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Life and Death of a Patriot:

Ahn Jung-geun
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2009

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CONTENTS  VOL. 14 / NO. 10

12 22 38 54 62
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06 Cover Story – Ahn Jung-geun
• A Fighter Remembered



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50 Sports
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4 korea October 2009 October 2009 korea 5


A Fighter Remembered
Ahn Jung-geun shot Hirobumi Ito, former resident-general
of Japan-occupied Korea, 100 years ago this year
L
ike any other day, the sun
rose.
And like any other day, the
train station was busy with
travelers.
It was Oct. 26, 1909, at Harbin Sta-
tion in the city of the same name in
northeastern China. What made this
morning special was that the revered
Japanese statesman Hirobumi Ito was
about to arrive, to meet with a Russian
representative and discuss Japanese
jurisdiction over Manchuria.
Ito and his entourage got off the
train at around 9:25 a.m. and stepped
onto the platform, surrounded by wel-
coming crowd, when a young man in a
black suit strode toward them.
Three shots rang out.
From just 7 meters (23 feet) away,
the young man shot Ito. The 68-year-old
Japanese noble, a founder of modern
Japan and its first colonial ruler over
occupied Korea, died instantly.
The young man threw his gun to the
ground and shouted “Long live Korea!
Long live Korea! Long live Korea!” He
was arrested by Russian police.
It was the passing of a hero for the
Japanese people. But for Koreans it was
the birth of one. The man was Ahn
A choir of children waves the Taegeukgi, the Jung-geun (1879-1910), then 30 years
[JoongAng Ilbo]
national flag of Korea, while singing a tribute old, and now one of Korea’s most idol-
to Ahn Jung-geun. ized independence fighters.
Heroic tales about this little-known
6 korea October 2009
Cover Story | Korea’s beloved independence activist Ahn Jung-geun
man from a small colony called Korea
spread like wildfire. Besides toppling
Ito, Ahn was hailed for his confident,
dignified attitude at his trial.
“You took the life of Hirobumi Ito.
What do you expect will happen to your
life?” the judge reportedly asked.
“I don’t really think about my life. I
just plan to testify to Ito’s crimes and
leave myself to the law,” Ahn replied.
While in prison, Ahn wrote “On
Peace in East Asia,” a pan-Asianist man-
ifesto in which he called for China,
Korea and Japan to join together in a
multilateral organization similar to the
much later European Economic Com-
munity, with a common currency and
even a military for common defense
against Western colonialism.
“[Ahn’s] pan-Asian peace theory
provides realistic solutions to the chal-
lenges and problems the world faces
even today,” said Dr. Shin Un-yong, a
senior researcher at the Ahn Jung-geun
Memorial Foundation.
Reflecting this philosophical side,
[YONHAP]
Ahn had spent much of his life advanc-
ing education in Korea, establishing two
schools and even organizing a national This photograph of Ahn Jung-geun was tak-
movement to repay the Empire of en just before his execution at Lushun Prison
Korea’s debt to Japan, thus freeing it of in Dalian, northeastern China.
its obligations prior to annexation.
When that failed, Ahn also went sion, but with little success.
abroad to Vladivostok to organize an It was then that he decided to carry
armed resistance to Japanese aggres- out the assassination of the former Japa-
October 2009 korea 7

Above left, Hirobumi Ito nese prime minister Hirobumi Ito.
arrived at Harbin Station On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of
on the morning of Oct. this historic event, Koreans are working hard to
26, 1909 to meet with pay their respects — in more ways than one.
Russian representatives. A new musical and a TV drama about Ahn’s
Above right, Ahn was life are in production, along with campaigns to
hailed for his dignified, recreate Ahn’s face and palmprint on giant ban-
unwavering attitude at ners, to be hung in Seoul.
his trial. To coincide with the anniversary, there are
also many books being released to teach people
of all ages about Ahn’s life.
“Ahn Jung-geun-related books are always
welcomed by readers, especially parents who
want to buy good books they can use to provide
their children with a good example of a model
life,” said an employee at Kyobo Bookstore, the
largest bookseller in Korea.
Meanwhile, a bronze statue of Ahn, which
Ahn’s remains are still lost to time,
with hope running out — a large
apartment complex is planned on
the likely location of the grave.
had previously resided in Harbin, was moved to
Korea last month. It now stands on the lawn of
the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul.
And there’s yet another tragic chapter in the
story of Ahn’s life and death: His remains have
yet to be found.
After being jailed and executed at Lushun
Prison in the port city of Dalian, northeast Chi-
8 korea October 2009
na, on March 26, 1910, records show that Ahn’s
body was buried in a cemetery nearby. With his
last words, Ahn is known to have asked that his
remains be moved to Korean soil once the coun-
try won its independence from Japan — but his
dying wish remains unfulfilled.
After executing Ahn at Lushun Prison, Japan
kept his burial site secret, destroying all relevant
documents. Based on testimony, speculation
and long-time rumors that Ahn’s remains were
buried behind the jail complex, the Korean gov-
ernment finally held its first official excavation
this spring.
The work took place mainly at a site near the
prison picked out by the daughter of a former
guard as the burial site. But the workers weren’t
able to find anything.
To make matters worse, a massive apartment
complex is now under construction on the site.
The Korean government says it does not plan to
conduct any more excavations, unless some new
clues about the grave arises.
“Five-story and 12-story apartment build-
ings to accommodate hundreds of households
are scheduled for completion by the end of this
year, at the earliest,” said a worker at the site.
If the work is done, the body of the mar-
tyred Korean may never be located.
Although most Korean historians wish
the Korean government would assume a more
active role in finding the remains, they also
acknowledge the political sensitivity involved,
saying that obtaining North Korea’s support
would be key in earning greater cooperation
Cover Story | Korea’s beloved independence activist Ahn Jung-geun
from China.
More recently, a descendent of the Korean
independence fighter Lee Hoe-yeong (1867-
1932) gave a new possible site where Ahn’s
remains might have been buried. Han Si-jun,
a professor at Dankook Unversity who spe-
cializes in the history of Korea’s indepen-
dence movement, has said that the informa-
tion is credible and called on the Korean
government to act on it.
Meanwhile, Lushun Prison recently
underwent a renovation and opened to the
public as a museum. Previously, the govern-
ment-maintained prison was off-limits to
foreigners, with officials saying it housed
classified military documents pertaining to
the Chinese naval presence nearby.
The white, Western-style structure was
built by Russia in 1902. After Japan won the
Russo-Japanese War in 1905, it took over and
expanded the site so that it could hold up to
2,000 prisoners.
Sprawling over nearly 26,000 square
meters, the prison was in use until 1945,
when Japan unconditionally surrendered to
the Allied powers, bringing World War II to
an end.
The entrance fee to the new museum is 25
yuan (about $3.70). In Ahn’s cell hangs a cop-
per plate featuring pictures of the nationalist
along with his biography and achievements
— in Korean, Chinese, English, Japanese and
Russian.
The two-story court building, 1 kilometer
[KYODO NEWS]
[YONHAP]
(0.6 mile) from the prison, was transformed Above left, the prison
into a hospital after the war. But a private where Ahn was executed
Korean foundation that commemorates has now been trans-
patriotic acts against Japan bought the build- formed into a museum.
ing and turned it into an exhibition hall for Above right, Ahn’s wife,
items left behind by Ahn. Kim Ah-rye, with her
The room where Ahn was executed had daughter Hyun-seng
later been used as a laundry room. However, and son Joon-seng can
today it has been reconstructed into an exhi- be seen in this recently
bition about the victims of Japanese aggres- released photograph.
sion.
Ahn was survived by his wife Kim Ah-rye.
They had two sons — Bun-do, who died at age
12, and Joon-seng — and a daughter, Hyun-seng.
The family lived in Shanghai until Korea regained
its independence in 1945. After 1945, they
returned to Korea.
Joon-seng and his wife Jeong Ok-nyeo have
Lushun Prison, where Ahn was
held, was recently turned into a
museum, with his cell home to a
memorial in five languages.
one son and two daughters. The son, Ung-ho, is
a doctor working in the United States. Ung-ho
also has a son, reportedly working in IT, also in
the U.S.
Hyun-seng’s daughter, Hwang Eun-joo,
meanwhile, is living in Korea, in Yongin, Gyeo-
nggi-do Province.
By Kim Hyung-eun, Chang Se-jeong
October 2009 korea 9

The Peace-Loving Rebel-Philosopher
Provided by Seok Juseon Memorial Museum, Dankook University
This calligraphy by Ahn Jung-geun reads, “To
protect East Asian countries, politics must
change before anything else. It’s too late for
regrets as the right time passes by.”
10 korea October 2009
A P
hn Jung-geun is best known
as the independence fighter
who shot and killed Hirobu-
mi Ito on the morning of
Oct. 26, 1909 in Harbin, China. Numer-
ous books, television programs and
movies have been made about him,
mostly focused on this event, portray-
ing him as a devoted and brave Korean
nationalist.
But in fact, Ahn was not just a free-
dom fighter, but also a believer in Asia
who hoped to achieve peace with neigh-
boring states — even, astonishingly
enough, Japan. While imprisoned at
Lushun from the end of October 1909
until March 1910, Ahn wrote and paint-
ed calligraphy. His theories on interna-
tional politics can be found in an essay
written during this period titled “On
Peace in East Asia.”
Though this essay was never fin-
ished, as he was executed shortly after
he started writing it, its key points are
nevertheless outlined in the manuscript.
“Korea, Japan and China should coop-
erate to stand up against the Western
powers,” Ahn wrote. But he also knew
that the Japanese government was impe-
rialistic and colonial, which was a con-
stant threat to peace in East Asia.
Hirobumi Ito, the first Japanese resident
general of Korea and four-time prime
minister of Japan, was one of those
whom Ahn perceived as a hindrance to
Korean independence and East Asian
peace. By killing Ito, Ahn hoped he
would be able to provoke a reaction
across the region and possibly even
effect a change in Japanese national
policy.
He suggested an East Asian Peace
Conference with Korea, Japan and Chi-
na as the three major players. He believed
that these three countries, if each given
national sovereignty, could act coopera-
tively and peacefully. Ahn noted that
since the Japanese were ahead scientifi-
cally at that time, they could lead the
other two nations in technological
progress. He believed that if this confer-
ence was successful, other Asian coun-
tries such as Vietnam, Thailand and
India would join. Ahn proposed Lush-
un, an internationally disputed area at
the time, as the location of the head-
quarters of the East Asian Peace Confer-
ence. He thought that if Japan gave up
its claims to Lushun and it became a
neutral city, it would be a symbol of
peace with China.
The essay proposes a regional bank
and a common currency among the
three countries. Ahn even thought the
three could assemble a joint army to
defend East Asia.
“In his essay 100 years ago, Ahn had
already formulated the idea of a com-
munity quite like the European Eco-
nomic Community,” said Yoon Kyung-
ro, a professor at Hansung University. In
Ahn’s autobiography, which he also
completed during his five-month stay in
prison, Ahn wrote that after being sen-
tenced to death, he met Judge Hirashi,
who had presided over Ahn’s trial, and
explained to him his theories on peace
in East Asia.
After listening to Ahn’s thoughts,
Hirashi replied, “I deeply sympathize
with you, but what can I do since the
government’s organization cannot be
changed? Still I will convey your opin-
ions to the government.”
Ahn asked if his execution could be
postponed for a month so that he could
write a book on his theories. The judge
granted a stay of several months, telling
him not to worry. Ahn writes that he
returned to his cell, grateful, and decid-
ed not to appeal his case.
But the judge was overruled, and
Ahn was executed on March 26, 1910,
just a month after his death sentence
was announced. “On Peace in East Asia”
was never finished.
“Ahn’s essay is incomplete,” said Kim
Young-ho, the former head of the Min-
istry of Commerce, Industry and Ener-
gy. “But it is our generation’s job to fin-
ish his task.”
 By Lee Hae-joo
Cover Story | Korea’s beloved independence activist Ahn Jung-geun
A National Hero’s Story Retold in Song
eople need heroes, and Korea has seen
the rise and fall of many.
This month, one of its most beloved
will be brought back to life as theater
troupe Acom International stages a musical
inspired by the life of Ahn Jung-geun. Titled
Hero, the piece hopes to inspire and educate
Koreans about the independence fighter.
“It was three years ago that we began work on
this musical,” said Yun Ho-jin, the show’s direc-
tor.
Yun, the chairman of the Korean Musical
Association, also created The Last Empress,
another work with a connection to Korean
nationalism. That musical is about Korea’s
Empress Myeongseong (1851-1895), who was
assassinated by the Japanese. It was the first orig-
inal Korean musical production ever, and the
first Asian musical to be presented on Broadway
and in London’s West End.
Han A-reum, who wrote Hero, said it was no
easy task.
“Because Ahn is such a famous figure, I
found myself trying to meet him with my mind.
But I was only really able to meet him when I
approached him with my heart,” Han said. “Now
he has become the coolest guy in my life. I hope
the audience feels that way too.”
Peter Casey, the Australian musical director
who was in charge of arranging the piece, said he
hopes the saga and spirit of Ahn is passed on to
more people around the world.
The new musical Hero will feature Ahn’s life story. Organizers say it will depict Ahn as an international figure who fought not only for Korea’s
independence but also for peace in Asia.
“It’s an honor to be a part of this creative
team, and to be able to tell this important story.
This story must be told to the world,” Casey
said.
The creative team took field trips to Vladi-
vostok, Russia, and Dalian, China, earlier this
year to trace the footsteps of Ahn. Based on that
experience and historical records, the musical
will recreate key scenes of Ahn’s life using both
digital and analog technology.
Since they’re targeting the overseas market,
The musical’s creators sought to
avoid overt nationalism, even
depicting the inner conflicts
Hirobumi Ito himself experienced.
the makers of Hero sought to keep the musical
from coming off as too nationalistic. Organizers
say it will depict Ahn as an international figure
who not only fought for Korea’s independence
but also for peace in Asia, and also highlight the
human side and inner struggles of Hirobumi Ito,
the man Ahn shot.
Hero will open Oct. 26, the 100th anniver-
sary to the day of Ahn’s assassination of the
former Japanese prime minister. It will run until
Dec. 31 at the LG Arts Center in southern
Seoul.
By Kim Hyung-eun
[YONHAP]
October 2009 korea 11

