak played a sig-
to bigger and better things not only for nificant role in winning the bid,” he added.
the city but for the entire South Jeolla The benefits of hosting a global sporting event are
region. many, and go beyond publicity and revenue.
After failing in its bid to host the
2013 Summer Universiade, also known
as the World University Games, Gwangju
“Hosting the Summer Universiade is good for
Korea, and in globalized times, it can serve to upgrade
the city’s image,” said Kim, the marketing official. “Our
made a few changes for its second bid. city has the fourth-biggest municipal economy in
Gwangju had
“In our previous bid, we focused Korea behind Seoul, Busan and Incheon. Although it’s
solely on hosting the games in Gwangju, to make two still too early to speak of future goals at the moment,
but [this time] we decided to include the we hope to attract further investments and boost tour-
surrounding areas,” explained Kim Jun-
bids to win ism by successfully hosting the Universiade.”
young, head of the city’s marketing Korea’s third It will be the third time Korea has hosted this com-
planning division. petition, after the 1997 Winter Universiade was held
Gwangju edged out Edmonton in
University in Muju, North Jeolla, and the 2003 summer games
Canada and Taipei in Taiwan in a vote Games. took place in Daegu. By Jason Kim
at the International University Sports
Federation (FISU) in Brussels, Belgium,
Provided by Gwangju City
in late May.
The city has the basic infrastructure
in place from national leagues and ath-
letic competitions but will work to
upgrade some venues and facilities to
match FISU standards.
The aggressive campaign by the city,
with the support of its citizens and
Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak, was
the driving force behind the winning
bid, Gwangju’s first for an international
sporting event. To promote his home,
Mayor Park Gwang-taek went on 13
overseas trips, notching up 91 days
abroad in talks with FISU officials over
the past two years.
In its final presentation, Gwangju
showed a message from President Lee Volunteers and residents of Gwangju gather to show their support for the Gwangju Univer-
offering the full support of the Korean siade bid in April 2009.
July 2009 korea 53
 Sports

Park Seon-ho raises his fist

in celebration after cross-
ing the finish line of the
final leg of the 2009 Tour

T
de Korea. he longest cycling race in Asia, measuring approximate-
ly 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) in length, was held in
Korea for the third time from June 5 to 14. A total of 210
cyclists representing 21 teams (seven domestic and 14
from overseas), including Japanese and Kazakh national teams
as well as club teams from South Africa and Australia, partici-
pated.
Roger Beuchat of Team Neotel took home the yellow jersey
with an overall time of 34 hours, 51 minutes and 21 seconds. The
top Korean cyclist was Park Sung-baek, the winner of the inau-
gural Tour de Korea, who this time finished fifth overall at 34
hours, 53 minutes and 3 seconds. Kong Hyo-seok and Yoo Ki-
hong ended up behind Park in sixth and seventh.
The Tour de Korea is a part of the
Asia Tour of the International Cycling
Union, or UCI, and is sponsored by the
Korea Cycling Federation. The race
started at Olympic Park in southern
Seoul and arced across the southern half of the peninsula.
The toughest portions of the race are the mountain courses.
The best climber in a race of this type is distinguished from the
others with a polka-dot jersey and the title of “KoM,” or King of
the Mountains. Kong, who finished sixth overall, claimed that
jersey, appropriate for the cyclist widely considered the strongest
climber in the country. In this year’s race, the mountains were
saved for the latter half, with the Mount Jiri climb between Yeo-
su, South Jeolla, and Gochang, South Gyeongsang, pushing the
cyclists up a steep incline totaling 171.2 kilometers in length. On
June 10, the participants turned toward Gimcheon, North Gyeo-
nsang, passing summits small and large along the way. Then it
was back to climbing, as competitors forced their way up the
Sobaek and Taebaek mountains and headed towards Chun-
cheon, Gangwon. The ninth leg, covering a stretch of 197.2 kilo-
meters between Yangyang and Chuncheon, Gangwon, was said
to be the toughest of the entire race, requiring both mental and

[YONHAP]
physical toughness.
The tournament took on the name Tour de Korea in 2007,
when Lance Armstrong participated in its opening ceremonies.
Last year, when the event started in Japan and finished in Seoul,
it was called the Tour de Korea-Japan 2008.

