KOREA magazine [August 2010 VOL. 6 NO. 8]

8/9/2019 KOREA magazine [August 2010 VOL. 6 NO. 8]

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August 2010 www.korea.net

People & CultureAUGUST

2010

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PRELUDE

The Beauty of KoreaLocated on the countryssoutheast coast, the area containing remnants dating from

the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, includingfossilized eggs and dinosaur footprints, is the largest in the

world. The relics are situated in beautiful natural surround-

ings, with petrified wood, numerous geographical layers and

peculiar river drifts. Pictured on this page, the fossil site in

Goseong, in particular, is famous for the quantity and

variety of its fossils, with more than 4,000 dinosaur foot-

prints and 420 walking trails. Along with Haenam, Boseong,

Yeosu, and Hwasun, Goseong was included on UNESCOsTentative List of World Heritage sites in January 2002.

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CONTENTSAUGUST 2010 VOL. 6 NO. 8

PUBLISHERSeo Kang-soo,Korean Culture and Information Service

EDITING HEM KOREA Co., Ltd

E-MAIL [email protected]

PRINTING Samsung Moonwha Printing Co.

Allrightsreserved.No partofthispublicationmaybereproducedinany formwithoutpermissionfromKOREAandtheKoreanCultureand InformationService.

Thearticles publishedin KOREAdonot necessarilyrepresenttheviewsofthe publisher.The publisherisnotliableforerrorsoromissions.

Lettersto theeditorshouldincludethewritersfullnameandaddress.Lettersmaybe editedfor clarityand/orspace restrictions.

Ifyou wanttoreceiveafreecopy ofKOREAorwishto cancela subscription,pleasee-mail us.AdownloadablePDFfileofKOREAandamapandglossarywithcommonKoreanwordsappearinginourtextareavailablebyclickingonthethumbnailofKOREAonthe homepageof www.korea.net.

: 11-1110073-000016-06

COVER STORY 04

They make the phones and TVs you can

see, and the parts and DRAM chips you

cant. Find out how Koreas high-tech

giants are towering over global electronics.

TRAVEL 26

It has fabulous food, scenic landscapes

and intriguing museums. Is it any wonder

that Gangneung is one of the most popu-

lar holiday spots in Korea?

MY KOREA 32

When you think of all the things you like to

imbibe in summer, burning hot soup proba-

bly comes near the bottom of the list. But in

Korea, its a hallowed tradition and one

American expat is hooked.

SUMMIT DIPLOMACY 36

Ahead of Seouls G-20 Summit, President

Lee Myung-bak visited Canada, Panama

and Mexico, where meetings with regional

leaders yielded important agreements.

GLOBAL KOREA 40

Having swept the world with their goods,

Korean companies are now exporting phi-

lanthropy and compassion. Come and see

how Koreas conglomerates are doing

good in the farthest reaches of the world.

NOW IN KOREA 44

Ever since the countrys medical laws

were revised last year, Korea has wit-

nessed a boom in medical tourism. And

the industry is only going to get bigger.

PEN & BRUSH 16

He may be a bestselling novelist, but thats

not what keeps Park Beom-sin writing. More

than fame, writing for Park is as vital to his

health as eating or breathing.

PEOPLE 20

Having made names for themselves

playing in Europe, four Korean footballers

were at the heart of the national teams

World Cup run. These are their stories.

www.korea.net

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COVER STORY

TopicPhoto

RONIC DREAMSKOREAS ELECT

These are heady days for Korean electronics. Everywhere youlook, there are electronics gadgets that bear the Made in Koreastamp, whether they are cell phones and TVs or components inother firms products. Korea is now also a world leader in broad-band connection but the journeys only just begun. by Song Yeong-rok

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Andrea Bocelli, the world famous Italian tenor, is a big fan of

Korea. Unlike most Koreaphiles, however, Bocellis affection is

not a result of food or traditional culture, but of a braille com-

puter created by local firm HIMS Korea. Having been blind

since the age of 12, Bocellis life was improved immensely by

the device, which enables him to write music, send e-mails and

documents, and doubles as a braille score for when hes per-

forming operas. Korean IT, Bocelli said, changed his life.

World-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking is also a benefi-

ciary of Koreas IT industry. Though only able to move two fin-

gers due to the degenerative effects of Lou Gehrigs disease,

Hawking can communicate through a Korean-made speech syn-

thesizer. Produced by a firm called Voicewear, the device turns

computerized text into a human-sounding voice. Hawking

picked it, he said, because it was the best available anywhere.

With high-profile successes like this, Korean technology is

making a name for itself around the world. And having heard

these stories, visitors are coming from far and wide to learn

the countrys electronic secrets.

IT LESSONS Ask a Korean what the top must-see tourist

attractions in his capital are, and hell no doubt say the all-night

market at Dongdaemun or perhaps the traditional stores along

Insa-dong. However, rising quickly in the r anks of that list is

Samsung Dlight, an exhibition hall at Samsung Electronics SamsungElectronics(top,

left);HIMSCo.,

Ltd.

(leftabove)

SKTelecom(

top);Samsun

gElectronics(right)

Samsung Electronics new smartphone, Galaxy S is seen (top).

HIMS Koreas portable braille computer, Hansone, was developed

for the blind (above). Samsung Dlight is an exhibition hall for the

companys latest electronic products (below).

A spectator tests out an IT product, a body scanner, at SK

Telecoms ICT interactive hall, T.um (above). Visitors react to see-

ing their pictures on the screen of a wide monitor at Samsung

Dlight (below).

headquarters in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. In just 18

months, this showcase of high-tech gadgetry has attracted more

than 800,000 visitors, or roughly 3,000 people every day.

Samsung Dlight has built its reputation as an interactive

digital space, managing to attract hordes of visitors from

overseas. Listed as a recommended stop in a Japanese travel

guide, the exhibition draws student field trips from Japan and

China, as well as delegations from Harvard Business School

and other top colleges in the United States.