Since June, Koreans have been press-
ing their palms in ink to recreate Ahn’s
famous handprint on a huge banner.
Putting Their Hands Together in Respect
O
n Oct. 26, Korea’s beloved
independence activist Ahn
Jung-geun will come to life
once again.
Korean people literally joined hands
to honor the national hero, placing their
hands on a huge banner in the shape of
Ahn’s famous handprint and submitting
their portraits to a Web site, where they
will be combined to make a huge mosa-
ic depicting Ahn.
Both banners will be displayed in
Gwanghwamun, downtown Seoul, on
the 100th anniversary of his assassina-
tion of the first colonial ruler of Korea,
Hirobumi Ito.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism last month launched the
monthlong campaign to gather the pho-
tos at an100years.korea.kr.
And it’s not just the face of Ahn that
will be recreated.
Since June, JS Theater, the troupe
that produced a biographical play about
the freedom fighter titled Ahn Jung-
12 korea October 2009
geun, a Korean, has been transporting a
30-by-50-meter (98-by-164-foot) blank
banner across the nation, collecting
people’s palmprints.
Ahn’s handprint is a well-known
image in Korea, with its ring finger con-
spicuously short. Ahn cut off the tip of
that finger when he and his fellow inde-
pendence activists vowed to fight for
Korea’s independence until their
deaths.
Although the palm print project was
spearheaded by JS Theater and Seo
Kyoung-duk, a self-proclaimed public
relations expert and guest professor at
Sungshin Women’s University, the Cul-
ture Ministry has joined in to assist with
the project.
Over the past few months, the ban-
ner has traveled across Korea and even
overseas to countries including China,
Japan and the United States, acquiring
tens of thousands of palm prints.
People from all walks of life left their
prints on the banner — young and old,
[NEWSIS]
civilians and soldiers, Seoulites and
Koreans living halfway across the
world.
Last month, Seo left for Miyagi Pre-
fecture in Japan to get palm prints from
the descendents of Toshichi Chiba, the
Japanese guard who befriended Ahn
while he was being held at Lushun Pris-
on in the port city of Dalian, northeast
China. Chiba returned to Japan in 1920
and placed a memorial tablet for Ahn at
Dairin Temple in Miyagi. Monks at Dai-
rin hold memorial services for Ahn
every year during the first week of Sep-
tember, to celebrate Ahn’s birthday,
which is Sept. 2.
“I wanted to make sure that we get
palmprints from all of the people who
care for Ahn,” Seo said.
The palm prints will be used to
make a huge palm print in the shape of
Ahn’s. Once completed, it will also be
showcased in Gwanghwamun on a ban-
ner.
By Kim Hyung-eun
Cover Story | Korea’s beloved independence activist Ahn Jung-geun
A Man, Carrying Out Heaven’s Will
A
hn Jung-geun was a Catholic, but he
did not share the lukewarm attitude
of the leaders of his religion, who
supported foreign influence over
Korea. When Bishop August Mutel opposed the
establishment of a Korean university, Ahn said,
“I believe in Catholicism, but I do not trust for-
eigners.”
When a Catholic priest tried to dissuade Ahn
from his struggle for Korean independence, he
said that the existence of the nation comes before
religion. This was his warning to the Catholic
Church that it had failed to address the problems
Korea was facing at the time.
It is well-known that Ahn established Sam-
heung School and Donui School. But relatively
less attention was paid to his plans for violent
resistance before entering education.
In 1904, at the height of the Russo-Japanese
War, Japan’s designs on Korea began to reveal
themselves when the empire demanded the right
to exploit Korea’s barren land. Sensing Japan’s
ambitions, Ahn suggested an attack on Deputy
Ambassador Gonsuke Hayashi to the Korea
Peace Preservation Council, or Boanhoe. But the
council turned down the proposal, and Ahn’s
plot was never carried out.
Instead, Ahn planned to create a base for an
independence movement abroad, but when this
proved difficult, he started working on educa-
tion. That was when he actively participated in
the Seowu Academic Society, a group focused on
educating talented youth, and the National Debt
Repayment Movement, a nationwide fundraiser
to repay the Korean Empire’s debt to Japan. Ahn
encouraged the teachers and students at his
Samheung Academy to raise funds and send
them to the Daehan Maeil Shinbo newspaper.
Ahn’s participation in the National Debt Repay-
ment Movement was not an isolated effort.
In early August 1907, Ahn left Korea and
traveled through Jiandao to seek refugee in Vlad-
ivostok. There, he began in earnest the resistance
work he had been planning in Korea. But his
attempt to preemptively drive Imperial Japan
from Korea ended without significant results,
and this failure ended up restricting the inde-
pendence movement’s activities.
In order to overcome this situation, Ahn
organized the Jeongcheon Alliance, which took
as its platform that the independence of Korea
and peace in Asia was heaven’s will. Still the
struggle against Japan was stagnant.
To trigger a breakthrough, Ahn made up his
mind to assassinate Hirobumi Ito, the former
resident-general of Korea, and carried out the
attack in the now-Chinese city of Harbin.
At his trial after the assassination, Ahn dis-
played composure and courage, continuing to
stand against Japan. It was the first case in the
history of Korean nationalism that a trial had
been used to fight annexation by imperial Dr. Shin Un-yong
senior researcher at the
Japan. Ahn Jung-Geun Memo-
Ahn’s heroic act derived from his philosophy. rial Foundation
As a Catholic, he said he often contemplated
what God had planned for him and concluded
that the liberation of Korea and maintenance of
peace in Asia was God’s will. He believed that
punishing Hirobumi Ito was the perfect way to
realize this will. The attack was a consequence of
his realization that he would not be be able to
achieve religious satisfaction without working
toward Korean independence.
Ahn proposed the ways to realize God’s will
in his unfinished essay “On Peace in East Asia.”
This work laid out Ahn’s pan-Asian peace theory,
an embodiment of his passion for peaceful
coexistance between Korea, China and Japan
and for an ethical world. His vision 100 years ago
is remarkably similar to the trail blazed by the
European Union in modern times.
He proposed that Korea, Japan and China
Ahn believed that an independent
Korea and peace in East Asia
were God’s will, and this was
behind his passion for his cause.
take gather together and establish an economic
community with a common development bank,
currency and military to keep peace in East
Asia.
This pan-Asian peace theory provides realis-
tic solutions to the challenges and problems the
world faces even today. Ahn Jung-geun was a
man with an exceptional sense of international
affairs and a profound understanding of history.
He deserves respect not just from Koreans but
also the whole world, and we Koreans take pride
in this visionary patriot.
October 2009 korea 13
 News in Focus

N
o one would dispute that the Korean writing
system, also called Hangeul, is a marvel —
the world’s only alphabet in common usage
created out of whole cloth. But can other
cultures be convinced to use it to write down their lan-
guages, too?
That’s the hope of the Korean scholars at the Hunmin-
jeongeum Society, and they’re off to a good start. The
Cia-Cia tribe in Indonesia, which has no official alphabet
of its own, decided to adopt Hangeul at the end of July.
The small minority of about 60,000 people has its own
spoken language, but the absence of a written one has
made it difficult for them to record their culture and his-
tory. So they have become the first non-Korean popula-
tion to embrace Hangeul as an official writing system.
Cia-Cia students are now learning the Korean alphabet
from special textbooks written and donated by the Hun-
min-jeongeum Society.

[JoongAng Ilbo]
And a wider interest in the Korean language is spread-
ing, too. Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia’s largest
university, established a Korean department in 2003 for
students hoping to work at Korean companies. Burapha
University and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand

The World’s Fascination with

Chinese professors take
Korean-language classes of- and the University of Hong Kong all provide Korean stud-
fered by The Korea Founda- ies courses as well. In Tokyo, a group of Korean and Japa-
tion for Advanced Studies. nese professors will officially launch the first Korean lan-

Korea’s ‘Correct Sounds’ guage and research institute in Japan on Sept. 26 at Mejiro
University.
Kang Bong-sik, a Korean professor at Iwate Prefec-
tural University and the first president of the new insti-
Language education explodes overseas as interest in Hangeul soars tute, says he plans to offer training for teachers of Korean
in Japan and develop Korean textbooks for Japanese
learners.
Kim Jung-sup, head of Kyung Hee University’s Insti-
tute of International Education and president of the Inter-
14 korea October 2009 October 2009 korea 15

national Association for Korean Lan-
guage Education, said over 700 univer-
sities in 60 countries around the world
have Korean language departments.
Founded in 1985, the IAKLE is the
largest association of Korean language
educators, with over 1,500 members.
“This clearly shows the Korean lan-
guage is gaining popularity around the
world,” Kim said. “Of course, students’
level of learning Korean has also
improved compared to past years as
well.”
In some cities, Korean language
education isn’t just a mind-expanding
curiosity — it’s vital. That’s why in
Shanghai, 350 Chinese workers at some
40 Korean mid-sized companies will
enjoy Korean language classes funded
by the Korean Ministry of Knowledge
Economy, to help them interact with
their corporate parents in their native
tongue. The ministry’s plan will cost 200
million won ($166,000).
Lee Chang-bok, CEO of Fischbach
China and Fischbach Korea, which
makes sealant and adhesive cartridges,
said the company employs 120 Chinese
workers. Only two of the workers at its
Shanghai offices are Korean citizens.
16 korea October 2009
Lee uses a Korean-Chinese interpreter to commu- Oh Eun-suk, head of the BJ Korean
The Cia-Cia nicate with his Chinese employees, but he hopes the Centre, said the institute, with the
tribe became
the first group
language education program will allow them to com-
municate directly.
Knowledge Economy Ministry, cur-
rently provides Korean lessons to 274
“Fischbach China has its headquarters in Korea, Chinese workers at 24 Korean mid-
outside Korea and the workers in China make regular visits to head- sized companies based in Shanghai. The
quarters to receive training on new technology and center was established in 2003 with just
to adopt procedures,” Lee said. “But because many of our non- 14 students in two classes — both of
Hangeul as its Korean workers cannot speak Korean, we cannot send which Oh taught alone — but today it
those Chinese workers to Korea for training ses- has grown into a linchpin of the Korean
alphabet. sions.” government’s educational plan in the
If their local employees are able to become fluent Chinese city, of which Oh is justly
in Korean, Lee says, they will be able to communicate proud.
more freely, which will in turn boost productivity. The center now has over 1,000 stu-
The company plans to offer incentives to Chinese dents, 60 classes and 30 teachers. Three
workers who acquire fluent Korean, such as promo- branches are now operating in Shanghai
tions and business trips to Korea. alone, with plans to establish another in
Currently, 18 out of Fischbach’s 120 Chinese work- the capital of Beijing in the future.
ers take Korean language classes every Saturday for “I’d say Korean has become the third
four hours, with the assistance of the Knowledge Econ- language that Chinese people want to
omy Ministry and the BJ Korean Centre, a language learn after English and Japanese,” Oh
institute in Shanghai. said. “Many say Korean learning among
“The majority of workers asked us to expand class Chinese people mushroomed along
hours so that they could be exposed to a Korean envi- with the Hallyu [Korean Wave], but I
ronment even more,” Lee said. “Now the Korean class- don’t agree with that. A growing num-
es are offered for two hours on Wednesdays and three ber of Chinese are turning to Korean
hours on Saturdays.” because they are aware that more and
The 18 workers will take Korean classes for a total more Korean companies are tapping
of 100 hours, and they will sit for the Korean Language into the Chinese market by establishing
Proficiency Test at the end of this year, Lee said. local branches. Chinese are starting to
think that, in near future, they may have
the chance to use Korean in line with the
surge in the number of Korean compa-
nies on the mainland.”
Indeed, the number of people taking
the Korean Language Proficiency Test
in China is skyrocketing year by year.
According to data provided by the Korea
Institute for Curriculum and Evalua-
tion, only 261 peopled took the profi-
ciency test in China in 2000. But nine
years later, the number had jumped
drastically to 143,470, a whopping
increase of 549 times.
Yang Yingying, a 23-year-old college
student, signed up for a six-month
course at the BJ Korean Centre because,
she says, she wants to build her academ-
[YONHAP]
ic career in this country.
“It’s really hard to imitate Korean
Left, primary school students of the Cia-Cia tribe in Indonesia open their textbooks, written in pronunciation,” Yang said. “Some Kore-
Hangeul. The Cia-Cia have no native alphabet, so they adopted Hangeul as their writing system an letters confuse me because they
at the end of July. sound differently than they’re written.”
Above, a placard announces the beginning of Cia-Cia language class using the Korean alphabet Yu Xiang, who worked at a Korean
at the primary school. The tribe is the first non-Korean population to use Hangeul as their official company five years ago, started taking
writing system. language courses at the institute last
News in Focus
Learning Korean in Seoul
Korean language study has been gaining popularity over the past few years.
As the popularity of the Korean language grew by foreigners residing in Korea
and in other countries, the demand for Korean language education contin-
ues to increase as well. There are several ways you can embrace the Korean
language through language courses run by universities, private language insti-
tutes and volunteer and state-supported organizations.
• Language programs run by universities in Korea
Seoul National University, Language Education Institute
language.snu.ac.kr/english Tel : 02-880-5488 Fax : 02-871-6808
Yonsei University, Korean Language Institute
www.yskli.com Tel : 02-2123-8550 x2
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Center for Korean Language
and Culture
www.hufs.ac.kr/hufskorean/ Tel: 02-2173-2260 Fax: 02-2173-2257
Sogang University, Korean Language Education Center
klec.sogang.ac.kr Tel : 02-705-8088~9
• Free Language Programs
Seoul Global Center and Seoul Global Village Centers
(Hotline: Tel : 02-1688-0120)
global.seoul.go.kr/global/view/living/liv03_04.jsp
Seoul Global Center: 02-2075-4140
Korea Foundation Culture Center
www.kfcenter.or.kr Tel : 02-32151-6500 Fax : 02-2151-6590
Migrant Workers Center
www.migrantok.org/english/ Tel : 02-6900-8002
Seongdong Migrant Workers’ Center
www.smwc.or.kr Tel : 2282-7974~5
• Where you can watch latest Korean movies with English subtitles
CINUS Myeong-dong is located on the 10th and 11th floors of the Tab-
by 2 shopping mall in Chungmuro-2(i)ga.
By subway: Take line 4 to Myeongdong station (stop 424) and go out Exit 6.
Once you leave the stairs, turn left. There is an outside ticket booth for the
theatre on the corner. You can enter the store to access the elevators to the
10th and 11th floors.
www.cinus.co.kr/Front/Movie/EngService/AboutService.aspx
• Korean language learning out of Korea
Where you can learn Korean online for free
Radio Korea International Site : rki.kbs.co.kr/learn_korean/lessons/e_index.
htm
Arirang TV : www.arirang.co.kr/Tv/Lets_Whats_On.asp?
PROG_CODE=TVCR0110
• To find books for learning Korean
Search “Korean language” www.amazon.com
To find Korean movie or TV soap opera DVD with foreign language subtitles,
search “Korean DVD” at www.amazon.com.
October 2009 korea 17

Though Korean education is growing rapidly, there are still hurdles:
a shortage of high-quality teaching materials, lack of a solid network
between Korea scholars and a serious headstart by other countries.
year.
“I started learning Korean because I want to
work at a Korean company [again],” the 28-year old
woman said. “It’s still not easy to express things in
Korean.”
And it’s not just Chinese workers who are eager
to master Korean.
Kim of the IAKLE said that of the 1,000 univer-
sities in China, there are about 100 designated by
the Chinese government to nurture global talent
— and they all have Korean departments.
“Only 40 universities in China taught Korean in
2002, 10 years after diplomatic ties between Korea
and China were established in 1992,” Kim says.
“Now the number jumped to 100. The increase
obviously indicates how the Chinese perspective
toward learning Korean has changed in a positive
way.”
Minzu University of China (formerly called the
Central University for Nationalities) and Beijing
International Studies University hold a Korean
speech contest, while Beijing Language and Culture
University holds a Korean writing competition
every year.
Kim at the IAKLE suggests that to promote
Korean language education at a global level it is
crucial for Korean language groups to work togeth-
er to expand the scope of classes offered.
Also important is the creation of a network to
allow Korea scholars in foreign countries to share
information about language education with schol-
ars in Korea, Kim says.
To spread Korean language education even fur-
ther, Kim says research institutions need to suggest
“prototype” measures for overseas Korean language
instruction.
“Many overseas teachers have complained to
me about a lack of sufficient teaching materials and
A Korean student, left, participates
textbooks, not to mention teachers’ manuals,” Kim
[JoongAng Ilbo]
in a language exchange with a
Chinese student in a cafeteria at a says. “If prototype ideas for teaching are developed,
university in China. it will definitely propel Korean language education
to a global level.” By Kim Mi-ju
18 korea October 2009
The Monarch
Who Created
a Culture
H
angeul was developed by King Sejong the Great,
who reigned over Korea from 1418 to 1450, dur-
ing the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
King Sejong is revered by Koreans as one of their
greatest historical figures, because, among other accomplish-
ments, he was the first to develop a Korean script, which he
elucidated in a tome titled Hunminjeongeum, which was the
name of the script as well, until it was renamed Hangeul lat-
er. This early textbook was written with a group of scholars,
members of the Jiphyeonjeon, or Hall of Worthies, in 1446.
Hunminjeongeum literally means “Correct Sounds for the In-
[JoongAng Ilbo]
King Sejong the Great
News in Focus
struction of the People.”
During his reign, King Sejong deplored the fact that common
people were not able to read and write because the Chinese
characters used by the educated classes were so difficult. To
help commoners become literate, King Sejong envisioned an
alphabet that was uniquely Korean, easily learned and acces-
sible to anyone.
King Sejong believed that because Chinese characters, known
as hanja here, originated in a foreign country, they could never
convey the full meaning behind Korean words and thoughts.
Also, because commoners could not read and write, they were
unable to file grievances against government authorities except
in face-to-face meetings, and also could not keep records on
harvests or agricultural techniques.
When Hunminjeongeum was propogated in 1446, it initially
faced obstacles due to resistance from the intelligentsia, but
others quickly picked it up and soon it became the script for a
variety of flourishing new literary forms.
The alphabet in Hunminjeongeum originally had 28 letters, but
only 24 are in use today — 10 vowels and 14 consonants.
Early critics of Hangeul derisively called it achimgeul, or “morn-
ing letters,” because they could supposedly be learned in
a single morning, or amgeul, “women’s letters,” because
women with no academic training could pick them up without
difficulty. Many of these aristocrats believed reading, writing
and the pursuit of knowledge to be the exclusive right of a
privileged few.
In modern linguistics the Korean language is classified as a
Ural-Altaic language, a group that also includes Mongolian,
Hungarian and Finnish, and its alphabet, Hangeul, is unique
among all world scripts — the only one to be developed at one
time as part of a conscious project to create a scientific and
efficient method of expression.
 By Kim Mi-ju
<Korean Expressions>
안녕하세요. 만나서 반갑습니다.
저는 제이미 피터슨라고 해요.
[Annyeonghaseyo. Mannaseo bangapsseumnida.
Jeoneun Jamie Peterson-rago haeyo.]
Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jamie Peterson.|
한국에 온 지 일년 됐어요.
[ Hanguk e on ji ilnyeon dwaesseoyo.]
It’ s been about a year since I arrived in Korea.
안녕하세요. 주말 잘 보내셨어요?
[Annyeonghaseyo. Jumal jal bonaesyeosseoyo?]
Hello. Did you have a nice weekend?
제 취미는 영화 감상이에요.
[Je chwiminun yeonghwa gamsang ieyo.]
My hobby is watching movies.
October 2009 korea 19