Athletes Conquer Nature In 2007, Park Sung-baek won the race, but last year Sergey
Lagutin of Uzbekistan took first place. Kong, the strong climb-
er, was the highest ranked Asian cyclist that year at fifth over-

in Asia’s Longest Bike Race all.

Unlike the first two years, when riders had to struggle
through rain, weather did not pose much of a threat in 2009.

[JoongAng Ilbo]
Third Tour de Korea stretched 1,500 kilometers across the peninsula
American cycling legend Lance Armstrong rides with cyclists
near Olympic Park in southern Seoul during the opening cer-
emony of the very first Tour de Korea event in 2007.
Like the Tour de France, the Korean race uses different
colored jerseys to differentiate leaders in different legs. The
overall leader is given a yellow jersey, while a white jersey is
given to the leader of the individual leg.
The top cash prize at the tour is 10.8 million won (about
$8,700). By Jason Kim

54 korea July 2009 July 2009 korea 55


Click
Korea
Right: Still marching —
The changing of the guard
ceremony held every day
in front of the Deoksu
Palace gate is a big draw for
foreign tourists interested in
the pomp and circumstance
of Korea’s monarchy.
[YONHAP]
Korea through the Lens
Above: Where no Korean vessel has gone
before — The Araon, the first Korean-made
icebreaking research vessel, set sail from
Hanjin Heavy Industries’ Yeongdo dockyard in
Busan on June 11 after five years of construc-
tion. The 6,950 -ton vessel will be used for
research activities in the Antarctic or Arctic.
Above right: Welcome home — A
crested ibis rests after hatching in an artificial
incubator set up by a Kyungpook National
University research team at the Crested Ibis
Restoration Center in Upo Wetland in Chang-
nyeong, South Gyeongsang. The crested ibis,
which disappeared from Korea 30 years ago
and is on the verge of extinction, was desig-
nated the country’s 198th Natural Treasure.
Right: Korea’s got Britain’s talent — Paul
Potts, a British tenor who grew popular
through a TV show in Britain two years ago,
performs at Seoul Plaza in front of an audi-
ence of tens of thousands June 15.
 Travel

Exploring a Prince’s
Heaven on Earth
The valley a Joseon artist used as the model for a painting
of paradise is still a tranquil haven amidst bustling Seoul

I
nside the borders of metropolitan
Seoul hides a pristine little valley
where salamanders wriggle, min-
nows swim and crawfish crawl.
For a long time, people paid little atten-
tion to this secret garden, but mountain
climbers began to explore it in March
2005, when the ruins of a villa there
belonging to Lee Hang-bok, a renowned
prime minister under King Seonjo, the that tops the peak. The mountain, along
14th king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392- with Mount Inwang, is rich with Joseon
1910) who reigned from 1552 to 1608, history. More famous than the valley
were designated the nation’s 462nd his- itself is Segeomjeong, or the pavilion of
torical site. washing swords, where legend has it the
Lee, whose pseudonym was Baeksa, supporters of King Injo, the 16th king of
even gives the valley its name, Baeksasil. Joseon who reigned from 1623 to 1649,
Baeksasil valley in central Seoul In January 2008, the valley was selected cleaned their weapons after eliminating
was selected by the govern- by the central government as one of their patron’s rival claimants to the
ment as one of the most beau- Korea’s most beautiful scenic areas. throne. Climbing from Segeomjeong in
tiful scenic areas in Korea. The Unlike the valley it overlooks, Mount Buam-dong north of Mount Baekak,

Provided by by Oh Sang-min
ruins of a villa belonging to the Baekak, also called Mount Bukak, has you’ll pass the ruins of Baeksa’s villa,
then-renowned prime minis- been recognized as an anchor of Seoul which sat near a pond, with spectacular
ter under the Joseon Dynasty for more than 600 years, ever since the mountains and valleys spread out before
show the luxuries the ruling founder of the Joseon dynasty selected it. It’s simply stunning to contemplate
class enjoyed. the city as his capital. Baekak means that this scenic landscape could possibly
“white rock,” after the glittering granite remain so unspoiled even with 10 mil-
58 korea July 2009 July 2009 korea 59
 Travel