Lately, weve had corporate visitors from the US and

developed European countries, and also from rising countries

like Vietnam, China and India, says Bong Ju-hwi, a manager

at Samsung Dlight.

Samsung Dlight is also famous for unveiling the companys

latest electronics products. The 9000 series of 3D TVs; the

NX10, a high-end digital camera; the N310, a mini notebook;

and the Omnia 2 and Galaxy S smartphones were all unveiled

for the first time in the exhibition hall.

T.um, SK Telecoms ICT (information and communications

technology) interactive hall, serves as another venue for visi-

tors to experience Koreas latest information technology first-

hand. Since opening in October 2008, the hall has hosted gov-

ernment officials, business figures and academics from 19

OECD members. Visitors include the US, Britain and France;

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SamsungElectronics(opp

osite);LG

Electronics(top);SK

Telecom(

middle);MinistryofPublicAdministrationandS

ecurity(bottom)

major trading partners including China, Thailand and Vietnam;

and from more unlikely locales like Mali and Tajikistan. In

February last year, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Frances

Minister of State, paid a visit and saw Samsungs DMB and

IPTV, two kinds of mobile TV services, in action.

In March, T.um replaced its Ultra Mobile Personal Computer

corner with smartphones and, after some more renovations

that included the installation of a system that tracks visitors in

real-time, the hall was reborn as T.um 2.0. Every exhibit is

smartphone-interactive: With the body scanner, patrons can

create an avatar of themselves and try on virtual costumes,

while pressing certain keys on their smartphones will open the

door of a sports car they can take for a spin.

T.um 2.0 also includes the Play Dream hall, where you can

experience the ICT services of the future, and the Play Real

hall, which showcases SK Telecoms current technology and

services. The Play Dream hall lets visitors sample home

networking services using motion-detection technology,

futuristic games, real-time conversion of 2D into 3D, and

shopping services using image recognition. The Play Real hall,

meanwhile, has an array of core technologies currently under

development at SK Telecom, plus mobile network management

systems and high-tech services that are being provided or are

in development today.

Samsung Electronics held an consumer event, Super Smart Day, to

introduce the Galaxy Ss functions and applications on July 17 in

Seoul (above). Samsung recently unveiled its latest 3D TV series,

the Samsung PAVV hybrid 3D PDP TV, in two models (below).

ELECTRONIC POLITICS Koreas government is also playing a

central role in transforming the country into an IT powerhouse.

Demonstrating the nations pioneering role in the move toward

e-Government, Ministery of Public Administration and Security

of Koreas Minister Maeng Hyung-kyu and UN Under-Secretary-

General Sha Zukang last June agreed to jointly develop the

UN Public Administration Knowledge System, a project under

the auspices of the UN department of economic and social

affairs in Barcelona, Spain. The system will collect information

related to e-Government policies, infrastructure and evaluation

among the 192 UN member states, with a view to creating a

UN-centered global e-government in the future.

On behalf of Korea, Maeng also received the top prize at the

2010 UN Global E-Government Survey Special Award, a recog-

nition of Koreas leading position in the field. Looking to learn

from Koreas success, officials from 11 developing countries

visited in March, taking classes in Koreas e-Government poli-

cies and information technology. The tour included visits to

agencies that have already embraced the new e-Governmentsystem, such as the National Computing and Information

Agency and the Korean Intellectual Property Office. According

to the National Information Society Agency, over 3,000 public

servants from about 100 nations have taken part in special-

ized IT training programs in Korea since 1998.

Participants of the World IT Show 2010, an IT exhibition held in

Seoul from May 26 to 28, watch LGs 72-inch LED 3D TV (top).

People play a videogame at SK Telecoms T.um (above). The Korean

government hosts a civil affairs website, G4C ( below).

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LEADING THE WORLD Nowadays, no matter where you are in

the world, youre never far from a Korean mobile phone, TV,

washing machine or air conditioner. Koreas SamsungElectronics and LG Electronics are ranked second and third in

the world mobile phone market, and occupy the top two spots

in the global TV market. Nor are Korean firms focused only on

finished products. If youre using a Nokia or an Apple handset,

the chances are that some parts were made in Korea. Check

your HP or Dell computer, and the DRAM memory chips will

almost certainly be from Samsung or Hynix.

In the 3D industry, a booming field since the release of

James Camerons epicAvatar, Korea is also playing a pivotal

role. I think Korea will firmly establish itself as the world

leader in the new industry of 3D TV, Cameron said on a visit

to Korea in May. Korean consumers tend to be early adopters,

adjusting to new technologies quickly. And that will help com-

panies like Samsung and LG supply 3D TV sets, starting with

Korean households and then the rest of the world.

During his time in Korea, Cameron announced a deal withSamsung in which hisAvatar production crew would shoot

music videos for Korean pop stars including BoA and TVXQ

to be displayed in Samsung 3D TV retail outlets worldwide.

Korean firms, as major players in the mobile phone market,

are also working to increase their presence through smart-

phones. Samsungs flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S, will be

offered through more than 100 mobile service providers as the

company seeks to sell 10 million units.In the global semiconductor industry, Koreas strength is

even more pronounced. According to a recent poll by the mar-

ket research firm iSuppli, Samsung and Hynix respectively

accounted for 32.6 percent and 21.7 percent of the global

semiconductor market in the first quarter of this year. While

competitors have been holding back, Samsung and Hynix have

continued to make bold investments, ensuring their domi-

nance. Samsung recently announced a 9 trillion won (US$7.5

billion) investment in its semiconductor sector, while Hynix

plans to pour in 3.5 trillion won.

In terms of sales, Samsung is ranked first with 26.5 percent

and LG Display second with 23.7 percent. In February, both

firms surpassed an accumulated production of 500 million

large LCD units enough to cover 10,000 soccer fields

since beginning their operations in 1995.

For all their success, there still remains a feeling thatKoreas electronics industry still has the potential to grow.