Much More Than Just Letters
For two designers, the Korean alphabet is key to a great national brand
A
s governments worry over promoting
their image overseas, one word keeps
coming up: Brand. And what could be
better for Korea’s national brand than
the use of Hangeul in high fashion?
Two Korean designers — Lie Sang-bong and
Lee Geon-maan — have taken to using the local
alphabet on their clothes, introducing the script
and its traditional calligraphy overseas through a
fresh channel.
Throughout his life, Lee, 46, has been interest-
ed in culture, art, design and fashion. And this isn’t
the first time Lee has used Hangeul in his work,
either.
“It was in 1996, when I started teaching art stu-
dents at Hongik University as a part-time lecturer,
that I began to think about how to make Hangeul
recognized as a world-renowned brand,” Lee said.
“I kept emphasizing to students that only creative
ideas and designs become admired on the world
stage.”
In 2001, Lee, eager to introduce the beauty of
Hangeul, established his own company, LEE GEON
MAAN AnF, in Buam-dong, northern Seoul.
“In the past, people did not even imagine Han-
geul could be used as a tool for design. In other
words, no one dared ‘play’ with our language
because we Koreans considered it holy and pre-
cious, not something to be applied recklessly,” Lee
explained. “Moreover, Koreans of the old genera-
tion lacked the self-confidence to introduce Han-
geul to others because they focused on learning
foreign languages like English and Chinese.”
Lie, 37, who runs Lie Sang-bong Paris in Yeok-
sam-dong, southern Seoul, calls Hangeul a lan-
guage with potential, and says now is the time for
Koreans to use their linguistic heritage to attract
global attention.
A female model in a fashion “When I first presented dresses with Hangeul
show wears a dress and calligraphy on them during a fashion show in Par-
[JoongAng Ilbo]
carries a bag inscribed with is, France, in 2005, foreign designers, curators,
Korean calligraphy.
journalists and officials involved in the culture
industry got interested in Hangeul since they had
20 korea October 2009
Lie Sang-bong (top left) and Lee Geon-mann (above left) are leading a movement to use the script in fashion and other designs, above right,
fashion designer Lie Sang-bong created a Hangeul calligraphy design for Esse, a KT&G tobacco product.
never seen it before,” Lie said. “I explained to them
everything — the meaning, the history, the culture
— hidden inside the language. When those foreigners
learned about the background, they were so fasci-
nated and surprised at Hangeul and its design.”
Lie pointed out that until a few years ago, Korean
people seemed not to take pride in their own lan-
guage. Since 1985, the designer has worked to pro-
mote the script by balancing Oriental and Western
characteristics for the right dash of exoticism against
a background familiar to foreigners.
In separate interviews, both Lee and Lie agreed
that the world is changing, and branding is becoming
more important than ever.
The “AnF” in Lee’s company name stands for “Art
and Future” because, he said, unlike in the past, art
will play an important role in determining a country’s
influence, image, characteristics and, eventually, des-
tiny in coming years.
The designers spoke of branding as the power to
shape a nation’s image and even its characteristics.
However, both regretted how little the Korean
government and the public has done to devel-
op Hangeul.
“The Korean government and the peo-
ple should combine their efforts to create an
atmosphere in which Hangeul can be
exposed to as many people as possible and
can be widely applied to a lot of areas
freely,” Lie said. “We ought to teach the
younger generation that Hangeul is
something that they should be proud A small bag by Lee Geon-mann
News in Focus
of.”
‘Hangeul can And Lee has another idea to increase
have a big Hangeul’s popularity around the
world.
impact in other “If we regard culture as like a human
countries if we body, fashion can be considered the
spirit. We should introduce and sell our
put our heads spirit to foreigners by reprocessing the
together.’ material called Hangeul,” Lee stressed.
“Hangeul can have a big impact in oth-
er countries if we put our heads togeth-
er and come up with a way to combine
world fashion trends with Korean cul-
ture, tradition and Hangeul.”
Lie and Lee believe that a creative
mind is the essence behind any form of
design — including Hangeul — and
that there is no time to waste.
The two artists’ passion and love for
the Korean alphabet will continue, as
they plan to present more Hanguel-
based designs and expand their busi-
nesses overseas.
Lee is slated to open his first store
in Japan early next month and is plan-
ning to enter the United States and
Europe in the long term.
Lie, who already has influence in
European cities including Paris
and Moscow, is now looking into
China, Japan and Dubai.
By Lee Min-yong
October 2009 korea 21
 Diplomacy

D
uring his six-day trip to the United States this
month, Korean President Lee Myung-bak stepped
up diplomatic efforts to tackle a wide range of
global issues, ranging from the economic recovery
to climate change and the North Korean crisis.
“The trip is expected to help significantly strengthen our
cooperation with the international community, as President
Lee will reaffirm the country’s commitment to green growth
and explain its firm stance and policy on the North Korean
nuclear issue,” presidential spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said
prior to Lee’s departure.

In his keynote speech at the United Nation General Assem-
bly, Lee called for the international community to establish a
new governance system to deal with the global water crisis. In
the speech given at the gathering of world leaders on Sept. 23,
Lee said, “It is time for the international community to form
an effective water governance system,” noting that more than
half of the world population is suffering from scarcity of water
and water-related disasters caused by climate change.
Lee said South Korea had reviewed water problems in Asia
and that the most urgent tasks were the supply of clean water
and policy and infrastructure to prevent floods. Lee also high-
lighted the success of his Cheonggyecheon Stream project and
Korea’s plan to restore its four major rivers, urging the leaders
to join his efforts to manage water resources with care.
“I understand that about 20 UN bodies have paid attention
to the water crisis and worked on the issue. It is a complex
matter that will have widespread effects. Therefore, I call for a
more specialized, consolidated plan to manage water in order
to establish more effective international cooperation system,”
he said.
In his UN speech, Lee also said Korea is trying to become
a global nation by providing more international aid. Lee recon-
firmed Korea’s promise to triple its official development assis-
tance by 2015 and highlighted the volunteer work by Korean
youth in 40 nations.
Korean President Lee Myung- Lee also pledged to increase Korea’s participation in peace-
bak gives a keynote speech keeping operations to fight terrorism, prevent global conflict
at the United Nations General
Assembly during his trip to
[NEWSIS]
President Lee Myung-bak, center, and Australian Prime Minister Kevin
Rudd, left, preside over a UN summit on climate change in New York.
and provide help in disaster-stricken areas.
Ahead of the General Assembly meeting, Lee attended a
UN summit on climate change, where he said Korea would
announce its mid-term greenhouse gas reduction target before
the end of this year, making it the first developing country to
do so voluntarily.
On the sidelines of the UN gatherings, Lee also had a series
of one-on-one meetings with leaders of China, Japan and oth-
ers to discuss bilateral and global issues including the North’s
nuclear arms program and Lee’s “grand bargain.”
In his speech at the Council for Foreign Relations on Mon-
day, Lee suggested a far-reaching deal be proposed at the six-
party talks in which North Korea would swap dismantlement
of the core parts of its nuclear arms program with security
assurances and international economic aid.
Following the UN meetings, Lee and other leaders of the
world’s major economies were scheduled to gather in Pitts-
burgh on Sept. 24 and 25 for the G-20 financial summit.
Before the gathering, Lee asked leaders to consider institu-
tionalizing the G-20 process as a means to strengthen global
governance. Korea is seeking to host the next G-20 meeting,
which would be the fourth to be held here.  By Kim Soo-ae

G-20 Must Champion Transparency, Caution

[YONHAP]

New York last month.

The September joint statement from cial markets after the current global “In the late 1930s, exit strategies
Korean President Lee Myung-bak and economic downturn. Lee and Rudd also were poorly managed, with fiscal and

Water management, climate Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd,

published in the Financial Times, reaf-
firmed the leaders’ belief that the world
reiterated the importance of thorough
cooperation among the world’s major
economies to achieve a smooth transi-
monetary policies undermining recov-
ery and leading to a double-dip reces-
sion in many countries,” the statemen-

and North: Lee’s focus at UN needs to be cautious as it returns to

growth. But Lee also pledged that Korea
is committed to drawing up an exit
strategy with the global community.
The Korean president met with and spoke before world leaders about resource In the statement, Lee and Rudd
management, economic recovery and the institutionalization of the G-20 emphasized the importance of the G-20
group to usher in a new era of more
transparent and well-regulated finan-
tion from the current expansionary
measures to tightening policies.
The two stressed that managing the
transition from crisis to recovery would
be as important and daunting as weath-
ering the downturn, and that a failure to
do so may bring disastrous setbacks like
the ones seen in the Great Depression.
tread. “This time it is important that we
get it right.”
Drawing up a plan for exactly when
and how to kick-start an exit strategy is
a tricky endeavor full of potential haz-
ards and challenges, but the task is too
important to be handled in a rush, the
leaders said. By Jung Ha-won

22 korea October 2009 October 2009 korea 23

 Global Korea
The state-run KOICA has sent about
1,500 volunteers to 27 developing
countries to offer a helping hand.

T
he scene was the Royal University of Phnom
Penh in the Cambodian capital city. Braving
the tropical Southeast Asian heat, volunteer
Park Na-ri was giving a special Korean lan-
guage lesson to students in summer school.
The 41-year-old Park is working with the Korea
International Cooperation Agency, or KOICA.
Founded in 1991, KOICA is a government agency
under the auspices of the Foreign Ministry charged
with implementing the country’s grant aid and other
overseas development assistance programs. Park is
one of dozens of volunteers in Cambodia, teaching
everything from Korean language to music, arts and
other crafts.
Before going to Cambodia last year, Park worked
for the Korean-American Educational Commission,
which operates the Fulbright grant programs. She
says she enjoyed her work, but “I wanted to do what
I actually wanted to do, which was to share whatever
I had with others.”

Learning How Best to Help Lee Eun-sook, formerly an employee at a Korean

financial firm, now manages volunteers at KOICA’s
Cambodian office. This is her fourth year in Cambo-

the World’s Least Fortunate dia; she began with two years as a volunteer.
Lee says she quit her previous job to come to
Cambodia to bring herself out of her shell, “out of my
comfort zone,” and that it was the best decision she
ever made. Lee added that once she comes home next
An army of volunteers accompanies monetary and other aid year, she plans to join a human rights organization or
an agency supporting migrant workers.
as a once war-torn country begins to make its mark as a donor KOICA has sent nearly 1,500 volunteers to 27

Provided by KOICA
developing countries around the world. It has also
contributed in other areas, building a large embank-
ment in the Vattay region, about 65 kilometers (40
miles) north of Phnom Penh, to prevent floods in the
24 korea October 2009 October 2009 korea 25

Korea’s Official Development Assistance
(Unit : million U.S. dollars)
Cooperation and Development. Some
nations donate as much as 0.8 percent
of their GNI in ODA.
Even United Nations Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon last year called
Korea’s ODA “pitifully and embarrass-
ingly meager.” Coming from the for-
mer foreign minister who once over-
saw ODA programs, that comment
sounded particularly harsh.
“Korea is a very new donor coun-
try,” said Lim Hoon-min, director of
the development policy division at the
ministry. “We think that at this stage it
is too much for Korea to be compared
Source: Korea International Cooperation Agency,
with other nation donors.”
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development The country can’t be blamed for
lack of trying, though — the Korean
government has set out a series of poli-
rainy season. The agency spent $2 million on the cies and strategies to push up its assis-
project over two years, starting in 2007 with a 14-ki- tance in the future.
lometer long embankment. According to the Foreign Ministry,
KOICA has also helped preserve the cultural Korea is aiming to reach a 0.25 percent
heritage at Angkor Wat, a major tourist destination ODA to GNI ratio by the year 2015.
in Cambodia. The agency paved a two-lane detour There is also a plan in place to push up
around the site so that vehicles wouldn’t have to drive grant aid gradually in absolute terms.
directly through the treasured place. Finally, two years ago the National
Thus, aid from Korea can come in the form of Assembly passed a resolution to
volunteer work — the number of overseas volunteers increase the ODA to GNI percentage to
has soared from 44 in 1990 to nearly 1,000 last year the levels of other, more experienced
— monetary assistance, or in some other form. donors.
The cash help is formally called “official develop- The Foreign Ministry is the first to
ment assistance,” or ODA. According to the Foreign admit that Korea lacks basic policy
Ministry, ODA by definition means “grants or loans guidelines despite more than two
to developing countries undertaken by the public decades of providing development
sector with the promotion of economic development assistance. It acknowledges also that
and welfare as their main objective.” The assistance the ODA related-laws currently in
may come cheaper than market rates, too. place, such as the KOICA Act and the
In its years as a war-torn country in the mid-20- Economic Development Cooperation
th century, Korea was a recipient of such aid. The Fund Act, only present very general
Foreign Ministry estimates that Korea had received goals for the nation’s development
more than $10 billion in accumulated aid by the projects.
1980s. “Korea is an emerging donor and
But since the 1990s, Korea has been a net donor, needs an ODA policy,” read a statement
with government ODA steadily increasing from on the ODA Korea Web site, operated
$212.1 million in 2000 to $803.9 million last year, by the Foreign Ministry, “to provide
according to KOICA. guidelines in areas such as project
Still, the Korean government has come under development, enforcement and evalua-
pressure to increase its assistance further, because it tion and to promote joint projects with
is still relatively small compared to its gross national international development agencies.”
income at just 0.09 percent. That puts Korea 25th Among the ministry’s goals for a
among members of the Organization for Economic new policy would be simply to
26 korea October 2009
Global Korea
announce to the world Korea’s intention to make a
greater contribution. The ministry believes that set
Cooperative Relief Initiative, a program for indebt-
ed, low-income nations. Under the
guidelines would “present Korea’s development assis- efforts are key MDRI, the International Monetary
tance philosophy and vision and propose construc- if Korea is to Fund, the IDA and the African Devel-
tive principles and strategic methods accordingly,” opment Fund take care of debt for
raising awareness among the Korean public of the bring its aid countries that become eligible for full
nation’s aids programs. up to global relief under IMF-World Bank criteria.
Officials in the government note that the interna- A ministry official said Korea
tional environment surrounding development assis-
standards. would seek out and promote coopera-
tance has changed. Thanks to globalization, they say, tive projects with other multilateral
mutual cooperation within the international com- development agencies, such as the
munity in dealing with global issues is now essential United Nations Development Pro-
for world security and prosperity. gram.
Against this backdrop, officials say the role of Internally, officials handling assis-
Korea, now one of the world’s major economies with tance programs agreed that Korea
the destruction of war a distant memory, has grown
and the scope of its development assistance has wid-
ened.
“And to meet these changes,” one official said,
“building an effective development assistance system
on firm principles is a must.”
Another official believed that since it would be
difficult for Korea to raise its ODA figures dramati-
cally over a short period, it should focus on areas
where even a relatively small amount of assistance
would be highly valued.
“Korea could raise its visibility by concentrating
on poverty reduction and sustainable development,”
the official said. “They are the main challenges of
international development cooperation today, and
Korea’s experience in poverty alleviation can serve as
a model.”
The ministry has set out some mid-term strate-
gies for the nation’s ODA program.
First, the government plans to expand humani-
tarian assistance to African nations, while maintain-
ing help for Korea’s Asian neighbors.
Government data show that more than 40 percent
of Korea’s bilateral ODA reaches Asia, compared to
just 14 percent for Africa. But that is more equal than
in 2002, when aid to Asia accounted for more than 75
percent of Korea’s bilateral assistance and less than 3
percent went to Africa.
To maintain its level of multilateral assistance,
Korea will continue to work with the International
Development Association, an organization under the
Provided by KOICA
World Bank that provides interest-free loans and
programs for poor nations, and with the African
Development Bank. According to its Web site, the
IDA is a major source of assistance for the world’s 79
poorest countries, including 39 in Africa. Top and above, volunteers sent by KOICA teach everything from Korean lan-
Korea also participates in the Multilateral Debt guage, the martial art Taekwondo to music and crafts.
October 2009 korea 27
 Global Korea

needs more aid experts. Academic

courses on aid at universities would be
one way to accomplish this, they said.
Strengthening Korea’s ties with
KOICA has ment strategies suggested that South Korea consider
providing ODA to the North.
even proposed In a report commissioned by KOICA, the Korea
including Institute for Development Strategy argued that devel-

Provided by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources

multilateral aid organizations and larg-
er donor countries is also part of Korea’s
mid-term strategy. Korea plans to do
this by promoting cooperation and
engaging in policy discussions. Host-
ing international ODA conferences,
the Foreign Ministry said, would help
Korea learn from the experiences of
outside organizations and donors.
Korea is also considering setting up
a research center specifically designed
to conduct studies on ODA and to
build a database of information on
other donors’ assistance projects.
Finally, Korea hopes to join the
Development Assistance Committee
by next year. Operating under the
OECD with 23 members, the DAC is a
forum for major industrialized coun-
tries to coordinate their aid efforts and
policies.
And these measures may or may
not involve North Korea. In Septem-
ber, a Seoul-based institute that con-
opment assistance to North Korea “should be sepa-
North Korea rated from the political issues” regarding the Pyong-
in its ODA yang regime.
The report also suggested the South should pro-
programs. vide incentives for the North “to behave in accor-
dance with the purpose of the assistance” and added,
“Through constant dialogue with North Korean offi-
cials, we should persuade the North to accept ODA
from Seoul and from the international community.”
“There’s definitely demand for development
assistance for North Korea,” the report read. “And
given the North’s reservations about the South, aid
through private organizations [rather than govern-
ment bodies] should be encouraged.”
The report also argued that help for the North Korean researchers and scientists have been recruited to expand diplomatic efforts to acquire resources in Southeast Asia.
could stabilize the North Korean regime and act as a
cushion in case of its sudden collapse.
South Korea’s ODA has been the target of criti-
cism as well as praise. But leaving that aside, Korea’s
transition from recipient to a donor has made it a
unique player in the field.
Korea’s Quest for Resources
Officials say foreign aid was crucial to Korea’s sus-
tained economic growth, and now is the time for it to
Two scientists driving in the mud in Vietnam are part of a vital state effort
help others do the same.