lion people living in its backyard. The cornerstones
and foundations of ancient houses sit under grand old
trees, undisturbed for centuries, stirring the imagina-
tion.
Climb down from the peak and you’ll come across
a huge rock surrounded by a grove at the upper mouth
of the valley. On the rock the four characters Baekseok
Dongcheon are engraved. Baekseok means Baekak,
and Dongcheon refers to the landscape of mountains
and valleys. Together the four characters evoke a beau-
tiful and mysterious utopia. Why does this welcome
sign stand in the upper part of the valley and not at the
mouth near the foot of the mountain? One imagines
the influential figures who built their villas and pavil-
ions in the valley might have lived at the foot of Mount
Inwang or Mount Baekak on the western side of Gyeo-
ngbok Palace. Therefore, they carved the sign at the
upper part of the valley, as they would have needed to
climb over the ridge to reach it.
The hike from Sajik Park through the Hwang-
hakjeong archery field to Jahamun, the small northern
gate to Seoul’s ancient fortress wall that still remains
intact, and then into Baekseok Dongcheon amid the
trees of Mount Baekak seems to be the same path that
Prince Anpyeong dreamed of and that the artist
Angyeon used as the model for his Mongyudowondo,
which depicts a paradise on earth.
Prince Anpyeong was the third son of Sejong the
Great, the fourth king of Joseon who reigned from
1418 to 1450. He had a villa called Mugyejeongsa in
Buam-dong just outside Jahamun, and less than three-hour walk from the park to the com-
The area’s was known as one of the four master cal- munity center.
name evokes ligraphers of Joseon. He was also a If you’re looking for something more challenging Restaurants and coffee shops nearby
a beautiful, skilled poet and painter. On April 20, and have more time on your hands, you might want to
1447, Prince Anpyeong dreamed he keep hiking up Mount Inwang, then over to Mount
mysterious walked through a beautiful, mysterious Baekak, which was recently opened to the public. Both * Jaha Handmade Dumpling
utopia. village of peach blossoms where mythi- mountain paths are closed after sunset, and you must (www.sonmandoo.com Tel: 02-379-2648)
cal hermits made their homes. He called submit your identification card at the security office This typical Seoul steamed dumpling shop offers fillings including chopped
upon the renowned artist Angyeon and prior to hiking up Mount Baekak, which overlooks beef, brown mushrooms and cucumbers, lightly seasoned and fresh. A
explained the dream to him. In three Korea’s presidential residence, Cheong Wa Dae. three-colored dumpling stew is good for groups of more than two people.
days, Angyeon completed the painting The soup used for the stew is delicious, containing boiled and sliced beef,
Mongyudowondo. Prince Anpyeong Mount Inwang forest path egg-shaped rice cakes, dropwort, mushrooms and several kinds of vege-
pursued this Taoist utopia for his entire Sajik Park is located 3-4 minutes from exit 1 of tables. Jaha is located right behind the Club Espresso coffee shop through
life. But here on earth, the closest he Gyeongbokgung Station on subway line No. 3. Inside the right entrance to Buam-dong from the Jahamun ridge.
could come was Mount Baekak and the park sit memorial tablets for the Joseon kings, mak-
Mount Inwang. ing a stroll through it like a trip through 600 years of * Club Espresso
Korean history. An altar in the corner near the main (clubespresso.co.kr, Tel: 02-391-8719)
Hiking from Inwang to Baekak gate honors the gods of soil and grain. The hiking path Club Espresso is a well-known premium coffee shop, open from 10 a.m.
The forest path from Sajik Park in begins just past Hwanghakjeong, a pavilion that was to 11 p.m. every day except on the Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and
Jongno to the Seongbuk District Com- once a shrine to Dangun, the mythical founder of Lunar New Year holidays. Fresh roasted coffee beans are available here,
munity Center via Palgakjeong and Korea, and the national archery field. Most of the with 30 different types of coffee including espressos and hand-brewed
Jahamun Gate offers excellent views of Mount Inwang forest path is now the Inwang skyway, coffee imported from Latin America, Africa and other Asian countries.
Mount Samgak. This beautiful path a paved road along the mountain. Hikers typically stray Cookies and pastries are also served, making this a good stop for a snack
overlooks the spectacular Seoul skyline from the asphalt to visit small peaks along the way, but between hikes up Mount Inwang and Mount Baekak.
and the mountain itself, which sur- the most beautiful part of the walk is the view from
rounds northern Seoul like a folding Mount Baekak at the mouth of Cheongun Park, which * Café Sanmotoonge
screen. With the path lined in wooden encompasses the city with Mount Namsan in the dis- (www.sanmotoonge.co.kr, Tel: 02-391-4737)
decking along the contours of the moun- tance, and Gyeongbok Palace and the Blue House in Café Sanmotoonge is best known as the shooting location for a popular
tain, at an elevation of 200 to 300 meters, the foreground, while the fortress wall that connects TV drama, “The First Shop of the Coffee Prince.” It is situated right at the
everyone young and old can enjoy the Cheongun Pavilion and the Jahamun Gate stands out entrance to Baeksasil Valley and is popular among young couples for the
sharply along Bohyeon Peak on Mount Samgak. beautiful views of the Pyeongchang-dong area, Mount Baekak and Mount
Inwang that its terrace offers. Coffee, tea, wine and beer are served.