Soon 3D TVs will come without glasses, chips will be smaller

yet even more powerful, and smartphones will do things wed

never imagined. And when they do, you can be sure that

Koreas electronics giants will be a part of them.LG

Electronics(top,

left)

NationalInformationSocietyAgency(top);SamsungElectronics(middle);HynixSemiconductorInc.

(bottom)

Fans watch the American NCAA mens final game in April on the LG

Electronics 3D TV at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, US (top).

LG Electronics launched a new 3D computer package, which pro-

vides 3D-effects for 2D images (above).

A Bhutanese IT official tests out the U-City Environment program,

supported by the Korean government, at Digital Media City in Seoul

(top). James Cameron, director of the famed 3D movie Avatar, visit-

ed the Samsung Digital City in Suwon on May 13 (above). Hynixs

semiconductor chip, 44nm 2Gb LPDDR2, is seen (below).



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Korea, The Age of the Apps has truly arrived.

Compared to just three months ago, the demand for

new apps has tripled, says Yang Soo-yeol, research chief

at Inpion Consulting, a web services company. To meet

this demand, we see more and more app developing com-

panies and individuals appearing almost every day.

As wildly successful as its been, Kims Chinese app is

just one of a flurry of hits designed by and for Koreans.Seoul Bus, designed by second-year high school student

Yoo Joo-wan, became a smash hit by telling Seoulites

exactly how long theyd have to wait for their bus, whichever

stop they were at. Since its release last December, Seoul

Bus has been downloaded 560,000 times.

Seoul Bus also served another, hugely important role:

teaching civil servants the value of openness. When the

app was first released, the governments of Seoul and

Gyeonggi-do Province on whose data Seoul Bus relied to

work tried to have it banned, saying that Yoo required

their express permission to use the information about the

buses. The public made their objections known, arguing

that the information in fact belonged to them. The govern-

ments soon relented, and an app sensation was born.

For many Koreans, it was inspiring to see a student

preparing for Koreas notoriously tough university entrance

exams find the time to create an app. The moral seemed to

be that whoever you were, and whatever your background,

you could develop and make money from these programs.

Another app thats been clocking up big sales is Facial

Recognition Physiognomy. Tapping into the old belief in

assessing peoples character through their faces, this app

lets users access facial shots saved in their photo album

then breaks them down into five areas. From this, it divines

insights into what the future holds for him or her. In a coun-

try where fortune telling remains a popular pastime, the

physiognomy app has been a big hit.

As anyone whos spent time in Korea will tell you, deliv-

ered food is a staple of the local diet. Little surprise, then,

that apps have appeared to cater to this demand, too.

Apps like Delivery Box and People of Delivery provide

locations and phone numbers for chicken places, pizzerias,

and a host of other take-out eateries. The apps offer

access to menus and coupons that are only available

through online orders, and even keep tabs on how long its

been since the order was placed. More than 30,000 estab-

lishments across the country have signed up with these

delivery apps, and more are doing so every day.

While catering to specific local needs, apps such as

Delivery Box are also creating brand new experiences and

new business opportunities. This, in turn, is creating a self-

perpetuating cycle of profit: As more innovative apps

appear, more people want to buy iPhones.

Within just two months of iPhones and apps going on

sale in Korea, the amount of online data used by Koreans

more than doubled. Today, Koreas iPhone users log an

average of 442 MB per month, 44 times higher than regular

cell phone holders. This exponential growth has had a posi-

tive knock-on effect to the economy. In the first quarter of

this year, there were 6,689 job notices in the mobile com-

munication and software sectors, up 51 percent from the

same period a year ago. Between December 2009 and

February 2010, there were also 1,325 companies newly

registered in the publication, video, broadcasting and

optional service provision sectors, an increase of 39 per-

cent year-on-year. This vast increase, of course, coincided

with the introduction of iPhone and the App Store in Korea.

According to KT, the Korean telecommunication company

that brought the iPhone to Korea, the mobile data market

could jump by 4.5 trillion won (US$3.8 billion) over the next

three years. The paid contents market could rise by 1.9 tril-

lion won over the same period, KT estimated.

From a country that held out against the iPhone longer

than most, its arrival has been nothing short of revolution-

ary. Korea may not have been an early adopter of apps, but

its a major player now.

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COVER STORY

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TopicPhoto

As the smartphonegains in popularity

in Korea, several

applications have

become hits. People

of Delivery, Kims

Chinese, Seoul Bus

and Facial

Recognition

Physiognomy apps

are seen (from top

left).

Though somewhat late to arrive tothe party,iPhones have taken off inKorea with a vengeance. And as theiconic smartphone has seen its salessoar,it s applications, or apps, havebecome a local phenomenon too.Just as amateur app designers havereflected local needs and tastesaround the world, Koreans arecoming up with their own games

and solutions with intriguing,lucrative, results.by Son Jae-kwon

Kim Si-hyun, head of the Chinese Character Education

Research Institute, is one of the most famous lecturers of

Chinese in Korea. Every semester his lectures at Hankuk

University of Foreign Studies, Dongguk University and

Sookmyung Womens University draw more than a thousand

students. Despite his common touch, however, Kim long

shunned the digital lifestyle. Social media or mobile phones,

he felt, only served to undermine human-to-human contact.

But this lifelong Luddite recently transposed his convention-

al popularity into a more high-tech form, with the hugely

successful Kim Si-hyuns Chinese Dictionary for Everyday

Living, which shot to No 3 in the Korean store for applica-

tions for Apples iPhone. So why the big change?

The story began in February of this year when Kim, who

didnt even own a mobile phone, was asked by his students

to develop an app for their iPhones that would help with

their studies. Kim gave it some thought, consulted with

business partners and, overcoming his technophobia,

decided to give it a go. Besides a Chinese dictionary con-

taining 2,300 key characters, Kim built several other apps

that offered help in studying for Chinese tests, then

watched as his creations became an overnight success.

Apples iPhone arrived in Korea on November 28, 2009.