I
ducts research on economic develop- By Yoo Jee-ho
n mid-July, two researchers from the Korea Institute of
Geoscience and Mineral Resources — lead scientist Seo
Jeong-ryul and Kim In-joon — struck out with col-
leagues from the Vietnam Institute of Geology and Min-
eral Resources north of Hanoi, Vietnam.
After a few hours of driving, the road became impassable,
full with river water amid a huge typhoon. Rainfall and flood-
ing had left a pit 30 to 40 meters (98 to 131 feet) deep where
the road ought to be.
“We should schedule the date for our next exploratory
visit to avoid the rainy season,” Kim mused.
Seo and Kim are “resource diplomats,” deployed to assess
reserves of coal or other minerals and local conditions before
Korea begins joint research and exploitation of underground
resources. They bring with them information and techniques
that they teach to scientists and researchers at their destina-
tion. The scientists say this kind of mingling is necessary, as
[JoongAng Ilbo]
tists in the sector.
During their six-day trip in July, Seo and Kim often pulled
over with their local research team to estimate the geological
layers present in the region.
Seo has predicted untapped mineral deposits in the area
due to its unique rock formations. He says the minerals found
there could be rare.
“Several years back, scientists were stunned to find min-
eral deposits that gave out endless minerals the more you dig,”
Seo said. “That kind of land is very economical, and there is
a possibility that a similar deposit could be found in Viet-
nam.”
With help from the two Korean resource diplomats, the
Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources is plan-
ning on expanding its research networks in Southeast Asia
and elsewhere in the region. In 2010, the institute has plans to
open an international educational center and invite young

it helps the Korean government and local companies main-
tain close ties as they seek to invest in other countries’ resourc-
es.
Left, a Korean doctor examines a female patient in a developing country. Above, KOICA helps Considering that the two first visited Vietnam in 1993,
provide water to a remote village in Laos that would not otherwise be able to secure clean they have developed quite a formidible human network, and
water. today know many of the most important Vietnamese scien-
scientists annually for training.
“Though our minerals research industry isn’t as devel-
oped compared with nations such as Australia and Canada,
we have advanced infrastructure, know-how and human net-
works,” Kim said.
By Lee Eun-joo

28 korea October 2009 October 2009 korea 29

 Global Korea

Provided by National Institute of Animal Science

Opposite, Kenya, largely dependant on livestock farming, may see
fundamental change brought by artificial insemination, which will al-
low Kenya to breed cows best suited to its climate conditions. Left, a
female Kenyan merchant sells tropical fruit. Above, Korean research-
ers are breeding genetically improved livestock in the laboratory.

Pursuit of Science
A
cross the world at the Interna-
tional Livestock Research
Institute in Nairobi, Kenya,
tle milk compared to the amount they farms that have to squeeze high produc- ted by tsetse flies.
eat. tion from a small space. Animals and humans who catch this
One way to change that is artificial In Nakuru, the center of Kenya’s live- illness suffer headaches, fatigue and even

Brings Korea
scientists watch a cow’s preg-
nancy progress. But this cow is special —
artifically inseminated by Korean experts,
she’s the first cow to become pregnant this
insemination, which will allow Kenyan stock industry two hours’ drive north of paralysis for weeks. Death can follow
scientists to breed cows best suited for Nairobi, Korean Kim Gi-hwan runs Kim’s within a few months.
conditions in the West African nation. Poultry Farm. He also supplies feed to But a specific breed of African cow
Because of its technical difficulty, the pro- around 400 farms in the area. Along with seems to be immune to the illness. And

and Africa Closer way in the African country.

Agricultural sciences improve Kenyan life
as teams work to unlock genetic secrets
Meanwhile, this tentative step for the
Korean scientists will open the door to
more international cooperation in the
future.
Largely dependant on livestock farm-
ing and dairy products, Kenya will be
changed forever by this new calf. In fact, it
could even help the country overcome
chronic poverty. Around 70 percent of
Kenyan farmers keep livestock. And as the
country is still underdeveloped, with
many houses in the capital still lacking
electricity or a reliable water supply, milk
is a major source of protein for citizens. Yet
Kenya’s native cows produce relatively lit-
cess can have a success rate of less than 10
percent. But now the ILRI says it has
achieved a success rate of up to 40 percent,
thanks to help from the Korean National
Institute of Animal Science and Gyeong-
sang National University.
This June, Kenyan experts including
the head of the Kenya Agricultural
Research Institute visited Korea and asked
to expand scientific exchanges.
“Farmers in Kenya are mostly small-
scale, with less than 4.1 acres of land,” said
Oh Seong-jeong, a researcher at the NIAS.
According to Oh, Korea’s agriculture tech-
nology is a great fit for Kenya’s environ-
ment, because both based on small-scale
his feed, he passes on his knowledge of
breeding and care.
“If chickens got a disease, around 10
percent of the farms in this area would
close down, with enormous damage,”
Kim said. “However, by doing business
with my company, they are learning about
more advanced birthing techniques and
testing their livestock for diseases.”
Collaborations with teams from other
African countries have grown as well.
Recently, Korean scientists began research
on diseases traditionally prevalent in trop-
ical climates that are now spreading to
other countries, such as African trypano-
somiasis, or “sleeping sickness,” transmit-
Oh, with a team from Liverpool Univer-
sity working for ILRI, have pinpointed the
genetic mutation that sets this breed apart.
The team says that they are working on
cloning the cow to determine how the
gene counteracts the virus.
Meanwhile, a National Institute of
Animal Science team led by Ryu Jae-gyu,
together with a team of Italian scientists,
has been using African chickens to breed
a new species that will be less susceptible
to avian influenza. The breed of African
chickens they are using as a foundation
has a special gene, Mx, that makes them
resistant to the bird flu virus.
By Cho Jae-eun

30 korea October 2009 October 2009 korea 31

 Culture

Classics of the Global Stage, Rediscovered

Event brings spectacular performances of Puccini, Shakespeare and more

T
he excitement was building again in Seoul last
month, as the World Festival of National Theaters
got underway Sept. 4, gathering top-notch actors
and musicians from nine countries — Korea, Italy,
France, Belgium, Taiwan, Russia, Norway, Brazil and the
Philippines — for a total of 25 performances. The shows go
on until Nov. 4.
The annual event has become a staple of Korea’s festival
scene, providing an indispensable opportunity for local
audiences to experience more diverse performing arts cul-
tures. Though there are numerous theatrical festivals held in
the country every year, this one is perhaps one of the widest
in scope, including everything from dramas and operas to
ballets and classical music. The performances are held in
four different buildings at the National Theater of Korea
complex in central Seoul.
The festival initially focused primarily on dramas, but
now by its third year it has expanded into other genres as part
of its mission to advance cultural exchange between nation-
al theaters of different countries and enhance the global rec-
ognition of Korean performers. This year’s event features
more shows from more countries and has a heavier Asian
presence.
The theme, “Rediscovery of the Classics,” focuses on new
interpretations of traditional mainstays. So it’s appropriate
that the festival kicked off with a version of The Tempest by
the Contemporary Legend Theater of Taiwan.
The audience seemed overwhelmingly pleased with the
opening show. Kim Soo-jin, a resident of Dogok-dong,
southern Seoul, characterized it as a “jaw-dropping experi-
ence.” The next performance of note was La Cagnotte, a
comical play presented by France’s National Theater of Stras-
bourg. That performance took place from Sept. 9 to 12.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic
relations between Korea and Brazil, the Symphonic Orches-
tra of the Claudio Santoro National Theater of Brazil was

Provided by the National Theater of Korea

invited to perform. Conductor Ira Levin will present Cuban-
American composer Michael Colina’s Los Caprichos and
Brazilian composer Villa Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4
on Oct. 8, 9 and 10.
The San Carlo National Theater in Naples, Italy, one of
A scene from The Tempest as performed by that country’s top three opera houses and a world leader in
the Contemporary Legend Theater of Taiwan the form, performed Puccini’s Turandot on Sept. 25 and 26.
Among other highlights are Holeulone by the Belgian
troupe Dame de Pic; Esmeralda, based on Victor Hugo’s The
32 korea October 2009 October 2009 korea 33

Hunchback of Notre Dame and present-
ed by the Kremlin Ballet Theater of Rus-
sia, and Rainbow by the Cultural Center
of the Philippines. Grappa from Norway
also put on a musical dance perfor-
mance.
The festival includes four perfor-
mances by Korean troupes: Three Sisters
by the National Drama Company. Red
Cliff by the National Changgeuk Com-
pany, Kaya by the National Dance Com-
pany and a concert of four pieces by the
National Orchestra, which will close out
the event on Nov. 4.
Tempest
One of Shakespeare’s last master-
pieces, The Tempest is a romance filled
with magic, fantasy and symbolism. But
the version performed by the Contem-
porary Legend Theater of Taiwan inte-
grates traditional Chinese opera, folk
dance and Taiwanese music with Shake-
spearean poetry, thanks to the talent of
acclaimed movie director Tsui Hark and
Provided by the National Theater of Korea
34 korea October 2009
Unlike past Oscar-winning art director Tim Yip.
In 1979, Tsui caused a stir in the martial arts mov-
years, the ie genre with the historical drama-mystery The But-
terfly Murders. Just a few years later, he was invited to
2009 festival over a dozen international film festivals for his film
includes a Shanghai Blues. But his greatest acclaim would come
for A Chinese Ghost Story, which started the Hong
range of forms Kong New Wave movement on top of being a major
box office hit.
from opera to In 1988, Tsui received the Best Film Award at the
ballet and Oporto Film Festival in Portugal and the Special Jury
Prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival in France.
even musicals. He worked as a producer on A Better Tomorrow, which
skyrocketed to the top of Hong Kong box office charts,
and Peking Opera Blues, which drew worldwide atten-
tion. A Better Tomorrow III and The Killer, both
released in 1989, were also well received. The release
one after another of Swordsman II, Once Upon A Time
In China and New Dragon Inn signaled a peak in the
martial arts film market,
while King of Chess
received The Grand
Prize at the Scrittura
e Immagine Interna-
tional Film Festival.
Left, France’s National Theater of Strasbourg
performs its comical play La Cagnotte. Top, the
Kremlin Ballet Theater brought Esmeralda to
the festival, while above, the Brazil Symphony
Orchestra also participated.
While Tsui was directing Seven
Swords in 2004, The Contemporary
Legend Theater invited him to direct his
first stage performance, in The Tempest.
Thus did Tsui, the father of Hong Kong
noir, begin applying his unique vision of
Eastern aesthetics to theater. Tsui’s long-
time friend Wu Hsing-kuo joined the
cast of the production, and the show
premiered successfully at Taiwan’s
National Theater in 2004.
Turandot
Any man who desires to wed Turan-
dot must first answer her three riddles.
If he fails, he is beheaded.
This is the premise of Turandot, the
classic opera by Puccini that was first
staged only after his death.
In the opera, Calaf, the young prince
of Tartary, successfully answers the rid-
dles, but the cold-hearted princess
refuses to be his wife. So Calaf comes up
with a proposal for her: “You do not
know my name. Bring me my name
before sunrise, and at sunrise, I will die.”
Timur, Calaf ’s father, and Liu, his slave
girl, are dragged in and tortured to
reveal the prince’s name. But Liu, secret-
ly in love with the prince, stabs herself
to protect him. Touched by Calaf ’s love,
Turandot finally opens herself up to
him.
The opera’s rich music and delicate
expression of emotion always touches
the audience, while its beautiful and
exotic melodies, starting with the well-
known aria “Nessun Dorma,” which
never ceases to fascinate the audience,
are entrancing.
The production during the festival
gathered an outstanding cast and team
of producers including a number of top
singers in Europe. Paola Romano, who
was taught by Luciano Pavarotti, played
Turandot, and tenor Maurizio Graziani
appeared as Calaf. The opera was direct-
ed by Gianni Tangucci, the current head
of the San Carlo National Theater; con-
ducted by Marcello Mottadelli, a rising
star among European opera conductors,
and produced by Antonio Del Lucia,
also known as the “wizard of opera
direction.”  Asia and Africa.
 By Limb Jae-un
Culture
More scenes from the Taiwanese reimag-
ining of The Tempest, left, and the Italian
production of Puccini’s Turandot, above.
Interview Lim Youn-churl
“The festival is designed not only to introduce foreign
performances in Korea but also to show off domestic
talent.”
The World Festival of National Theaters will give regular Koreans a window onto the trends
of global performing arts, letting them learn from international performances, Lim Youn-
churl, president of the National Theater of Korea, told reporters.
“It is a rare opportunity for national theaters around the world to gather in Korea, and it’ll
be a good chance for local audiences to see world performances,” Lim said.
This is the first time Lim has overseen the annual festival because he was inaugurated as
head of the National Theater this January. Lim said the theme of this year’s festival, “Redis-
covery of the Classics,” means the programs contains several older pieces that have been
reconstructed so modern viewers can enjoy them, regardless of nationality or generation.
Lim was proud of this year’s effort. “The festival has become renowned worldwide. Coun-
tries that participate once want to do so again, and there are new countries that want to
join. So we’ve had a hard time selecting the program,” Lim said.
“I believe that national theater repertoires are not necessarily world-class, but they are
surely at the top of their class in their native countries. I believe that they represent the best
value for money,” the director added. “Unlike last year’s festival, which was dominated by
theater pieces, we have more diverse genres this year from operas and ballets to contem-
porary dance and musicals,” Lim said. “It will be the first time the Symphonic Orchestra of
the Claudio Santoro National Theater of Brazil has visited Korea.”
Lim also said the quality of domestic Korean performances has improved dramatically as
the festival has grown in stature. “The festival is designed not only to introduce foreign
performances in Korea but also to show off domestic talent,” Lim said.
He noted that the National Drama Company of Korea recently performed in Japan and is
scheduled to head to Brazil in October and the Philippines in November.
The National Theater of Korea has formed a network with troupes in Islamic countries, Lim
said, and intends to broaden the festival’s repertoire to include the Middle East, Central
October 2009 korea 35