Provided by Oh Sang-min
Left, the hikes offer views of the urban land-
scape filtered through the forests of the hills.
Top, the Inwang forest path is lined with
wooden decking. Above, Gilsang Temple is
one of Mount Baekak’s hidden treasures.
Mount Baekak forest path
A paved road stretching about 1 kilometer travels
along a ridge from the Jahamun gate to the Mount
Baekak trail. Along the way, consider a stop at the Mount Samgak Hyuntong Temple
Whanki Museum. Baeksasil Valley can also be reached Baeksasil Valley
from here, via a 400-meter path past Eungseon Temple.
Sanmotoonge Café offers views of both Mount Inwang
and Mount Baekak, while the ridges of Mount Samgak
stretch from Hyangno Peak to Bibong and Bohyeon- Cafe Sanmotoonge
bong. The fortress wall that stretches up a ridge to the
top of Mount Baekak can be seen clearly from the trail- Whanki Museum
head, while the west portion of the Baekak forest path,
parallel to the Bukak highway, offers views of Mount
Inwang. The lovely southern ridges of Mount Samgak
to the north are another highlight. A path branches off
down to Baeksasil Valley just before Palgak Pavilion, Jaha Handmade Dumpling
beyond which a side road leads to Jeongneung,
Sukjeongmun Gate and Seongbuk-dong. Take this Club Espresso
road 200 meters to reach Gilsang Temple. Palgak Pavil-
ion is an excellent place to stop and rest, equipped with
a restaurant, coffee shop, kiosk, restroom and parking
lot. A shuttle bus runs here to and from the Kyobo
Building on Sejong-no in central Seoul. Jahamun Tunnel
By Kim Woo-seon

60 korea July 2009 July 2009 korea 61

 People
People

Scholar-Priest Sees
Lessons in Dialogue
Between Religions

R
egardless of what religion one follows, each
has its own unique and special philosophy
and lessons on seeking the truth of life.
But too often most religious believers
think only of their own faith, neglecting those on the
outside.
In the words of Father Bernard Senécal, 56, a pro-
fessor in the department of religious studies at Sogang
University in Mapo, northwestern Seoul, a focus on
one’s own religion without attempting to understand
others carries the risk of a narrow worldview.
Professor Senécal, or Seo Myeong-won in his
Korean name, is a Roman Catholic priest with the
Society of Jesus, but he also studied Buddhism, ulti-
mately becoming a scholar in that field.
He was born in Quebec, Canada, where he lived
Language Institute.
He returned to France in 1990 and earned master’s
degrees in theology and literature in 1993 and 1995,
respectively.
Fascinated by Buddhist meditation, Senécal flew
back to Korea to conduct research on Korean Bud-
dhism.
In 2004, the priest earned a doctorate in Korean
Buddhism at the Université Paris.
He says that his ancestors were Vikings, and that
their frontier spirit endures in him, leading him to
push himself beyond all limits to attain a broad and
balanced view. Senécal was interested in what people
do not know, and wanted to challenge human nature.
One of the conclusions he came to as he sought the
ultimate meaning of life was that a shortcut could be
tions in Christianity as a way to explore
one’s faith.
On the other hand, Buddhists should
take lessons from Christianity’s involve-
ment with society. Korean Buddhism
has maintained a tradition of isolation
from the outside world for hundreds of
years and is therefore, the priest says,
not accustomed to communicating with
human society.
Senécal says, “It is inappropriate to
think that one’s own religion is superior
to others. Everyone’s efforts to seek the
authentic truth of life have to be pushed
forward at the same time. Communica-
tion with another religious group with