In the nine months since then, the handsets and apps have

become a phenomenon. After joining the revolution late,

Koreas App Store now offers some 6,500 apps (there are

around 134,000 available in total).

In Korea, app development is no longer the exclusive

domain of techies. From corporations and public agencies

to teachers and restaurateurs, app makers are popping up

in all walks of life. As for apps themselves, their influence

is being felt in economics, industry, politics and culture. For

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COVER STORY

You may have never heard of them,but Koreas power bloggers areaffecting the goods you buy.By mak-ing their online voices heard in oneof the worlds most wired countries,bloggers and power usershavechanged the way electronics compa-nies do business to the benefit ofconsumers everywhere. by Son Jae-kwon

Earlier this year, as it prepared a conference to unveil the

worlds first LED TV, Samsung Electronics called in the bed-

room scribes. Inviting regular reporters and journalists for a

morning session, the company held a second event in the

afternoon, which was attended entirely by bloggers. Around

the same time, NHN, which operates Koreas top portal

site, Naver, did the same thing, holding a conference for

bloggers as it announced changes to its homepage.

In fact, more and more Korean tech and IT companies are

realizing the value of blogger opinion. Whether its launches

of TVs, smartphones or digital cameras, bloggers can

increasingly expect to be invited along to the party. In a few

cases, the boundaries between bloggers and old-school

media have disappeared altogether. At recent product

launches, LG Uplus (formerly LG Telecom) and Taiwans

smartphone company HTC invited bloggers and journalists

along to the same event though the reporters less than

ecstatic response suggests that not all of them are quite

ready for that level of intimacy yet.

Perhaps more than in most countries, Korean bloggers

have enjoyed a stellar rise in importance and status. In a

nation with one of the highest rates of broadband penetra-

tion in the world, and where upwards of 25 percent of the

population, according to surveys, consider themselves

early adopters of new technology, Koreas bloggers have

risen from minority tastes to wielding real influence on what

consumers decide to buy.

And Korean tastes matter to more than just domestic

companies. With Korea increasingly known worldwide for its

demand for the very latest technology, the San Francisco

Chronicle recently ran a feature story detailing how several

Silicon Valley companies try out their latest products there

as a barometer of how theyll work worldwide. Of course,

Korean firms have been doing this for a long time. In releas-

ing their products in Korea six to eight months earlier than

anywhere else, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics

look to find out what early adopters think of their goods and

iron out any problems through consumer feedback.

Canon, the worlds top digital camera maker, once

altered its production process for its DSLR cameras follow-

ing suggestions from a Korean power user, as Koreas

influential early adopters are known. Having bought a DSLR

camera from the company, the user wrote that photographs

he took with it had some ring-shaped distortion. He com-

plained to Canons Korean branch, who forwarded the cam-

era to the companys Japanese headquarters, where techni-

cians discovered problems in the production process. As a

result, Canon issued an apology on its global websites and

offered a free clean up of the cameras mirror box for users

whod experienced the same problem.

Cowon, a Korean manufacturer of MP3 players, had a

similar experience. Having received a complaint that a

16GB player had taken three hours to fill with music files,

rather than the expected 20 minutes, the firm responded by

saying that their own tests showed no such problem with

the product. The disgruntled owner then fixed the problem

himself and posted his solution, along with a strongly word-

ed complaint, on the companys homepage. Cowon subse-

quently admitted that after further tests, certain models

were slower than advertised. Its online apology included a

reprint of the solution suggested by the irate power user.

These influential voices are an increasingly important

component of Koreas high-tech industries. For about three

years, Samsung and LG, among others, have been manag-

ing prosumer groups of 20 to 50 people. They are sent

on overseas inspections and their creative ideas and exact-

ing standards are frequently reflected in the companies

services or new products. And while an average of one out

of 25 products reportedly made it past the focus groups

last year, this year, that number fell to just one in 40.

Some groups made proposals that were so radical, they got

engineers thinking in entirely new ways.

Power users are also making their presence felt in the

electronic map sector. M&Soft, a Korean electronic map

maker, update its maps six times a year thanks to power

users. Consumers who have used the companys GPS navi-

gation systems find discrepancies between real maps and

the companys electronic versions, and then post their com-

plaints online. The company said there are about 150 com-

ments a day and more than 3,000 per year, with the num-

bers increasing by more than 20 percent each year.

In Korea, early adopters are a very distinct breed from

opinion leaders, the trendy, often high-profile folk who

both pursue and shape whats cool. Early adopters here

are real consumers, as eager to find high quality as the

very newest in electronics goods, and determined that their

opinions will be heard. Though you may not know their

names, they are a powerful force, whose voices increasingly

influence not just electronics in Korea, but in products inter-

nationally as well.

SamsungElectronics(opposite);LG

Electronics(top);Thinkware(above)

KOREAS EARLYADOPTERS SETTHE TONE FORELECTRONICSGIANTS

Samsung hosted

an event for

smartphone users

on May 14 in

Seoul (opposite).Power bloggers

discuss LG cell

phones at a meet-

ing hosted by the

company (above).

Korean Navigation

company

Thinkwares navi-

gation (left).

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Park Beom-sin

The young author. This is what people call Park Beom-sin.

With a literary career that began way back in 1973 when,

as a genuinely young man of 27, he won a major literaryaward from theJoongAng Ilbo newspaper Parks nickname

continues to sit well with the novelist who retained his origi-

nal sensitivity and passion 37 years later.However, for Park,

not growing out of that young man he was is less a blessing

than a curse. Although he has grown and transformed over

the years, his inner torment remains an inescapable burden.

Becoming a popular writer only a few years of his debut,

Park spent much of his 30s and 40s producing nearly 40 nov-

els that collectively sold millions ofcopies. His work captivat-

ed readers with its florid writing style and solid narratives

that focused on the problems underlying Korean society,con-

fronting social mores and class conflict.Reminiscing about

these years,Park says,with more than a hint of bitterness,I

lived half my life as a workaholic.