A special reenactment of a Joseon Dynasty
court dance was held Sept. 9 at the Halla
Gymnasium on the Korean resort island of
Jeju-do to celebrate the opening of the 3rd
Delphic Games.
A Competition to Create
E
veryone knows athletes from
around the world gather to
compete at the Olympic Games
every four years, but did you
know there’s a similar event for artists and
performers? It’s called the Delphic Games,
also known as the “Culture Olympics.”
The event, a huge competition among
both amateur and professional artists
from around the world, is actually a mod-
ern resurrection of an ancient Greek cul-
tural festival of music and poetry that was
held from 582 B.C. to A.D. 394. It was
named after the sacred Greek city of Del-
phi, home to the Temple of Apollo and the
famous oracle.
The first Delphic Games of the mod-
ern era were held in Moscow in 2000,
with the second held five years later in
Kuching, Malaysia.
36 korea October 2009
[YONHAP]
The third edition of the international event took
place this year on the southern resort island of Jeju-do
from Sept. 9 to 14 under the theme, “Tuning into Nature.”
More than 1,500 artists and art lovers from 54 countries
gathered on Jeju-do to see about 600 participants com-
pete in six categories — music/acoustic arts, performing
arts, crafts/design/visual arts, linguistic arts, communi-
cation/social arts and architecture/environmental arts.
But the Games were not just about competition. Per-
formances and shows were held throughout the island
during the week, with the “Maestro Program” bringing
in five world-renowned artists from different fields to
display their skill and serve as judges. The list this time
included Mongolian traditional stringed instrument
player Tseyen Tserendorj, master of the one-man Korean
folk play Sim Wu-seong, American typography designer
Jill Bell, French poet Claude Mouchard and Spanish
architect Alejandro Zaera-Polo.
“Poetry is read only by a small number of people
nowadays, but it is still important and should be read
Culture
more, because poetry has a power to rep- realized as actual buildings in Gasiri Village, located in
resent social resistance,” the 68-year-old
Ten designs the southeastern part of the island.
celebrated French poet and scholar entered in the “We are currently discussing the plan with local gov-
Mouchard told the press during the ernments, and if we get the go-ahead on it, construction
games. architecture of the 10 buildings is expected to be completed around
Mouchard is known to be well versed next year,” said Kim Young-june, curator of the architec-
in Korean literature. In fact, it was he who
contest may ture/environmental arts section at the Games, who add-
made it possible for the French literary be actually ed that it is “meaningful in that ideas gathered from
quarterly Poésie to feature 12 Korean around the world will actually build something in Jeju-
poets, including Ko Un, Kim Chun-soo built on do.”
and Ki Hyung-do, early in 1999 when he The Spanish architect Alejandro Zaera Polo, who
worked as an editor there. That was the
Jeju-do. participated as judge in the architecture competition,
first time the respected journal had agreed.
focused exclusively on one country’s “I think it corresponds well to the goal of the Delphic
poets and poetry in depth. Games in that creation, which is the result of ideas from
Mouchard encountered a Korean various cultures, will remain as part of the culture here
poem translated into French for the first in Jeju-do.”  By Park Sun-young
time about 16 years ago, when some
Korean students in his class at Paris VIII
University showed it to him, and he has
been fascinated by Korean poets ever
since, participating in the translation and
publication of their work in France, he
said.
“Poetry will develop itself further in
the future through exchange with other
arts,” Mouchard said, adding that the Jeju-
do Delphic Games, which featured a
poem recital competition where not only
a poem’s text, but also its musicality and
expressions were assessed comprehen-
sively, is significant from that perspec-
tive.
In that contest, the Korean poet Kim
Il-young, who recited a poem he wrote
based on the life of his mother, who was a
diver from Jeju-do, was awarded the gold
medal, the first won by a Korean partici-
pant this year.
The folk master Sim performed his
work titled, Song of Tamra (Jeju), in which
the 75-year-old danced to a piece of music
combining “Odolttoki,” a chang (tradi-
tional Korean narrative song) representa-
tive of Jeju-do, and “Gamsugwang,” a Top, Korean folk play virtuoso Sim Wu-
popular song by Jeju-do-born Korean seong performs his original drama Song of
singer Hye Eun-i. Tamra (Jeju), which he created specially for
“The event is held in Jeju-do, but I felt the Jeju-do Delphic Games. Above, South
there were not many works related to Jeju- African performers parade at Sinsan Park in
do. So I came up with this performance, Jeju-do after the Delphic Games began. Left,
and I hope that it will serve as an oppor- French poet and scholar Claude Mouchard
tunity for Jeju-do culture to come into its attended the Jeju-do Delphic Games in his
own,” Sim said. capacity as judge for the poetry recital com-
Meanwhile, plans are underway for petition and as “maestro” in the linguistic
10 entries in the architectural competi- arts. Mouchard has helped get French trans-
tion at the Jeju-do Delphic Games to be lations of Korean literature published.
October 2009 korea 37

Museum Fashion Show 2009
Ancient Heritage Meets Fashion
T
he National Museum of
Korea celebrated its 100th
anniversary with flair: a
fashion show sponsored by
the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and
Tourism and the Korea Fashion Asso-
ciation, to be precise. “Culture Through
Fashion” took place in the outdoor
plaza in front of the main building on
the last Saturday of August.
In celebration of the anniversary,
the fashion show was put together to
showcase the collection at the muse-
um, often called the “Treasure House.”
Thus Korean fashion — a scene gain-
ing in prominence around the world
— got a chance to shine, while putting
a modern spin on some of Korea’s most
valuable heritage.
The fashion show was divided into
three parts: First came “Twilight,” rep-
resenting the past; second was “Light,”
for the present; and third, “Hope,” the
future. Well-known Korean designers
were on hand to reinterpret traditional
Korean art every step of the way.
38 korea October 2009
Clothes by Lee Young-hee, who
works with the traditional Korean han-
bok garment, opened the show, exam-
ining the Three Kingdoms Period (57
B.C.-A.D. 668) and Goryeo Dynasty
(918-1392). Lee’s contribution focused
on the natural beauty of the hanbok,
with its round silhouette, luxurious
textures and delicate embroidery.
Starting with the royal wardrobe,
Lee presented a diverse range of han-
bok used in ancient Korea, including
wedding garments, hunting outfits,
dress for newlyweds and young ladies,
for rituals and musical performances,
for babies, even for different seasons of
the year. Under soft glowing light, the
models walked down the runway in
their clothes influenced by Goguryeo
artifacts such as tomb murals, porce-
lain, crafts, folktales and sculptures.
Participating in the second part,
“Light,” were three Western fashion
designers and two hanbok designers,
with collections of wearable modern
outfits inspired by the museum.
Today’s hanbok are shorter and
more comfortable, as reflected in the
work of Lee Seo-yoon and Shin Sook-
young. In their hands the traditional
garment transformed into contempo-
rary chic with hoods, collars, ruffles,
flat shoes, hats and loose silhouettes.
Deep V-necks and short puffed sleeves
brought simplicity, while layers of thick
silk fabric and neutral colour schemes
maintained a Korean atmosphere
throughout the procession.
Western-style designers Hong Hye-
jin, Choi Ji-hyoung and Ye Ran-ji
spiced up their usual work, creating a
unique collaboration between the past
and the present. One model strode
down the catwalk in a tailored jacket
and tight pants with baekja white por-
celain on her fingertips. The model
who followed wore a mini-dress with a
black corset and a highly structured
bubble skirt modeled after baekja.
Jade green material and rounded
skirts alluded to Goryeo celadon, or
cheongja. Jackets embroidered with
Culture
The Museum Fashion Show
gave the Korean fashion in-
dustry a chance to show off its
creativity.
gold thread and metallic traditional patterns added a
more modern feeling to the Light collection.
The last part showcases a futuristic hanbok, again
from Lee Young-hee. The “Hope” version features
simple designs and strong colors on tube-top empire
dresses and sleeveless mini-dresses.
Celebrities including Korean actor Choi Soo-
jong, an official public relations representative from
the National Museum of Korea, were on hand to
celebrate the anniversary. Opera singer Kim Nam-
doo also came to join in.
Choi Soo-jong made a surprise appearance
on the runway, sporting the traditional dress
of the royal family. Later in the show, the actor
also performed a revue wearing a white
scholarly outfit, playfully chasing female
models.
Since Choi has appeared in many period
dramas on television, his performance
reminded the audience of his previous roles and
seemed right in step with the collision of eras.
Provided by the organizer
In the end, the fashion show attracted
more than 4,500 people, many of whom had
to stand, according to the National Museum
of Korea. 
By Susan Yoon
October 2009 korea 39

Film Industry’s CG Takes Off
The success of the movie Take Off shows just
how sophisticated Korea’s computer graphics
have become.
A
blockbuster film based on the true story of a Kore-
an ski jump team has become the No. 10 most seen
film of all time in terms of local ticket sales, with 7
million viewers as of Sept. 12 and more coming
every day. What’s the secret to the the success of Take Off? The
answer: a solid and heartwarming storyline backed up by
sophisticated computer graphics.
Take Off is the whimsical story of five regular people who
become unlikely national heroes when they form a Korean ski
jump team to compete in the Nagano Winter Olympics —
after some very questionable success at the Oberstdorf World
Cup. The five are Heung-cheol (Kim Dong-wuk), Chil-gu
(Kim Ji-seok), Bong-gu (Lee Jae-eung), Jae-bok (Choi Jae-
hwan) and Cha Heon-tae, also known as Bob (Ha Jung-woo).
They have many obstacles to overcome due to their unfamil-
iarity with Western winter sports. Under a coach (Seong
Dong-il) who doesn’t even know how to spell the words “ski
jump,” they are put through unorthodox and even life-threat-
ening training sessions such as being hung from a tree while
40 korea October 2009
one by one. This was an immense help
due to the sheer scale of the jumping
scenes, which required a lot of planning
and quick movement of cameras.
“It’s a very unique subject for a mov-
ie,” said Jung Seong-jin, supervisor of
the computer graphics in the film. “The
lineup for the scenes and special effects
were quite innovative compared to oth-
er sports-themed movies. The audience
will feel a visual shock as they watch.”
The most important job of the CG
team was to make the audience believe
that the actors were actually doing the
jumps. Because ski jumping is a danger-
ous sport which cannot simply be imi-
tated, this was left to the computers.
“We scanned 3D images of all the
actors’ faces and bodies and pasted them
onto full digital pictures on blank faces
and bodies,” explained Jung. “The films
were shot in front of chroma-key back-
drops [green or blue sheets that can be
replaced with CG] with only the actors.
Viewers can expect many scenes like
these where full digital pictures play the
Provided by KM CULTURE
part of intricate backgrounds.”
performing flips and being pulled behind a speeding vehicle
in ski jumping position. For want of a real skip jump to prac-
tice on, they’re forced to use a flume ride at a deserted amuse-
ment park.
The pratfalls early in the film — and the spectacular tri-
umphs later — both require advanced technology. This was
left up to a Korean computer graphics team using locally-
developed techniques.
“Ski jump athletes go as fast as 120 kilometers per hour
[75 miles per hour] at peak speed,” says Kim Yong-hwa, the
director of Take Off. “It was difficult to capture these dynam-
ic flights with a fixed camera.”
To solve the problem, the director and crew chose to use
a camera called the Camcat. This camera, attached to a wire,
enabled them to film every last shot of the speedy jumpers
perfectly.
To help coordinate all the elements required for some of
the special effects shots, the crew plotted out many of them
beforehand in a computer simulation, adding in each piece
Culture
Actors are not
ski jumpers,
Although the main settings were the Oberstdorf
World Cup and Nagano Olympics, all the scenes were
filmed in Korea on a huge set in Pyeongchang-gun
County, Gangwon-do Province — an area with long-
so in action standing Olympic ambitions of its own.
“We filmed the scenes without any extras and later
sequences the we combined them with footage from Europe to simu-
computers late a foreign setting,” Jung said. “All the places that we
worked on don’t exist anywhere on Earth.”
had to step in. This was made possible with the help of KISTI, the
Korea Institute of Science and Technology Informa-
tion. “Picasso,” one of the world’s five supercomputers
devoted to computer graphics, was designed and is
now managed by KISTI. With EON, a company that
specializes in CG for films, Take Off put Picasso to the
test — one it passed with flying colors, as can be seen
in the flawless action sequences.
“The movie Take Off is a fine example of special
effects made well enough to compare to very techno-
logically advanced countries, thanks to the joint efforts
of KISTI and mid-sized companies,” said Park Young-
seo, the president of the institute. “We will not stop our
efforts to further develop Korea’s cultural industries
with the help of our supercomputers.”
Indeed, the future of Korean film looks bright, col-
orful and action-packed. 
By Kim Han-na
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Actor Ha Jung-woo plays the main charac-
ter Cha Heon-tae, left. Top and above, all the
scenes in the movie were filmed in Korea on
an enormous set in Pyeongchang-gun County,
Gangwon-do.
October 2009 korea 41

Feasts, games and gratitude
B
y the time you read this, Chu-
seok may already be a happy
memory.
The three-day Autumn
Equinox holiday, around the 15th day of
the eighth month according to the lunar
calendar, falls on Oct. 2 to 4 by the solar
calendar this year. Though perhaps not
as exciting as in years past (since it falls
on a weekend, workers only get one day
off instead of three), Chuseok is still a
festive occasion — and a great chance to
get a peek at many formative aspects of
Korean culture.
The word Chuseok is made up of two
Chinese characters, meaning “autumn”
and “evening” — a reference to the equi-
nox, and the belief that Chuseok night
brings out the largest full moon of the
whole year.
The meanings behind its other nick-
names — Jungchujeol, Hangawi and
Gabaeil — all rotate around “center” or
“big,” more references to the full moon.
Americans often call Chuseok
“Korean Thanksgiving,” since both cel-
ebrate the harvest. But in historical
terms, it might be more accurate to call
Thanksgiving an American version of
Chuseok, since the Eastern holiday has
been celebrated in some form for two
millennia or more.
Legend has it that King Yuri, the
third ruler of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-
A.D. 935), held a weaving contest at the
42 korea October 2009
More than 70 palace around the year A.D. 32. This battle between two
teams of court ladies lasted for a month, ending on the
percent of 15th day of the eighth month by the lunar calendar,
when the work of the two teams was shown to the king.
Koreans leave The king named the winners, and the losing team had
the cities to to throw a feast for them.
It’s said that tradition of feasting on this day began
return home to spread outside the royal court and finally became a
national holiday. The holiday did begin to involve an
on Chuseok. element of thanksgiving over time, but the thanks went
not to a god, but to each family’s deceased ancestors and
living parents. One might say Koreans gave thanks for
their roots.
That is why so many people in Seoul and other big
cities return to their hometowns in rural areas at Chu-
seok despite hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic, leav-
ing behind eerily quiet urban streets. According to a
Korea Transport Institute survey, the number of Kore-
ans on the go between cities during Chuseok last year
was 34.4 million, more than 70 percent of the total
population of 48.3 million.
Including many foods served at ancestral rites,
Chuseok is also a popular holiday among gourmands.
Two quintessential Chuseok foods are songpyeon and
toranguk.
Songpyeon is a crescent-shape stuffed rice cake,
whose recipe varies slightly from region to region.
Some provinces replace rice with potato or sweet pota-
to starch to wrap the cake. Ingredients used to stuff the
songpyeon also vary, from red beans to chestnut or
jujubes.
Toranguk is the Korean word for taro soup, with
ingredients including radishes, sea tangles, marinated
meat and of course the sweet potato-like root. It is a
Songpyeon, a Chuseok treat favorite during Chuseok as a digestive aid for the rest
Culture
Opposite left, a family gathers from across the country to show respect in
an ancestral rite, a tradition that Koreans have repeated on Chuseok for
around 2,000 years. Opposite right, Chuseok is an occasion to appreci-
ate one’s ancestors and one’s roots. Left, Korea’s bountiful rice harvest
provides another reason to celebrate and be thankful during the autumn
festivities.
of the bounteous feast.
Fruit is a daily part of the Korean diet
One of the women, with a strong
voice, shouted a rhyme, which called for
do Province.
For those not satisfied with only
today, but historically it was a delicacy, so the refrain from the rest of the women written knowledge, there are many pro-
Chuseok also calls for persimmons and — “ganggang sullae.” The lead singer grams that allow participants to enjoy
pears along with jujubes and chestnuts. tried different rhymes, one at a time, Chuseok customs. Some of them are
And each of these has a meaning. Jujubes
symoblize prosperity; chestnut, the ever-
mostly extemporaneously. That pattern
repeats as the pace of the dancing quick-
available at the Namsan Hanok Village
(www.hanokmaeul.org), Korea House
lasting connection with one’s ancestors, ens, reaches a climax and then slows (koreahouse.or.kr), the Gyeongju Nation-
and persimmons, the importance of again before ending. al Museum (www.gyeongju.museum.
education, a time-honored value among Another popular Chuseok folk go.kr/eng), the National Folk Museum of
Koreans. The color of a pear, yellow, rep- games is juldarigi, or tug-of-war. Bull Korea (www.nfm.go.kr), the Korean Folk
resents the center of the universe in tra- fights (against other bulls, not people) Village (www.koreanfolk.co.kr) and the
ditional Chinese medicine, while white are also a tradition in some areas includ- National Museum of Korea (www.muse-
is reminiscent of the Korea’s traditional ing Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongsangnam- um.go.kr).  By Moon Gwang-lip
hanbok, which once earned Koreans the
nickname “white-clad folk.”
Since it calls for large family gather-
ings, Chuseok is also about folk games.
Many have unfortunately been forgot-
ten, but some of the traditional games
are still played today, including ganggang
sullae. This circle dance can be compared
with a square dance in the United States.
A large group listens to traditional nong-
ak songs that repeat simple rhymes, and
everyone dances until they decide to
stop.
One big difference, though, is that
the ganggang sullae used to be per-
[JoongAng Ilbo]
formed only by women. The women of
each family, old and young, hand in
hand, would form a big circle in a large
field against the backdrop of the bright, During Chuseok, more than 70 percent of Korea’s population moves between cities to visit their
full moon and move either clockwise or families, so the competition to get a plane, train or bus ticket begins more than a month before
counterclockwise. the holiday itself. Here, crowds of people wait in line for train tickets at Seoul Station.
October 2009 korea 43