until he was 19. That year he moved to France. Senécal
studied medicine for six years and earned his bache-
lor’s degree at the Université de Bordeaux in Paris in
1979. But he grew disillusioned with the discipline,
disappointed that it did not attempt to explain why
human beings get sick and why they die, focusing
instead only on treatment.
So he decided to become a priest and religious
scholar. Senécal’s monastic life began with the study
of theology at the Centre Sevres Paris in early 1984.
In the summer of that year, Father Senécal had the
chance to visit Korea for the first time, touring the
country for seven weeks.
During that period, he was impressed with the
beauty of its nature, the kindness of the Korean people
and especially the Buddhist temples. His interest grew,
and he eventually considered moving to the country.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in theology in
1985, he was dispatched to Korea as a missionary with
two other colleagues.
While in Korea, Senecal took three years of Kore-
an language courses at Yonsei University’s Korean
found by building a bridge of understanding between
Christianity and Buddhism.
But for that to take place, and for these two very
different faiths to share disciplines and teachings, a
great deal of dialogue must take place.
“Recently, several Korean monks stayed in an
abbey in France for two years to learn about Christi-
anity. Both priests and monks have to know and
understand each other. Each ought to view the other
side in an earnest manner,” the priest says.
“Both Christianity and Buddhism are religions
that have long traditions. Both have contributed much
to humanity. So both still have to exist throughout
human life,” said the professor. “Jesus and Buddha did
not live in the same age. But they both can exist with-
in our minds and hearts and manage our way of life.
There are a lot of characteristics that can be exchanged
and shared.”
According to Senécal, there are two areas where
Buddhism and Christianity can come together.
First, Christians can learn from Buddhist spiritual
training. Buddhist meditation can also find applica-
even a small hidden agenda of conver-
sion is improper.”
For this scholar-priest, religion plays
a crucial role in forging connections
between God and human beings, awak-
ening one to enlightenment by helping
one learn the purpose of life and its
meaning. It is only upon reaching that
status that people can enjoy true free-
dom.
One of the unique characteristics of
Buddhism is its radical quest for the
truth. Such efforts lead humans to over-
come their hardships and their agonies,
Senécal says. In order to do so, three
behavioral elements — morality, medi-
tation and wisdom — are necessary, and
among them, the priest singles out med-
itation as the most important.
In other words, Senécal says, Bud-
dhism is the doctor of reality, or the true
doctor of medicine.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Father Bernard Senécal, who has sought ultimate truth as a Catholic priest and a
scholar of Buddhism, asserts that the teachings and disciplines of both religions should
be shared.
“Anybody can have a religion. And
people will naturally get interested in
not only other religions but also the his-
‘Jesus and Buddha tory of religions. But we should try to be
did not live in the cautious not to lose our identity,” Father
Senécal said. “I am a Christian. Also I
same age. But they am French. I can learn a second foreign
language since I have a mother lan-
both can exist guage. The same goes with my religion.
within our minds I can research Buddhism because I have
my own religion — Christianity.”
and hearts.’ By Lee Min-yong