NOT READY TO DIE But just as he was at the height of hissuccess, as serializations of his work were drawing a huge fol-

lowing in daily newspapers,Park went silent. Literary circles

rang with speculation and his legions of avid readers began to

call it the end ofhis writing career.Why did one of Koreas

PEN & BRUSH

LONGING

FOR THEUNATTAINABLEWhen asked What defines theKorean novel? dont search for along-winded definition. All oneneeds to say is the name ParkBeom-sin. An author now synony-mous with the word novel, inKorea, Park draws readers right intohis prose with searing depictions ofpersonal pain and desire.Yet, asunflinching as his work can be,

underneath the layers it also showsa deep love for the world.by Lee Se-mi | photographs by Kim Nam-heon

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most successful novelists,at the peak of his popularity,just

give it all up?

A severe self-denial ofliterature. An ontological anxiety

and fear.And, an incongruity with the Peoples Literature

that came with the so-called democratization of Korean liter-

ature in the 1980s, Park says.If I had not been born in this

land, would I have undergone the process of ending my own

writing career.

The division of Korea for halfa century is a unique fate

that lives with all writers that call this country home, includ-

ing myself.The agony that writers faced under the militarydictatorships of the 1970s and 80s was also great.I felt that

writing a best-seller during the periods of military dictator-

ship was a disgrace. So I gave up all the privilege and prestige

Id attained from my literary accomplishments and returned

to a state of nothing-ness. I turned my back on my family and

retired to a remote cabin for three years, not writing a single

word. But during that period,I found myself to be more alive

and gained a unique freedom.

Eventually deciding to come out of retirement, Park

returned with the self-confessional Wagon Drawn by White

Cow. Unlike his previous novels,th is work focused on

essences beyond phenomena and the reality ofthe soul,

subjects that became increasingly real to him as he began

what would be 15 expeditions climbing the Himalayas.In

several works dealing specifically with his travels an essay

on meditation, Road to Kailas, a travel log about theHimalayas, Fragrance After Emptying, and the novelsCholatse

andNamaste Park began proselytizing his belief that pil-

grimage is an essence ofhuman nature.

For an author that says my dream is to become a pilgrim,

the icecap-topped Himalaya Mountains became like an altar

and a transcendental world but also a source of impene-

trable fantasy.In his many writings on the Himalayas,one

finds an unrelenting search for that essence, and the deeper

truth it always promises,but never yields.

The novel Eungyo, published last April,uses a love story

to unravel inner desires and the existence of transcendental

values. This ever-growing emptiness, the yearning for some-

thing that cannot be attained, Park calls simply longing.

The deepened longing felt through the fear ofexistence, Park

refers to as love.

Finished in just 45 days, Eungyo was published simultane-ously in paperback and in e-book form. Park says that his

desire to create this particular novel was so great, he could

have died happy while writing it.This passion, touched on in

many of his essays,is something that keeps the now not-so-

young writer so absorbed in what he does.

There lives a beast in my chest that never grows old,he

says.I call the beast nakji (small octopus) because it is

mysterious,reckless and provocative. Whenever I stop

writing, nakji tears open my sides during the night to come

out... I keep writing novels so that I will not die from my flesh

being torn by nakji,who is my literar y ego with many legs,

who never grows old and never dies.I write because I want to

live,t his world should be vivid,and most of all I still have a

lot of love within me.

LOVE AS A LITERARY LIFE As a teenager growing up in a

troubled home,Park would lose himself in books.After

graduating from college,he was appointed a teacher at a

school in a remote area, where he used to run 32 kilometers

twice a week to try and escape his loneliness. He only noticed

his literary gift when a friend read a piece he wrote to express

his emotions, and declared them to be a novel.Over 30

years on and a lifetime in literature later,Parks passion for

the written form remains undiminished.

His passion is also evident in his embrace of entirely new

outlets for his work.In 2009, Park became the first Korean

writer to publish a novel, Cholatse , on an Internet website

read by more than a million people. Despite the challenges,

Park did this with lofty notions of creating a better climate

for literature on the internet, and subsequently received

favorable comments from young readers.One newspapersaid of the incident:Park Beom-sin served a formal Korean

dinner on the Internet which is filled with fast-food.

Park compares publishing online to the appeal of live

concerts, saying that while writers should never compromise

the content ofthe ir work,they should be flexible about how

it gets to readers.Many of Parks own works have been turned

into dramas,modern dance and movies.Showing his

approval for these adaptations, Park turned his novel Cholatse

into a play last year,enlisting his son to direct it. He took

another of his novels,Namaste, to the stage last July. The

story focuses on a love between a Nepalese immigrant worker

and a returned Korean emigrant from the United States who

suffered terrible physical abuse.

When asked, Park says he wouldnt choose to be a writer

again if reborn in a next life so it is just as well his readers

arent willing to let him go.How must I write for my sentences to seep into my read-

ers like smoke, like the wind,like water, he once said.His

passion,j ust like those piercing eyes,retains all the depths

they ever did.

OUR FUNERAL> Language Turkish

This short novel Park Beom-sin wrote in 1976 tells

the tale of Bongchoo, who soothes the futility of

his life with glasses of rice wine and his wife. An

expression of the authors anger against the

severe poverty and inequality of 1970s Korea, the

story depicts the impoverished couples attempts

to bury Bongchoos dead mother in the middle of a

poor hillside village.

THE TRAP> Language Japanese

This tale appeared in Modern Korean Short Stories,

a collection of works by the masters of short story

form in Korea. With an aggressive, rough writing

style, Park Beom-sin depicts the life and social

atmosphere of a neglected class of people during

the 1970s and 80s. With a strange detachment

from the rights and wrongs of actual war and

fighting, the author depicts the greed and money-

lust of a group of neighbors as a form of violence.

Trapped within these confines, Park seems to say,

it is inevitable that the neglected ultimately resort

to physical violence.