The Wordsmith
Kim Ju-yeong’s tumultuous history
A reputation cemented through meticulously researched
period novels and touching coming-of-age tales
K
Major works im Ju-yeong was born in 1939, the
height of the Japanese colonial peri-
The Peddler’s Inn
(Gaekju,1981) od. He experienced the August 15th
Liberation and the Korean War as a
Hwalbindo
child. Against his father’s wishes, Kim entered
(Hwalbindo, 1983)
the creative writing department at Sorabol
The Sound of Thunder University, hoping to become a poet; but upon
(Cheondung sori, 1986)
his graduation, he worked at the Tobacco Pro-
A Fisherman Does Not Break duction Cooperative, where he stayed for
the Reed many years until winning the 1971 New Writ-
(Gogijabineun galdaereul kkeokji
er’s Prize given by the magazine Monthly Lit-
anneunda, 1988)
erature for his novel, A Period of Dormancy.
The Skate Ray Kim is considered one of the most enter-
(Hong-eo, 1998)
taining storytellers in Korea and also has a
Anchovy reputation as one of its most exacting and
(Myeolchi 2000) hardworking wordsmiths. Whether relating
recollections from his childhood or retelling
the lives of famous historical figures, Kim
invariably bases his writings on meticulous
personal interviews and data, lending an
unparalleled realism and vitality to his work.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Source: Korea Literature
Translation Institute Brought to life by the author’s painstaking
44 korea October 2009
Korean Literature
research, each of his novels seems to present a
photograph in words of the lives of Korean
people.
The Peddler’s Inn, the first of Kim’s multi-
volume historical novels first serialized in the
Seoul News (later renamed the Daehan Daily)
in the 1980s, centers on merchant life in the
last phase of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910),
while Hwalbindo portrays a group of righteous
bandits who fight against a corrupt aristocracy
and encroaching Japanese influence around
the turn of the 20th century.
Also worthy of note are his Bildungsroman
— The Skate Ray and A Fisherman Does Not
Break the Reed. A heartwarming story of a
13-year-old boy and his mother, The Skate Ray
has sold more than 350,000 copies.
Among the many honors Kim received are
the 1984 Yu Juhyeon Literature Prize, the 1993
Republic of Korea Literary Arts Prize, the 1996
Isan Literature Prize and the 2002 Kim Dongri
Literature Prize.
October 2009 korea 45

Though set in the period
immediately before and after
the liberation of Korea and the
Korean War, The Sound of
Thunder veers away from the
analysis of the larger forces —
ideological, political and his-
torical — that shaped modern
This beautifully written
novel about love and endur-
ance won the Daesan Litera-
ture Prize and has sold more
Translation index
Book Title
고기잡이는 갈대를 꺾지 않는다 / Ein Fischer bricht das Schilfrohr nicht
고기잡이는 갈대를 꺾지 않는다 / Le pêcheur ne cueille pas de roseaux
홍어 / 洪魚
천둥소리 / The Sound of Thunder
46 korea October 2009
The Sound of Thunder
(Cheondung sori)
Korea, and instead focuses on
the microscopic depiction of
one woman’s tribulations. The
life of the protagonist, Sin Gil-
nyeo, is as turbulent and tragic
as the events of modern Kore-
an history she witnesses. A
young widow from a promi-
nent family, Gil-nyeo is raped
by a house guest named Cha
Byeong-jo. The child she bears
as a result of the rape is given
away to a trusted servant,
Hwang Jeom-gae, and his wife.
When Korea is liberated from
Japan, Hwang moves away
with his family, and Gil-nyeo’s
rapist, Cha, returns from Japan
The Skate Ray
(Hong-eo)
than 350,000 copies since it
was first published in 1998. A
13-year-old boy lives alone
with his mother in a rural vil-
lage, waiting for his father who
has disappeared without a
trace. The father’s nickname is
Skate; and the mother keeps
the memory of him alive by
hanging a skate over the kitch-
en door and making a sting-
ray-shaped kite in winter for
the boy to fly. One snowy day,
a homeless girl named Sam-
rye creeps into their house.
List of Kim's books translated into English by the Korea Literature Translation Institute
and claims her. He disappears
again, but then Gil-nyeo is
forced into indentured servi-
tude. She escapes with the help
of a truck driver, Ji Sang-mo,
but is raped by him in the pro-
cess and gives birth to her sec-
ond child. In the meantime,
her former servant Hwang has
become a communist hunted
by right-wing forces. When
she hears he has been impris-
oned, Gil-nyeo spends all she
has to help him escape. At the
outbreak of the war, Gil-nyeo
returns to her parents’ house
where she is met with disdain.
She discovers that Cha
Instead of chasing her away,
the mother accepts her as part
of the family. Sam-rye becomes
a sister to the lonely boy and
helps with the needlework and
other odd jobs around the
house, but then disappears
one day just as quietly as she
had come.
Then a woman with a
child knocks on the door one
day, claiming she has missed
the last bus and needs a place
to stay. She ends up staying for
a few more days, but she, too,
Year of publication
2002
2000
2008
1989
Byeong-jo, now a member of
the right wing, has been hid-
ing out from the North at her
parents’ house.
The Sound of Thunder is a
story of human survival. Gil-
nyeo is in many ways a passive
victim of war and male aggres-
sion, but her passivity is far
from a fatalistic resignation to
the tragic circumstances of her
life. Her tangled relationship
with the three men in her life,
Hwang, Cha and Ji, illumi-
nates the dignity with which
she endured the hardships
thrown her way and affirms
her indomitable will.
disappears without a trace,
leaving her child behind. The
mother has already guessed
that the child is actually the
son of her missing husband,
and that the woman will never
return. Yet she raises the child
as her own. The father eventu-
ally returns, but the very next
day, the mother disappears,
leaving only footprints. At the
end of her wait, she has finally
realized that the man she had
loved and longed for in her
heart was only a fantasy.
Genre Language
Novel German
Novel French
Novel Chinese
Novel English
Poetry
The Depth of a Landscape
풍경의 깊이
Kim Sa-in
was born in 1955 in Korea. He has published two volumes of poetry: Letter Written by Night in 1987 and Quietly Liking in 2006. He was
awarded the Shin Dong-yeop Creative Work Award in 1987, the Contemporary Literature Award in 2005
and the Daesan Literary Award in 2006.
바람 불고 In gusting wind
키 낮은 풀들 파르르 떠는데 short-stemmed plants shudder and tremble
눈여겨보는 이 아무도 없다.
yet no one pays attention.
그 가녀린 것들의 생의 한순간,
의 외로운 떨림들로 해서 Because of the solitary trembling
우주의 저녁 한 때가 비로소 저물어간다. of one moment in the life of those slender things,
one evening of the universe finally fades into night.
그 떨림의 이쪽에서 저쪽 사이,
그 순간의 처음과 끝 사이에는
Between this side and the other side of that trembling,
무한히 늙은 옛날의 고요가,
아니면 아직 오지 않 은 in the gap between the start and end of that moment,
어느 시간에 속할 어린 고요가 a stillness of infinitely ancient former times, or maybe an
보일 듯 말 듯 옅게 묻어 있는 것이며, infant stillness destined to belong to a time that has not yet
come, is shallowly buried, visible yet not visible,
그 나른한 고요의 봄볕 속에서 나는
while within the spring sunlight of that listless stillness I
백년이나 이백년쯤
아니라면 석달 열흘쯤이라도 wearily long to fall asleep for a century or two, or three
곤히 잠들고 싶은 것이다. months and ten days at least.
그러면 석달이며 열흘이며 하는 Then beside my infinity,
이름만큼의 내 무한 곁으로
bearing the name of three months or ten days,
나비나 벌이나 별로 고울 것 없는 버러지들이
butterflies or bees, insects with nothing much to brag of,
무심히 스쳐가기도 할 것인데,
may heedlessly go brushing past;
그 적에 나는 꿈결엔 듯
Provided by the Korea Literature Translation Institute & Chang bi
그 작은 목숨들의 더듬이나 날개나 at that, as if in a dream,
앳된 다리에 실려 온 낯익은 냄새가
I think I shall recognize a familiar smell borne on those
어느 생에선가
tiny creatures’ feelers or wings or infant legs
한결 깊어진 그대의 눈빛인 걸
알아보게 되리라 생각한다. as your gaze that grew so deep in some other lifetime.
From Quietly Liking by poet Kim Sa-in
Brother Anthony of Taizé was born in 1942 in England. He is a member of the Community of Taizé (France). Since 1980, he has been living in Korea, teaching at
Sogang University in Seoul, where he is now a professor emeritus. He has published more than 20 volumes of English translations of modern Korean literature.
October 2009 korea 47

A Photographic
M
uch of the public enthusiasm
over the works of Korean
photographer Bae Bien-u
Tribute to the
derives from an impulse sim-
ilar to the one that fascinated fans of the
American hyperrealist painters in the 1970s
Mystical Forest
and ’80s, such as Chuck Close and Audrey
Flack.
If the hyperrealists transcended their
medium by mimicking the mechanical
functions of a camera and presenting a more
Bae Bien-u is revered in Europe definitive rendering of the subject matter,
for an abstract eye and in Korea Bae’s works do exactly the opposite: they
make the subject more abstract and present
for fresh yet traditional instincts a looser interpretation of reality. In short,
hyperrealist paintings imitate photography,
while Bae’s photography imitates paintings.
His landscapes of pine groves exaggerate
the contortion of the trees; the tone and the
depth of his color richer than life, omitting
minor details. His landscapes are personal,
presenting a distorted view of nature.
That partly explains why his works have
The works of Bae Bien-u fit with the stereotype of classical Korean art as dramatic and
emotional — but they provoke complex responses in different viewers.
48 korea October 2009
Korean Artist
been embraced so eagerly by Western audiences.
In many ways, Bae’s works fit with the notion of the classical Kore-
an paintings — subtle and often emotional, epitomizing the spirit of
“the Land of the Morning Calm.” Since Bae has long favored tradi-
tional Korean subjects like pine trees, shrines and royal sanctuaries,
diplomats and government officials are also major patrons.
During the last U.S.-Korea summit, President Lee Myung-bak gave
a book of Bae’s photographs to President Obama as a gift. It included
65 views of local pine groves covered in snow, royal palaces, tradi-
tional Korean porcelain and others. His pine tree series is also in the
collections of Elton John and the royal house of Belgium.
“I paint with a camera instead of using a brush,” Bae once said.
“When you photograph, the most important thing is to understand the
light. I take keen interest in the shape of an object and its color. That’s
why I’m more drawn to landscapes over portraits.”
His choice of subjects has a lot to do with his upbringing. Born in
the port city of Yeosu the year the Korean War broke out, Bae began
his career as an artist during the 1970s, photographing the sea in his
hometown. He gradually moved on to the surrounding scenery, play-
ing around with composition in shots of royal shrines and the forest of
Gyeongju, the old capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935).
Bae Bien-u Like most photographers of his generation, Bae has no degree in
photography; he taught himself. His fascination with pine trees began
in 1985, shortly after a visit to Naksansa Temple. For the next two years,
Bae visited every pine forest on the peninsula including the famous
oreum hills of Jeju-do Island, which appear frequently in his works.
Recently, he started exploring overseas. Bae was commissioned by
the Spanish cultural heritage authority to produce a series at the garden
of Alhambra Palace in Granada. The results were recently featured at
a national museum there. In one of the photos, he points out the paral-
lels between the pines at the Spanish palace and those of Changdeok-
gung Palace in Seoul, both designated UNESCO World Heritage sites.
During his exhibition in Zurich, Bae’s work was dubbed “the sacred
trees” by the local critics. While the subject of pine trees is not original
to Korea, the “sacredness” of nature has come to shape the notion of
Korean art among many European viewers. But a similar sense of awe
and beauty also arises in Bae’s work among Koreans, who in it redis-
cover a connection to traditional paintings that sought the secrets of
the world in subjects like pine trees, bamboo or wild animals.
“The lives of a tree and a person are similar in many ways,” Bae said.
“A tree cannot move, but they also fight over territory.”
A pine tree for Bae is also a metaphor for collective memory. He
points that more than 600 place names in Korea contain the character
“song,” meaning pine, and that Korea is one of the few cultures to
anthropomorphize trees.
But then Bae may really be talking about his attitude toward his
subjects. For his expeditions, Bae ventures out in the early mornings
and misty evenings, and the mystical lighting captured in these works
leads many Korean viewers to think of shamanism.
“You feel as though the trees are coming out of the landscape and
approaching you directly,” said Shigeo Chiba, a Japanese art critic.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
“Such an impression shows you that they should be called artistic
rather than photographic ... he looks at the trees as creatures who rejoin
the heavens and the earth.”  By Park Soo-mee
October 2009 korea 49

Young Golfer
Sets American
Amateur Record
An Byeong-hun, the child of two
Olympic medalists, took home
the championship at just 17
50 korea October 2009
K
orean An Byeong-hun, 17,
became the youngest ever win-
ner of the U.S. Amateur Cham-
pionship in Tulsa, Oklahoma on
Aug. 31. With a victory over American Ben
Martin at the Southern Hills Country Club,
An has earned the right to compete in three
PGA majors next season.
The young golfer comes from an ath-
letic family. His father, An Jae-hyung, who
also serves as his caddy, was a bronze med-
alist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. His moth-
er, Jiao Zhimin, earned a silver and a bronze
for China at the same Games.
An, who is set to attend UC Berkeley on
a full athletic scholarship, is most likely to
maintain his amateur status next season,
meaning he is eligible to compete in the
Masters, U.S. Open and British Open.
“I am very excited to have the opportu-
[AP]
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Top, An Byeong-hun, 17, of South Korea, hits out of a bun-
ker onto the 23rd green during the final round of the U.S.
Amateur Golf Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma on August
31. He defeated Ben Martin, of Greenwood, South Carolina,
for the title. Above, An Jae-hyung, An Byeong-hun and Jiao
Zhimin strike a pose for the camera. The An family was in
Korea for the Kolon - Hana Bank Korea Open Golf Champion-
ships in early September.
Sports
nity to play in the 2010 Masters at Augusta National. It’s a dream
come true,” An said in an interview with local media after his win. “I
received a congratulatory message from UC Berkeley after defeating
a Stanford golfer in the quarterfinals. I hope to become a top-class
golfer like Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson in the future.”
An got a taste of what’s to come when he played in his first profes-
sional event, the Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open Golf Champion-
ships. Held from Sept. 10 to 13 at Woo Jeong Hills in Cheonan,
Chungcheongnam-do Province, the event saw some top young golf-
ers — Danny Lee, Ishikawa Ryo and Rory McIlroy for example —
participate. Although An failed to make the final round of play, it was
a valuable experience for him.
“I apologize to the Korean golf fans. I still have many shortcom-
ings. I will work harder to improve my game once I return to the U.S.,”
said a disappointed An.
But An’s father said, “It was a great experience for my son. Having
never competed in front of a large gallery, I think Byeong-hun felt the
pressure.”
Born on Sept. 17, 1991, An became the youngest winner of the
amateur title, breaking a record set last season by Korean-New Zea-
lander Danny Jin-myung Lee, who won at the age of 18.
Before Lee, the record holder was Tiger Woods, who won the U.S.
amateur title in 1994 at the age of 18 and seven months. Woods would
go onto win the U.S. amateur title in the following two seasons as well.
Some of the most recognized golfers in PGA history have started with
a win at the U.S. Amateurs: Phil Mickelson in 1990, Mark O’Meara
in 1979 and Jack Nicklaus in 1961.
Although An now boasts power and size at 186 centimeters
(6-foot-1) and 96 kilograms (211 pounds), he did not show much
athleticism at a young age. It took a while for the elder An and Jiao
to discover their son’s talent on the course.
“Since both my wife and I were athletes, we looked to get our son
involved in sports at a young age. However, he was a horrible runner
and didn’t fare well in football,” said the elder An. “I took my son to
a driving range by chance and that was where he showed potential.
Since golf is a sport which offers a long career, I ended up encourag-
ing him to take it up.”
Although the younger An started playing golf at the age of 7, it
wasn’t until he and his father moved to Bradenton, Florida, in Decem-
ber 2005 that he began to show a glimmer of greatness. Last season
he was selected as one of the 12 best junior golfers of the year by the
American Junior Golf Association. He averages 300 yards per drive,
but has hit as far as 370 yards on several occasions.
“Byeong-hun can drive the ball an average of 300 yards without
any wind. I haven’t seen too many golfers in the amateur circuit drive
the ball further than my son. However, his putting game needs work,”
said An Jae-hyung.
“This is the beginning. We will need to work on improving his
game one step at a time. I don’t know if my son will use me as a
caddy for the three PGA majors next season. Those are big tourneys
so he might not keep me around,” joked An senior.
To that, the young golfer replied: “My father’s advice based on the
match play format of the tourney was of big help throughout the
competition. He also gave me plenty of advice on how to overcome
difficult situations based on personal experience.” 
By Jason Kim
October 2009 korea 51