62 korea July 2009 July 2009 korea 63


A Hunt for a Challenge
Took Her to Korea-
and Baduk
[Korea Baduk Association]
Diána Kőszegi, 26, a profes-
sional baduk player, hopes
to promote Korean-style
baduk to the world.
64 korea July 2009
B
aduk, better known in the
West as go, has a reputation
in Korea. It might share
some similarities with chess
- both are played on square boards
with one player controlling white
pieces, the other black - but in the par-
lors dedicated to it here it’s almost the
exclusive province of enthusiastic
middle-aged male Koreans.
Don’t try to tell that to Diána
Kőszegi, who is 26, female, Hungarian
and a professional baduk player.
Kőszegi officially became a pro in
January 2008 after undergoing rigor-
ous training with the Korea Baduk
Association. The group says she is the
third European to go pro here, after
two Russians. As a recently minted
player, Kőszegi is still ranked at the
lowest professional level, first dan.
The ranks of baduk players go up to
the ninth dan, equivalent to a grand
master. New pros start at first dan.
“I always like difficult things. I
don’t enjoy it if there is no challenge or
something is too easy to reach,”
Kőszegi says. “I think it was same with
baduk. I think I liked it because it’s dif-
ficult. Learning more and more about
Baduk, I started to realize how deep a
game it is, so I started to like it more
and more.”
Born in Budapest in 1983, Kőszegi
says she studied the game in an “inter-
esting way.” When she was nine years
old, she loved to watch her father Sán-
dor Kőszegi play baduk with her older
brother. She insisted he teach her, but
her father refused because, Diána says,
“He thought this game is not for
girls.”
But she didn’t give up.
“Though he didn’t teach me, I
watched them playing and I showed
him that I really wanted to play. My
father told me that I had started to ask
him good questions, so he could see
that I had learned the game just by
watching them play,” Kőszegi says.
“From that time they started to play
with me as well.
“I reached my brother’s level pretty
fast, and I was playing with my father
every day. After I finished school, I
went out to play sports, and in the eve-
ning we played go. It was a really nice
time.”
Her skills improved, and in 1997,
when she was 14, she came in fourth
at the first World Women’s Amateur
Baduk Championships, held in Seoul.
In 1998, Kőszegi placed ninth at
the World Amateur Go Champion-
ships in Japan, after which she received
a mountain of invitations to Asia to
study the game. She trained briefly in
Korea and Japan and intended to stay
longer, but her parents were nervous
about her living so far from home at
such a young age. Her parents told her
she would have their full support after
completing high school in Hungary.
“Giving up is definitely not my
style, so I wanted to find a way to come
back,” Kőszegi says.
In 2005, she was admitted to
Myongji University in Seoul on a full
four-year scholarship to study baduk,
thanks to support from Professor Nam
Chi-hyung.
“I like Korean baduk more than
Japanese go because baduk is more
aggressive,” she says. “It has a fighting
style better suited to European
tastes.”
Kőszegi keeps close tabs on the
People
People
‘I like Korean
baduk more
local baduk scene. “My favorite Korean Baduk play-
ers are Choi Cheol-han and Mok Jin-seok, and the
late Japanese go player Kato Masao,” she says.
Learning the Korean language at Myongji sharp-
than Japanese
go because
ened her baduk abilities, and she spent her summer
vacations studying the game at private academies.
She played in yonguseng tournaments for aspiring
baduk is more
aggressive.’
professionals on weekends.
“But I still needed more,” Kőszegi says.
Finally she ended up at the Korea Baduk Asso-
ciation, practicing about 10 hours a day to go pro.
Since earning her first dan, she’s toned down her
regimen - but only slightly. “Recently, I have other
things to do as well, so unfortunately I don’t have
that much time to study, but on average I would say
[I play] about five or six hours.”
So what could be more important than sharpen-
ing her baduk skills? How about a trip home to pro-
mote the game? In March, Kőszegi went back to
Budapest to teach baduk with fellow pros Kim
Seung-jun and Mok Jin-seok, both ninth dan.
“The popularity of baduk is increasing in Europe.
It’s the same in Hungary. I think there are about 200
active players, but of course there are many people
who know about the game but are just not playing
actively,” Kőszegi says.
Kőszegi taught baduk to elementary school chil-
dren at a private academy for a year. Though she’s
fluent in Korean, Kőszegi taught the classes in Eng-
lish so that they would double as language practice
for her young charges.
The young Hungarian is even in the publishing
business, translating a book by fourth-dan baduk
pro Kim Seong-rae called “21st Century Openings”
into English. The tome explains new “joseki” strate-
gies for players. Kőszegi has recently finished work
on the second volume, and plans to translate more
in the future.
“In Korea, I feel challenged. Because of my per-
sonality, this is the place I want to stay. Even if some-
times it it’s really hard, there are times when it’s the
best,”
best,” sh
she says. “I guess ‘no pain, no gain’ is right.”
Wh
When asked about her goals, she says the future’s