MOLD> Language Japanese

This novel was published in 1993 after the end of

the Cold War, and a revised edition was published

in 2009. This novel suggests how the failed rea-

soning behind the traditional domination of Koreasruling class was being repeated during the often

brutal Yusin, or Revitalizing Reforms, of the Park

Chung-hee era.

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PEOPLE

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FOOTBALL STARSPUT KOREA ON THE MAP

Football is a game of space.Who secures more space andhow fast they secure it deter-mine which team is victorious.Competitiveness in modernfootball requires great move-ment and split-second agility.Just ask the Korean nationalfootball team, whose advance-ment to the second round ofthe 2010 FIFA World Cup inSouth Africa marked the fur-thest the team had progressedin a tournament held outside ofAsia. The teams feat was possi-ble with strong, cohesive team-work, coupled with playersworking to dominate the spacethrough all four corners of thefootball field. by Park Mun-seong

The Korean national football team poses for a photo before

playing against Nigeria at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

MultibitsImage



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Park Ji-sung cuts through the opponents defense with his dribbling during the Korea

versus Argentina game, at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Lee Chung-yong fights a ball with the opponent dur ing the game against Greece.

MultibitsImage

YonhapnewsAgency

The Korean national football team has its own version of the

Fantastic Four: Park Ji-sung, Lee Chung-yong, Park Chu-young

and Ki Sung-yueng. By taking advantage of the field in all four

matches, these players between them had a hand in all of

Koreas six goals at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

After waltzing through the defense, Park Ji-sung scored a fab-

ulous goal in the opening match against Greece. Park has now

scored in each of the last three FIFA World Cups, netting

against Portugal in 2002 and France in 2006. Lee scored

against Argentina and Uruguay, demonstrating that focus that

has made him a success in the English Premier League.

Against Nigeria, Park Chu-young scored an elegant free kick described as unbelievable by his AS Monaco teammate

and Nigerian footballer Lukman Haruna that was made all

the more stirring for coming in the very next match after Park

had scored an own goal when competing against Argentina.

Bolton Wanderers, Ki Sung-yueng plays for Celtic in Scotland,

and Park Chu-young turns out for AS Monaco in the French

Ligue 1. By honing their skills in some of the fastest, toughest

leagues in the world, the four players have become the

foundation for Korean national teams success, displaying a

confidence and resilience that ensured they would not be

overawed by their opponents.

FROM ASIA TO THE WORLD: PARK JI-SUNG The Korean team

has benefited from what is called the Park Ji-sung Effect.

Though Korea often qualified for previous FIFA World Cups, its

performances ranged from underwhelming to diabolical, largely

because the teams players lacked the experience and confi-

dence that comes with playing in the worlds top leagues.

In recent years, however, this has changed. From an unre-

markable team, Korea has developed into a cohesive unit with

a physical yet skillful style all its own. This has been achieved

largely through the exodus of Korean players overseas follow-

ing the groups run in the quarter finals of the 2002 FIFA World

Cup, co-hosted by Korea and Japan. Of the 23 men in the

2010 FIFA World Cup squad, 10 play or have played overseas

the biggest number in the history of Korean football.

The most important person of these expatriate football stars

is undoubtedly Park Ji-sung. As an important part of one of the

worlds top football sides for the last five years, Park has long

since transcended from being the best player in Korea, to the

finest football player in Asia. Having winners medals in both

the English Premier League and the European Champions

League, Park continues to be a key player for Manchester

United, scoring against top clubs such as Liverpool, Arsenal

and AC Milan last season.

Korean national team players describe the Park Ji-sung

Effect as an overcoming of the fear Korean players traditionally

felt when facing the worlds best. Through 10 years in Japan,

the Netherlands and then England and playing with and

against the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and

Didier Drogba Parks success has opened the door for a

host of other Korean footballers. One of the most exciting is

Lee Chung-yong.

FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS: LEE CHUNG-YONG Park and

Lee are in fact markedly similar players. This is no accident:

Lee says that Park is the player he most wants to emulate, not

just in his playing style, but in how he lives his life.Last year, Lee signed with Bolton, a mid-sized city near

Manchester with a rich football tradition. Park, who lives just 20

minutes away, helped Lee settle in. And how he settled in: In a

league whose blistering pace makes it one of the hardest for for-

And finally, Ki Sung-yueng provided vital assists in both the

goals scored by defender Lee Jung-soo, while Lee Chung-

yongs goal against Uruguay saw its origins in a free kick by Ki.

But the importance of the quarter to the Korean team cannot

be measured by goals alone. With Park Chu-young as a striker,

Park Ji-sung and Lee Chung-yong on the left and right wings

and Ki Sung-yueng as a central midfielder, the Fantastic Four

efficiently control the tempo of the attack, unnerving opposing

defenses by running tirelessly and switching, improvising posi-

tions. The four men dont stick to a set pattern, but adapt their

directions according to the opponent. As many of the teams

whove played against them will agree, this constant move-ment makes Korea a very difficult team to defend against.

All four players ply their trade for top European football

clubs. Park Ji-sung and Lee Chung-yong respectively play for

the English professional football clubs Manchester United and

eign players to adapt to, Lee turned in a series of superb

performances that made him a firm favorite with the fans.

In 40 appearances, Lee scored five goals and made eight

assists. In his breakthrough season, Lee established himself

as a regular on the team and set the record for the most offen-

sive points in a season by a Korean football player in the

English Premier League.

Those unfamiliar with Lee were amazed by his adaptibility

and potential, not least his manager Owen Coyle, who placed

enormous faith in the young Korean. Lee capped an extraordi-

nary season by winning the Bolton Player of the Year, Players

Player of the Year and best newcomer awards. With his suc-cess at Bolton and his solid showing at the 2010 FIFA World

Cup, it should come as little surprise that several big clubs are

now said to be watching him closely.

In a world of monster egos, Lee is known for his caution and



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modesty traits he says he picked up from his mentor, Park

Ji-sung. He is grateful for the bigger and better opportunities

that have come his way, but is determined to keep his feet on

the ground.