Golden Autumn for Korea’s
T
he Korean archery team contin-
ued their dominance in the
recurve competition at the 2009
World Archery Championships
in Ulsan, Gyeongsangnam-do Province.
Korea swept the team and individual
events in the final two days.
The men’s team, consisting of Im
Dong-hyun, Lee Chang-hwan and Oh
Jin-hyuk, defeated France to take the
gold, while the women’s team won its
fourth consecutive gold in the team com-
petition. The following day, the three
archers would all make the semifinals of
the men’s individual recurve.
Lee Chang-hwan earned his first
international title by defeating two of the
world’s top-ranked archers in the men’s
individual recurve competition. Mean-
while, Joo Hyun-jung spoiled her teen-
aged teammate’s run for a gold medal by
capturing the women’s individual recurve
event.
Lee and Joo’s victories mark the first
time Korea has taken the gold in both the
men and women’s individual recurve
52 korea October 2009
events since the 2005 World Archery
Championships in Madrid, Spain. The
feat has been accomplished by the Kore-
ans a total of five times in the past. Korea
also won both the men’s and women’s
recurve team competitions.
It was an all-Korean final with Lee
Chang-hwan and Im Dong-hyun com-
peting for the men’s recurve title as Joo
Hyun-jung faced Kwak Ye-ji in the wom-
en’s recurve finals. This all-Korean event
was only the third in world champion-
ship competition history.
Lee Chang-hwan, ranked 22nd in the
world, earned the best finish of his career
when he took down the world’s top and
second-ranked archers Sept. 9. Although
he had won gold medals in team recurve
competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olym-
pics and 2007 World Championships in
Leipzig, Germany, he failed to win in the
individual event. Lee’s career best in indi-
vidual competition has been sixth over-
all, at the Archery World Cup 2009, Stage
4, in Shanghai, China, and at the Asian
Archery Championships 2001 in Hong
Kong.
“I shed a lot of tears. I heard many
criticize my inability to win an individual
title,” said an emotional Lee. “I was able
to pinpoint my weaknesses and overcome
them this time. I think I can compete
with confidence from this point on.”
Although he first took up archery in
fifth grade after the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics, Lee’s best individual finish was
at the 2003 Universiade in which he
placed second overall. And while he has
become a mainstay on the national
archery team since making the team back
in 2001, wins did not come easy.
Lee started the 2009 calendar on a
sour note. Having slipped and extended
his ligaments in both his wrists, he missed
a month of training in January. He was
also coming off a shoulder injury into the
world championships.
In the semifinals, Lee had the difficult
task of going up against Ukraine’s Viktor
Ruban, an Olympic champion and the
world’s highest-ranked archer, but he was
able to hold Ruban off and came out with
Sports
Lee Chang-hwan, left, and Joo Hyun-jung, above, pre-
pare to hit their targets in the final round of the individ-
ual recurve competitions. Lee defeated his teammate
Im Dong-hyun to earn his first world title. Joo also won
[YONHAP]
her first world title by defeating Kwak Ye-ji.
Victorious Archery Teams
a 112-109 victory. team last year and is ranked seventh in Korean teen to win gold in an individual
Things did not get any easier for Lee the world. event since the 1997 World Champion-
in the finals, where he faced Im Dong- “After losing in the quarterfinals at ships in Victoria, Canada, but came up
hyun, his teammate as well as the world’s the Beijing Olympics, I refocused on win- short in the final round of play.
number two and defending world cham- ning at the world championships,” said Korea ended the competition with
pion. But the 27-year-old Ansan, Gyeo- Joo. four gold and three silver medals.
nggi-do Province native calmly disposed Kwak was aiming to become the first By Jason Kim
of Im, beating him 113-108 and prevent-
ing him from becoming the first Korean
male to win two consecutive world titles
in the process.
“There were times when I competed
poorly, but in most cases, even when I
produced my best score, my opponent
would outscore me,” Lee said about his
inability to win a title in the past.
Meanwhile, in the bronze medal
match-up Ruban defeated Oh Jin-hyuk
111-110, denying Korea its chance at all
three men’s individual recurve medals.
Experience beat youthfulness as Joo
[JoongAng Ilbo]
defeated Kwak in the women’s individual
recurve competition. Joo, the oldest
woman on the team at 27, defeated the
17-year-old Kwak by a hair with a final The national archery team trains at the National Training Center in Taeneung, northern Seoul,
score of 113-112. Joo joined the national in preparation for the 2009 World Archery Championships.
October 2009 korea 53
 Travel

A People of the Mountains

Steeped in history, the slopes that mark Seoul’s borders
draw thousands of eager rock climbers, hikers and families

[JoongAng Ilbo]
Seoul is one of the world’s few capital cities
that is surrounded by mountains.

54 korea October 2009 October 2009 korea 55

 Travel

P Rich in history,
ast, present and future coexist in Seoul. The
metropolitan area of the South Korean cap-
ital is a treasure trove of 500 years of history,
with abundant relics from Joseon Dynasty
times (1392-1910) coexisting alongside state-of-the-
art technology and an economy on the cusp of transi-
tion. Sudden development and the popularity of Kore-
an pop culture add to the distinctive attractions of
Seoul, which hosts over six million foreign tourists
every year.
Seoul is one of the few capital cities around the
world to be surrounded by mountains, even if they are
not very tall at just 600 to 800 meters (1,970-2,620 feet)
— good news for urban residents who long for easy
access to outdoor sports such as rock climbing. Run-
ning through the center of the city is the Hangang
River. To the north sits Mount Bukhansan (836 meters),
Mount Dobongsan (740 meters) and Mount Suraksan
(638 meters). Overlooking the south side of the river
are Mount Gwanaksan (629 meters) and Mount
Cheonggyesan (618 meters), delineating the rough
boundaries of the capital. Every weekend, tens of thou-
sands of Seoulites visit these mountains.
As autumn nears, the trees begin to change color.
Unlike the maple leaves found in North America and
Europe, Korea’s are smaller in size yet much greener
during the summer — and a brighter red in autumn.
This offers a striking contrast to the blue sky and the
rocky cliffs. Most mountain destinations are just a sub-
way or bus ride away from downtown, with the major-
ity of courses fine for even beginners.
Mount Gwanaksan
One of the highest peaks on Mount Gwanaksan is
Yeonjudae, a 629-meter stone embankment, at the
edge of Mount Samseongsan to the west. Mount Gwa-
naksan was once thought to be infused with an energy
of fire, so out of caution, when the first king of Joseon
chose Seoul as his capital he ordered his men to set up
a statue of a mythical unicorn-lion — the haetae — in
front of his palace as a guardian. He would also have a
ritual performed in which a jar of water would be bur-
ied halway up the mountain. The fourth king climbed
the mountain to Yeonjudae, where he held rain rituals.
At the northwestern edge, where his rituals took place,
now stands Seoul National University. Thanks to the
heavy traffic to the school, the roads here are crowded
with hikers on weekends.
But its history isn’t entirely happy. Before Joseon,
at the close of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), loyal-
Mount Gwanaksan can be reached
by subway lines No. 1, 2 and 4. The most
Gwanaksan popular trails start at Seoul National
University or Anyang Amusement Park.
has harbored Other popular ones depart from Gwa-
grieving nak and Seoksu stations on line No. 1,
Nakseongdae and Sadang stations on
aristocrats and line No. 2 and Gwacheon Station on line
No. 4. Regardless of where you start,
seen rituals by however, Yeonjudae can be reached in
kings fearful of 90 minutes to 2 hours at the most. The
climb is not difficult, so families often
its mystical come together. Recently, a new 14-kilo-
meter trail with a gentler slope was built
power. for families climbing with young chil-
dren, starting near Sadang Station on
subway lines No. 2 and 4 and passing
Gwaneumsa Temple midway up before
finally arriving at Yeonjudae. On a clear
day, the peak offers views of not just
Seoul, Anyang and Gwacheon but also
the distant coast of Incheon. The trail
then leads down to Mount Samseong-
san, passes Hoapsa Temple and lands Left, Mount Bukhansan consists of more than
near the Gwanaksan ecological park. 40 peaks that offer beautiful views of down-
The trail ends near Sillim Station on town Seoul. Top, Baekundae Peak is Seoul’s
subway line No. 2. Completing the trail most popular spot for rock climbing.
takes seven to eight hours, but it’s an
easy walk. If you find the trail difficult
to complete, you can always change your route along the way for a shorter way down. ing the Joseon Dynasty. There are 8 kilo-
meters of walls 7 meters high and 13
Mount Bukhansan gates. Six of these gates — Daeseomun,
Considered the city’s spitirual guardian, Mount Daenammun, Daeseongmun, Boguk-
Bukhansan was once called Samgaksan, meaning “tri- mun, Daedongmun and Yongammun
angular mountain.” This is due to its three peaks — — are well preserved.
Baekundae, Insubong and Mangyeongdae — which Insubong Peak is one of the popular
together form a triangle. It was renamed Bukhansan spots for rock climbing in Seoul. The
during the Japanese colonial period. peak offers climbs at diverse difficulty
The top of Baekundae Peak offers a lovely view of levels, another attraction for tourists
downtown and the outskirts of Seoul. Dobongsan, here. Japanese rock climbers fly in on
Suraksan and Gwanaksan are also visible from here as the weekends to enjoy the climb. The
well. On a clear day, even the islands off the western Along with the most popular hiking routes for Mount
coast and the bridge connecting them to the penin- Bukhansan start from Bukhansan
sula can be seen. three that won Amusement Park, Ui-dong, Gugi-dong
Mount Bukhansan has over 40 shorter peaks
including Nojeokbong, Yeongbong, Bibong, Munsu-
it the name or Bulgwang-dong, with the fastest
routes from the former two locations. It
bong and Bohyeonbong. At Bibong stands a monu- “triangular takes about two hours to reach the top.
ment to the arrival of King Jinheung (540-576) of the The Ui-dong course even offers a shuttle
Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). Many temples also mountain,” bus to the Baekundae control tower. A
dot the mountainside including Jingwansa, Doseonsa, Bukhansan one-way ride costs 1,000 won.
[JoongAng Ilbo]

ists fled to Gwanaksan. They climbed to the top to gaze
in the direction of their capital Songdo, today Kaesong,
and lament the loss of their king. This is why the peak
is named Yeonjudae, meaning “love for the king.”
56 korea October 2009
Seunggasa and Hwagyesa. With its neighbor Mount
Dobongsan, Mount Bukhansan was designated a
national park in 1983.
YeonJudae is one of the highest peaks of Mount Gwanaksan. Ringing Mount Bukhansan is a fortress built dur-
From the Baekundae control tower,
has 40 shorter the trail leads to Harujae Pass, where the
trail splits. One fork leads to Yeongbong,
peaks. the other to Baekundae. The pass is
October 2009 korea 57
 Travel
Korea’s Taste Masters

quite steep from here, but once
you cross it, you’ll be rewarded
with a magnificent view of
Insubong and Baekundae
peaks.
From there to Uimun Gate
it’s another series of steep climbs.
Some hikers say you can “smell
your mouth burning” when tak-
ing this route. But once at Uimun
Gate, another view will unfold as
northern Seoul’s endless blocks
of apartment complexes sprawl
out before you. finish the climb and the reward
Safety ropes and ladders with
heavy pipes driven into the rock
along the trail guide you toward
Baekundae. The only downside
to hiking Mount Bukhansan is
the crowds. So many hikers try
to challenge these peaks on
weekends that the roads leading
in are often jammed with traf-
fic.
The trails that start from
a climb back down to Ui-dong.
Many also choose to walk
along the fortress walls, touring
all 13 gates. This trek can be quite
challenging as it takes seven
hours of high-level physical
activity and requires deep con-
centration. The fortress gate tour
is outfitted with safety equip-
ment, but a lot of the trails con-
sist of rocky twists requiring
climbers to be equipped with
professional climbing shoes. But
is much sweeter than you might
imagine.
Mount Bukhansan’s trails are
popular because most of their
starting and ending points have
great access to public transporta-
tion.
Most recently, the Uiryeong
route (4.46 kilometers), a trail
that had been closed to the pub-
lic for the last 40 years, finally
Local Restaurants
* Yakiniku Gonjo 02-3472-6073, www.gonjo.co.kr
A Japanese-style pub near Sadang Station, lines No. 2
and 4, Yakiniku Gonjo serves barbequed pork and beef
dishes. The restaurant is on the fifth floor and has a nice
view. On a sunny day, the restaurant sets up tables in the
terrace garden.
* Yetnal Gamasot Sondubu 02-877-5229
This tofu restaurant near Seoul National University Sta-
tion on line No. 2 makes its own bean curd using stone
mills to maximize sweetness. Once a traditional Korean
home, it has been remodeled as a restaurant, so seating
is all Korean-style. A tofu set comes with tofu pudding,
stew and a dish of ground pork, beans and vegetables. A dish of pork cheek meat at
Maple Tree House.
* Yaetgoltosung Gugi branch 02-395-6177,
www.tobaq.co.kr
A barbeque restaurant located near the entrance of the
Gugi-dong course, Yaetgoltosung’s specialties are pork Perfect Pork in a Feng Shui Setting
ribs, smoked duck and sausages lightly roasted in a fur-
nace for a richer taste. The meat is barbequed over oak- One chef’s favorite spot after an autumn walk in Samcheong-dong
wood charcoal at your table.