wide open.
op
“I h
have been a professional player for just a little
m ore th
more than a year. Definitely, I would like to improve
more. II’m also trying to forge connections between
Korean baduk and other countries’ baduk federa-
tions,” Kőszegi
K says. “I’m planning to attend all the
tournam
tournaments in Korea as well.” By Kim Mi-ju
July 2009 korea 65
Foreign Viewpoints
Equality for
Women Key
to Birth Rate
Today, Korean society is facing
a challenge that threatens to
undermine the foundations on
which the Miracle on the Han
was based: a low birth rate.
Bjørg Skorstad is the wife of the Nor-
wegian ambassador to Seoul. She has a
master’s degree in education from the
University of Oslo and wrote her master’s
thesis on Work and unemployment: impact
on self-esteem. Her bachelor’s degree was
in sociology at the University of Oslo, and
she has worked as a lecturer at the Hankuk
University of Foreign Studies since 2007.
From 1988 to 2005 she was a lecturer at
the St. Sunniva Catholic School in Oslo, and
from 1982-84 she was an assistant professor
at the University of Vienna.
66 korea July 2009
A
first-time visitor to Korea will
be struck by its rapidly devel-
oping modern society, where
economic growth is a major
preoccupation. Everywhere are testimonies
to Korea’s achievements: all types of infra-
structure, culture, art and a social safety net
that encompasses practically all layers of so-
ciety. Behind this incredible success story is
the willingness of two generations of Kore-
ans to work extremely hard while sacrificing
their own free time for the benefit of future
generations.
Today, however, Korean society is facing a
challenge that threatens to undermine the
foundations on which those achievements
were based. Over a long period of time, Ko-
rea’s birth rate has been one of the lowest
in the world, far below the level necessary
to maintain a stable population. So unless
something is done to reverse this trend,
Korea will soon be faced with a rapidly ag-
ing society with fewer workers to support
itself.
In a situation like this there are several op-
tions. One is increased immigration. From a
Korean perspective, however, the most ob-
vious solution will be to encourage women
to join the labor market after finishing their
education, and, most importantly, to push
for their timely return to the labor market
after giving birth.
Today women account for around half of
all graduates at Korea’s universities. This
valuable pool of human capital is going to
waste, however, as many of them never
seek work or leave their jobs permanently
after having children. I can only speculate as
to the reasons for this. I suspect, however,
that many Korean women feel burdened
by the expectations of having multiple roles
to play.
There are good reasons women should par-
ticipate in the labor market.
One is obvious: to remedy labor shortages.
Just as important, however, is that greater
female participation in the labor market will
increase female self-esteem. Our high-tech
modern societies need more female values
and inputs to balance a culture dominated
by men.
In Norway we witnessed a strong positive
correlation between fertility and women’s
participation in the labor market due to a
series of governmental incentives to en-
courage young mothers to work, while
countries with little government support for
child care have low fertility rates.
To help Korean women work while increas-
ing the birth rate, changes will have to be
made at many levels. Much will depend on
the government’s willingness and ability to
implement change.
First and foremost, better financial incen-
tives are needed for parents. Recently, mea-
sures to encourage women to have a third
child have been introduced. But since most
couples in Korea are likely to have only one
child, perhaps similar incentives should be
given for second children. Also, women
should have the unconditional right to re-
turn to their places of work after maternity
leave.
After a woman returns to work, her child
needs to be taken care of properly. A gen-
eration ago, couples could often count on
their families — particularly grandparents
— to help raise the kids. But today there
is no guarantee that grandparents will live
anywhere nearby.
So as Korea rapidly transforms into a society
of nuclear families, the number of kinder-
gartens need to be expanded. Otherwise
many women will not be able to go back to
work after their maternity leave. Also, the
government will need to subsidize these
kindergartens so that parents with less
money can afford them.
Closely related to this is the lack of public
care for the elderly. Since care for seniors
traditionally has been the responsibility of
women, in particular the wife of the eldest
son, more institutions for the elderly need
to be built. This will help relieve the burden
on women’s shoulders.Then comes perhaps
the most difficult part. Traditional male at-
titudes need to change. For instance, many
industries have long work hours, often
coupled with obligations to socialize at the
end of the day. Such lifestyles promote nei-
ther productivity at work nor happy mar-
riages. All Western societies have gone
through major changes in gender relation-
ships. Somewhat optimistically, I sense that
perhaps similar changes are taking place
among young men in Korea.