Although Lee has ambitions and cares deeply about his

future, he says he draws ultimate satisfaction from playing the

game he loves. This devotion is a key reason why people

expect so much of the player. To hear his teammates and fans

tell it, Lees potential is almost limitless.

THE RETURN OF THE STRIKER: PARK CHU-YOUNG If we had

to pick one player who had the most to prove at the 2010 FIFA

World Cup, it would be Park Chu-young. Hailed as one of the

most natural born players of his generation, Park had long

failed to live up to his enormous potential, prompting many to

question whether he ever would.

Yet, after signing for top European side AS Monaco twoyears ago, much was expected of Park again at this years FIFA

World Cup. In the event, it was Parks excellent goal against

Nigeria that propelled Korea into the second round. And if his

free kick in the match against Uruguay hadnt hit the post,

Koreas FIFA World Cup adventure would very probably have

continued into the quarter finals.

Parks form first started to recover following his move to the

French league in 2008. Breaking free from the Korean football

league seemed to lift much of the crushing weight of expecta-

tion on his shoulders, and to visibly motivate him as well. Such

was the pressure he had felt at home, Park had become known

as an introverted, even diffident character. But those that really

know him attest to a talkative, cheerful soul whose attitude

can lift any gloomy locker-room spirit. For his teammates, as

much as for Park, the return of his confidence and good form

has been crucially important.

Realizing that his European adventure offered him the

chance to revitalize his career, Park grabbed the opportunity

with both hands. In his first season with AS Monaco, Park

secured a spot as the starting striker with the team and went

on to become the groups second highest scorer. With Park onthe team, AS Monaco enjoyed its best season in five years and

also reached the final of the French FA Cup.

As it invariably happens, success within his club and now at

the FIFA World Cup has alerted some of Englands top scouts

to this outstanding Korean player. If rumors are to be believed,

Park has already been contacted by Liverpool, Tottenham,

Fulham, Aston Villa and Everton. Although nothing concrete yet

has come of any of this reported interest, one thing is certain:

Parks true worth as a footballer has emerged through the time

he has spent in Europe.

BREAKING THROUGH THE LANGUAGE BARRIER: KI SUNG-

YUENG Ki Sung-yueng is another Korean player to have been

blessed with opportunity. Signing with Celtic, the Glasgow

team that is a traditional powerhouse of the country, Ki

became the first Korean player ever to play in the Scottish

Premier League.

For numerous reasons, Kis Korean fans were desperate to

see the young midfielder succeed. For one, Celtic is one of the

biggest, most storied clubs in Europe. Second, and perhaps

more importantly, Kis new career offered a chance for Korea

to produce its first truly successful midfielder in a foreign

league. Previous interest in Korean players, or attempts by

those who did come to fill the vital role, were often stymied by

the Koreans difficulties in communicating in English. Because

central midfielders play such a pivotal role in regards to the

team as a whole, having to communicate constantly with both

attackers and defenders, the deficiency in English was an

enormous handicap.

Having spent five years in Australia, however, Ki faced no

such difficulties. But his excellent English was only part of the

success story. Under the influence and tutelage of his father,

Ki Young-ok himself a former football player and manager, Ki

has developed perhaps the finest ball control skills of any

player on the Korean team.

Compared with Lee Chung-yong and Park Chu-young, Ki has

had a rather more difficult time adjusting to life in the Scottish

Premier League. Club manager Tony Mowbray, who recruited

Ki, struggled to take charge and was eventually sacked after a

poor run of results.

But having enjoyed a good FIFA World Cup, Ki can look for-

ward to the new season with confidence. And with Celtics

recent sigining of Kis FIFA World Cup teammate Cha Du-ri, who

moved to Scotland after several years playing in Germany, Ki

has another reason to suppose that this season will mark a big

improvement in the fortunes of him and his club.

Park Chu-young gives a thumbs up before shooting a free kick during the Round of

16, Korea versus Uruguay, at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Ki Sung-yueng runs for the ball at the game against Uruguay at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

YonhapnewsAgency

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TRAVEL

Gangneung is one of Koreas most popular getaways. Its cool even during the sweltering sum-mer days, and is illuminated by green pastures and deep blue seas. In Gangneung, natural andartistic beauty come together to create an enchanting effect. by Oh Kyong-yon | photographs by Kim Hong-jin

The unique outdoor space Haslla Art World boasts an extraordinary sea view.

A SUMMER



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The traditional house of Seongyojang carries a 300-year-long history and extr aordi-

nary natural view with pine trees around the building (above).

Chodang Tofu Village is well-known for its traditional and nutritious recipes ( top left).

Unification Parks famous warship is now an exhibition hall (top middle). You can

encounter some distinctive artwork on the road in Haslla Art Museum (top right).

Drive northeast out of Seoul for about three hours and a sign

reading Gangneung City greets the visitor. To the west, the

Taebaek Mountains stretch languidly from the north to south.

The East Sea is sits adjacent to Gangneung in the east. The

city, a haven for nature, glows like a lush emerald in mid-sum-

mer. Cooling rains help balance the temperature when it gets

too hot and, even on the most scorching of days, you can

always find a crisp breeze to help you forget about the sun.

An old Korean proverb says that eating comes first even in

savoring a spectacular view. With this in mind, our first stop in

Gangneung is Chodang Tofu Village, one of Koreas best-

known sources of the food. This high-protein, low-calorie item

is enjoying a wave of global popularity these days, and the soft

tofu at Chodang is as irresistibly silky as it comes.

Chodangs tofu is made according to a 400-year-old recipe,

and uses an ancestral solution to reach its delicious flavor.

You take so much as one step out of the Gangneung

boundaries, and you cant find tofu as good as this, says Ahn

Song-ja, owner of the Donghwa Garden restaurant, who pro-

duces huge amounts of tofu twice a day. Ahn says the perfect

soft tofu of Chodang needs a combination of the following:

Water from the mountains, beans harvested in the region and

bittern extracted from 50 meters underground off the east

coast (Chodang tofu is certainly a local food). Ahn, who has

made tofu every day for the past two decades, has gained

such an expertise in her trade that she is able to eyeball how

much bittern to use according to the days weather.