Gugi-dong or Bulgwang-dong
generally lead to the Madang
Rocks or Daenammun Gate.
Other courses include the most
famous Mount Bukhansan
course, which leads from Bulg-
wang-dong via Daenammun
Gate to Baekundae, followed by
Mount Bukhansan is so popular among
reopened to the public. The
environment there is so well pre-
served that the city is currently
limiting the number of visitors to
780 every day. Climbers can
make their reservations for the
trip at bukhan.knps.or.kr.
By Kim Se-joon
* Sorrento 02-384-6631, www.sorrento.co.kr
On the eatery street of Bulgwang-dong, this small spa-
ghetti restaurant is popular among hikers. Their special-
ties are carbonara rich with bacon, egg and parmesan
cheese and rice gratin with seafood, oyster sauce and
plenty of cheese.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
I
t’s autumn, and one of the most relaxing activ- House is special.
ities available in this beautiful season is a walk It serves different types of beef and pork includ-
through the relatively calm and traditional ing pork cheek meat and hangjeongsal, pork jowl.
northern part of the bustling city. “The meat is fresh, not frozen, thick and well-
Of course, that this expedition must involve a marbled,” he said.
good meal goes without saying. Maple Tree House also serves a side dish of soy
So should you find yourself strolling along the sauce-marinated sesame leaves instead of lettuce as
streets of Samcheong-dong in northern Seoul, of well as ssamjang, or soybean paste, which the chef
the many diners clustered in the area, there is one says allows him to relish the original taste of the
in particular you might consider trying: the Maple meat and sesame leaves to the fullest.
Tree House, or Danpung Namu-jip in Korean. “You get high quality food at afford-
At first glance, the restaurant looks like a posh able prices in a tastefully designed space
wine bar or cafe, with a postmodern interior crafted with friendly service,” the chef said.
of natural wood and stone. Maple Tree House is located
Thomas Baehner, the executive chef of the in the main area of Sam-
Grand Hyatt Seoul hotel, admits to loving the taste cheong-dong, northern
and atmosphere of this stylish restaurant, which he Seoul, near the Korea
highly recommends. Banking Institute. Call
“Dining for me is an overall experience where (02) 730-7461 for
the quality of food, the friendliness and efficiency details.
of the service are equally important,” the chef says. Baehner has worked
Baehner says the design and architecture of in his homeland of
Maple Tree House bring to mind the concept of feng Germany, as well as
shui, since natural materials and textures have been China, Italy, Mexico
used for all of the exterior and interior. and Thailand. He has
But what’s the chef ’s take on the taste of the been the executive chef
food? at the Grand Hyatt

hikers partly because of its great access “I’ve experienced Korean barbeque restaurants Seoul since February Thomas Baehner
to public transportation. in many locations in Seoul,” he said, but Maple Tree 2008. By Lee Eun-joo Executive Chef Grand Hyatt Seoul

58 korea October 2009 October

October 2009
2009 korea
korea 59 59

Sharing the Beauty of Home
Korean Wave superstar takes a year to prepare book of photos, essays
Left, Bae Yong-joon sweeps the temple yard with a monk during his stay.
Above, the actor watches the roasting of tea leaves. Below, Bae stands in a
doorway. He’s spent the past year preparing for his photo essay.
[YONHAP]
Bae Yong-joon’s Travel in
Search of Korea’s Beauty
was simultaneously released
[JoongAng Ilbo]
in Korea and Japan.
60 korea October 2009
D
espite the hectic schedule
of a Hallyu (Korean Wave)
star, Bae Yong-Joon finally
managed to find the time to
finish and publish his book, Travel in
Search of Korea’s Beauty, in late Sep-
tember.
But this time he’s not aiming to
become a leading figure in a new field
or even to make lots of money.
The 36-year-old actor just wants to
share the beauty of his homeland and
its culture with his fans, here and
abroad.
The recently released book contains
about 200 photographs Bae took dur-
ing his travels, from the capital city of
Seoul to the most obscure rural village.
The actor also included in the book
essays he wrote about traditional Kore-
an culture, tea, food, clothing and
architecture. More specific topics
include kimchi, hanok houses and han-
bok clothing.
Several tourist attractions make
appearances in the book: the National
Museum of Korea and Gyeongbok-
gung Palace in Seoul and Buddhist
temples such as Hwangryongsa in
Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and
Mireuksa in Jeollabuk-do Province.
The international superstar spent
the past year preparing for the photo
essay, learning about traditional Kore-
an culture in detail from 11 cultural
artisans, including hanbok designer
Lee Hyo-jae and master potter Cheon
Han-bong.
People
According to Keyeast, Bae’s man-
agement company, a Japan-based pub-
lishing firm signed a contract worth
800 million won ($660,000) for the
rights to publish the book in Japan
before it even came out last month.
It was released in late September in
both Korea and Japan.
To promote the new work, Bae
made an extremely rare public appear-
ance at an official release ceremony at
the National Museum of Korea in
Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 22.
He also flew to neighboring Japan
and participated in a party to celebrate
the publication of the book at the Tokyo
Dome on Sept. 30. More than 50,000
fans were in attendance.
“I hope that this book will be a gift
to everybody who wants to explore
Korea,” Bae said.
Bae made his debut in Korea in the
early 1990s and won starring roles in
famous television dramas such as Win-
ter Sonata, Hotelier and First Love.
His superstardom in Japan earned
him the nickname “Yon-sama,” and
two years ago, the actor took home the
highest honor at the 2007 MBC Drama
Awards.
He starred in his most recent soap
opera, The Story of the First King’s Four
Gods, in 2007.
An animated version of his hit TV
series Winter Sonata is scheduled to air
on Japan’s largest satellite networks,
DATV and SKY Perfect TV, starting
this month. By Park Sang-woo
October 2009 korea 61
 People

Chang Han-na made her global debut in classical

music at just 11 years of age. Now she hopes to
inspire youth to recognize the beauty of the form she
loves.

Lorin Maazel, Antonio Pappano and
Christoph Eschenbach. But her fore-
most master was Mstislav Rostropovich,
one of the greatest cellists ever and a
gifted conductor, and her new musical
venture reflects that ancestry. She wish-
es to give back what she has learned to
young musicians who have big dreams
just as she did.
“It was a chance for Chang, who has
studied under renowned musicians like
Mstislav Rostropovich and Mischa
Maisky, to make her long-awaited dream
of giving back to Korean teenagers come
World renowned cellist Chang Han-na made true,” a Seongnam Arts Center spokes-
[JoongAng Ilbo]
ovich competition in Paris, where she
won her first international award. It was
the start of a grand career, and so it’s
understandable why Chang would say,
“It is important for young children to
understand music at an early age.”
Though Chang was made famous by
her impressive cello playing, she’s tried
to take advantage of other aspects of her
life outside of music, which is why she
attended Havard University as a philo-
phy major. She felt it was more impor-
tant to understand the spectacles and
hardships of life so that she could bring
those things to her music.

her debut as a conductor in 2007, leading a person told the Korean press.
multi-national youth orchestra. The two concerts emphasized per-
formance as a way to popularize classi-
cal music among the general public.
Chang’s focus on education in the series
was exposed in her master classes, in
Now, expanding her already broad
repertoire, Chang hopes to conduct
numerous youth orchestras all over the
world, touching the hearts of millions
once again. By Hyon Mi-kyung

Cello Prodigy Pours Her Soul started her conducting career young as
well. But what started as just an exciting
passion has transformed Chang into a
which she chose members between the
ages of 11 and 24 through auditions held
around the Seongnam area to train and

Into Helping Child Musicians more mature — and certainly ambitious

— musician.
“When I got into university, my
father told me that as a musician I have
establish a prospective youth orchestra.
She held an event, “A Meeting with
Chang Han-na,” on Aug. 24 to allow the
public to ask her questions, and her

T
here is something disarming
about Chang Han-na. Since first
gaining global recognition at
Paris’ Fifth Rostropovich Inter-
national Cello Competition in 1994,
where she took home both First Prize and
the Contemporary Music Prize at just 11
years old, Chang’s talent has evolved
remarkably. She has established an
extraordinary career as a cellist and may
now be one of the most important musi-
cians of her generation, recently declar-
ing her return as a conductor.
Hoping to introduce the greatness of
classical music to a wider audience, espe-
cially children and teens, Chang has
embarked upon a new project, “Maestra
Chang Han-na’s Absolute Classic,” to take
place every other year. The first in the
series took place Sept. 11 and 12 at the
Seongnam Arts Center. The first day,
Chang led the local Mostly Philharmonic
Orchestra in a well-known work by
Tchaikovsky — “Francesca da Rimini:
Symphonic Fantasy after Dante” — and
on Sept. 12 she conducted his “Romeo
and Juliet (Fantasy Overture)”.
Chang made her debut as a conduc-
tor in Korea in 2007, leading a multi-na-
tional youth orchestra with members
from Korea, China and Germany at the
1st Seongnam International Youth Sym-
phony Festival in Bundang-gu, Gyeong-
gi-do Province.
Receiving tips and lessons from James
DePreist, famed conductor and professor
at the Julliard School, and Maestro Lorin
Maazel, the infamous music director of
the New York Philharmonic, Chang
to give something back to society,”
Chang told journalists at a press confer-
ence in a Seoul hotel. “I would like to
help children make friends with the
classical music they think is boring.”
Her new series’ slogan is, “Music
changes society,” and it will emphasize
education, with Chang taking the
opportunity to help young Koreans
learn how to perform together and enjoy
the culture of classical music. Through-
out Chang’s musical career, she has been
privileged, collaborating closely with
such conductors as Giuseppe Sinopoli,
rehearsals were also open for the public
to attend. Chang seems almost over-
whelmed by her desire to pour her expe-
riene into younger musicians. Through-
out the “Absolute Classic” series, she will
instruct all orchestra members during
rehearsals and also conduct their regu-
lar concerts.
Chang first took an interest in the
cello at the tender age of six, and when
she became aware of the great cellists “I would like to help children make friends
Rostropovich and Mischa Maisky, she with the classical music they think is boring,”
immediately wanted to play like them. said cellist Chang Han-na at a press confer-
That eventually led her to a Rostrop- ence in a Seoul hotel.

62 korea October 2009 October 2009 korea 63


Alone With Her Passion
Though born in Germany and living in Los Angeles, Burglind Jungmann
has always been drawn to Korea — its culture, its history and its art
B
urglind Jungmann feels
homesick from time to time.
But whenever nostalgia
comes over this German-
born professor at UCLA, there’s a
neighborhood she can visit with her
husband and children — Koreatown.
Perhaps more Korean in her tastes than
a native, Jungmann likes her kimchi
ripe and her peppers hot.
She has taught Korean art history at
UCLA for 10 years, the first professor
to do so in the United States. Professor
Jungmann recalled that when she came
to UCLA in 1999, “There was not much
consensus in the country for the neces-
sity of studying Korean art history as
apart from the art histories of China
and Japan.”
In the last decade Jungmann has
guided some 600 students to their mas-
ter’s degrees. For her, Korea is not just a
field of study; it is a lifelong passion.
Jungmann’s first visit to Korea came
in 1973, when she was 19 years old. “At
the time, I had a broad range of inter-
ests, and somehow it naturally led me
to Korea.” From the small town of
Hildesheim in central Germany, Pro-
fessor Jungmann grew up with little
exposure to the outside world, height-
ening her intellectual curiosity. Her
knowledge of German and European
cultures led to to Asia as “a sort of alter-
native.”
As soon as she entered university,
64 korea October 2009
Jungmann came to Korea as an exchange
student. She spent a year and a half
learning not only the language but Ori-
ental painting and calligraphy as well.
Six years later, she returned to travel
around the peninsula and to “absorb”
taekwondo. She studied Korean art his-
tory at Seoul National University in
1983 and worked as a researcher at the
National Museum of Korea.
“The landscape, the people, their
actions ... everything made me feel so at
home,” the professor recalled.
Korea had charmed her, and when
Jungmann returned to Germany, she
earned her doctorate in East Asian art
history at the University of Heidelberg.
She went on to stay for six years in Japan
and study Chinese culture in Taiwan,
but in the end, she chose Korean art as
her true love.
“There is a certain balance of prac-
ticality and refinement in Korean art.
For example, Korean porcelain pieces
are designed to be used in real life,
unlike specimens of Chinese porcelain,
which tend to lean only towards artistic
perfection.” The many traces of cross-
cultural exchange were another factor
that appealed to her.
Fluent in Korean, Chinese and Jap-
anese, Professor Jungmann emphasized
that one had to interpret Korean art in
the context of its relationships with
other countries. She pointed out that
current students of Korean art history
People
People
Burglind Jungmann has
taught Korean art history
at UCLA for 10 years, the
first professor ever to do
so in the United States.
in particular don’t make the appropri-
ate effort to understand context. That’s
why Jungmann is studying the influ-
ence that the 15th-century Joseon
Dynasty emissaries to Japan had on
Korean painting, and Korea-Japan
exchanges in the field of landscape
painting.
Professor Jungmann came back to
Korea at the end of June for seven
weeks. She lectured during the summer
semester at Korea University and trav-
eled between Seoul and Busan to collect
data.
The main focus of her stay, however,
was to meet with pottery artisans whose
work will be shown at an exhibition
next August at the UCLA Art Museum
that she is planning.
Jungmann explained the signifi-
cance of the exhibition: the fact that it
was conceived and planned in the Unit-
ed States and not “exported” from
Korea, as is the case with most projects
like it.
Professor Jungmann’s summers are
always busy. That’s because she visits
Korea every year. Her husband, who
majored in German philosophy and
taught at Dongguk University in the
early 1990s, sometimes accompanies
her on her visits. While the couple
[JoongAng Ilbo]
claims that they also try to visit Ger-
many every year, somehow their hearts
seem to lean towards Korea.
By Kim Ho-joung
October 2009 korea 65
Foreign Viewpoints
The ‘Second
Beautiful
Choice’
Korean women are brimming
with potential, but they’re
stuck in a society that locks
them out of the workplace
after they give birth.
Klaus Fassbender graduated from the Uni-
versity of Hamburg with a master’s degree in
business economics in 1989. He started his
career at Kraft Foods, eventually becoming
the general manager of Eckes Granini’s fruit
juice business in France. In 1997, Fassbender
joined L’Oréal Germany, where he served as
general manager of its local unit. In 2001,
he moved to France, and since 2004 he has
served as the president of L’Oréal Korea.
66 korea October 2009
M
any people ask me what has
impressed me most in Korea.
Well, I have always had lots of
interest in people. Perhaps for
this reason, what I felt was the most impres-
sive and surprising here is the dynamics of Ko-
rean people. They lead their lives with passion,
which makes me think that this positive ener-
gy has been the driving engine of this nation.
The most interesting and exciting thing to me
is the Korean women whom I meet each and
every day, brimming with potential.
Each year, I usually hold several campus re-
cruiting events to find new talent at universi-
ties, and I come to meet Korean female col-
lege students who are very self-motivated with
strong initiative for their future. They are full
of dreams and passion and have sparkles in
their eyes. Out of all the employees of L’Oréal
Korea, more than 80 percent are women.
Women who are committed to self-develop-
ment and do their best with professional pas-
sion: They are the main players at our com-
pany. Korean women, the main customers of
our business, also are prosumers who provide
useful insights into products with their excel-
lent aesthetic sense, which means that once
a product is well received by Korean female
consumers, it will likely be a success not only
in Asia but also across the world. As such,
Korean women have such unsurpassable po-
tential, and accordingly have made significant
contributions to the growth and development
of Korean society.
However, to my disappointment, most of
these talented Korean women face a very
tough choice between work and family once
they get married and become mothers. And
I’ve seen too many of them give up their jobs
to look after their children — both voluntarily
and involuntarily. Career interruptions due to
pregnancy and childcare among professional
women in their 30s and 40s are characterized
by the “M-shaped” curve in their career pat-
tern. In this era of the war for talent, an era
when how competitive a company or a nation
is depends on how much excellent talent they
secure, this is a total waste for society.
Indeed, the challenges reentering the job
market faced by women due to pregnancy
and childcare is not only a Korean problem.
However, it is more serious in Korea compared
with other OECD nations. In northern Europe-
an nations like Sweden and the Netherlands,
whose female populations actively participate
in social activities, the government and society
have provided a childcare system in a proac-
tive manner, and companies have introduced
female-friendly systems. As a result of such
concerted efforts, they lead women to more
actively participate in society, greatly contrib-
uting to enhancing national competitiveness.
In my home country, Germany, the state-run
childcare centers are very good and a variety
of work schedules and types are allowed for
women, thereby reducing their childcare bur-
den and helping them to get back into their
work lives. In France, a great childcare system
leads to an active female working population.
But, in Korea, most childcare responsibilities
still lie on the shoulders of individual women,
many of whom come to give up their jobs
to take care of their children. In this regard,
various efforts have been made by numerous
organizations such as the Ministry of Gender
Equality, the Ministry of Labor and the City of
Seoul in recent years to solve this problem.
To join this recent movement in Korea, L’Oréal
Korea launched a campaign for career-inter-
rupted women, titled “Working Mom, the
Second Beautiful Choice,” this year, as part of
its social contributions to Korean society. Cur-
rently, L’Oréal Korea is running a career acad-
emy and holding special lectures in collabora-
tion with relevant government organizations
under three key themes — “Mind Change”
for boosting self-esteem and confidence,
“Look Change” for transforming their house-
wife look into a professional one and “Action
Change” for helping them with pragmatic job
tips.
Many of the female participants in this cam-
paign tell us one thing: that they now want
to work again. After having made their “first
beautiful choice” to become moms who craft
happy families by giving birth, now they yearn
to make their “second beautiful choice” to
become working moms who reenter the job
markets and achieve self-realization in so-
ciety. Seeing their strong longing, I sincerely
hope that Korean society will actively support
its talented female members in joining social
activities, and that Korean women will lead
happy and beautiful lives with the right bal-
ance between work and family. Bravo, work-
ing moms!
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