The production process goes like this: You sieve the simmer-

ing soybean extract through a fine cloth and then pour it back

into the pot. Let it boil and it becomes soy milk. Adding bittern

will create a soft tofu, but those who enjoy the firmer variety

can let it harden by placing it in a netted frame to solidify. As

generous as she is knowledgeable, Ahn plates a dish of fresh,

soft tofu straight from the pot and says simply, Freshly

cooked tofu doesnt need anything else to taste great. After

a few delectable spoonfuls, I can see just what she means.

OF BEAUTY AND HEARTACHE After driving 10 minutes from

the tofu town, you reach Seongyojang, a traditional Joseon-era

house with about 300 years of history and a family whose 10

generations have lived there since it was built. Beautiful and

well preserved, the house has been used in a number of

popular TV dramas and big-screen historical epics.

By far the most prominent structure here is Hwallaejeong,a pavilion that seems to float on a pond. Half of the structure

sits above water, while the lower half is supported by stone

pillars beneath the surface. In August, its a great place to sit

down and drink tea, while reveling in the view of lotuses in full

bloom. Unusual for a pavilion, Hwallaejeong also has ondol, or

under-floor heating system, making it an intriguing mix of tradi-

tional Korean architectural styles.

Yeolhwadang, which served as the residence for the patri-

arch, is another enchanting part of Seongyojangs layout. Built

in 1815 with an entrance layered with copperplate,

Yeolhwadang was a gift from a Russian minister to Korea who

wanted to show his gratitude after staying at Seongyojang. Its

Russian-style balcony serves as a historical testament to

architecture from more than a century ago.

After touring Seongyojang, we drive for another 30 minutes

toward the East Sea before stopping at Unification Park. Built



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HOW TO GET TO GANGNEUNG

> By Car Take the Yeongdong Expressway from Seoul,

passing Yongin, Hobeop JC and Wonju, and exit at

Gangneung JC and Hongje Intersection.

> By Train Take the Gangneung-bound train from

Cheongnyangni Station, Seoul.

Outdoor Gallery Accommodation

Haslla Art World / Haslla Museum Hotel San 33-1,

Jeongdongjin-ri, Gangdong-myeon, Gangneung, Gangwon-

do Province Call +82 (0)33 644 9411 www.haslla.kr

Korean Restaurant

Seoji Chogatteul 259 Nangok-dong, Gangneung

Call +82 (0)33 646 4430

Chodang Tofu Village

Donghwa Garden 309-1 Chodang-dong, Gangneung

Call +82 (0)33 652 9885

Traditional Temple / House

Gangneung Hyanggyo 233 Gyo-dong, Gangneung

Call +82 (0)33 648 3667 (Mornings only)

Seongyojang 431 Unjeong-dong, Gangneung

Call +82 (0)33 646 3270 www.knsgj.net

Pine Field

Heo Gyun & Heo Nanseolheon Memorial Park 474-8

Chodang-dong, Gangneung Call +82 (0)33 640 4798

Museum / Memorial Park

Charmsori Gramophone & Edison Science Museum 36 Jeo-

dong, Gangneung Call +82 (0)33 655 1130

Gangneung Unification Park 3-5 Aninjin-ri, Gangdong-myeon, Gangneung Call +82 (0)33 640 4470

Tourism Department [Gangneung City Hall] 1001

Hongje-dong, Gangneung Call +82 (0)33 640 5420

www.gntour.go.kr

Chodang Pine Fields trail is seen (top). Charmsori Gramophone & Edison Science Museum

has a collection of vintage pieces (above). Haslla Art World runs a museum-cum-hotel, filled

with artistic rooms inside (top right). Traditional dishes from Seoji Chogatteul (above right).

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on an area attacked by a North Korean submarine in 1996,

the park today provides a poignant reminder of the countrys

division. Jeonbukham, a 3,471-ton warship that saw action

during the Korean War, now serves as an exhibition hall. The

captured submarine from 1996 and a wooden boat that North

Koreans used to escape are also on display.

WHERE THE SKY MEETS THE SEA Drive just five minutes

from the park and youll find Haslla Art World, an outdoor art

gallery and museum-cum-hotel. Compared to big cities like

Seoul and Busan, Gangneung is a quiet countryside, so its

quite jarring to see such a modern, creative place here.

Consider, however, that Haslla was built expressly to combine

both art and nature within an open beautiful setting, and the

sprawling, 109,000 square meter site makes much more

sense.

As enticing as the art here is, the natural backdrop makes it

truly extraordinary. The top of the hill near the cliff, with

Deungmyeong Beach serving as the backdrop, is dotted with

clever and witty sculptures. Nor do the artworks here focus

solely on the grandiose or larger than life the pathway itself

is punctuated with small paintings and colored stonework.

Keeping it simple is the best way to do it, says Choi Ok-

yeung, an art professor at Gangneung-Wonju National

University and co-founder of Haslla with his wife, sculptor and

professor Park Shin-jeong. The simple combination of the sea

and the mountain is Haslla Art Worlds biggest charm. Noting

that Haslla Art World is always looking for ways to improve,

Choi says he is working on paving a trail along the ridge of the

outdoor museum.

The museum hotel is also a must-see spot. As it is located

inside the art world complex, you can stroll straight out of your

suite and walk around the art gallery as if it were your own

backyard or garden. The colorful exterior and interior are them-

selves a work of art, their design and detail a testament to the

skills of the two owners, Choi and Park.

AESTHETICS OF PINE To say Gangneung is rich in pine trees

is something of an understatement. In fact, so covered in the

evergreen blanket is the Gangneung area that the fresh scent

is almost inescapable. The pine trees here are often called

Jeoksong, or Red Pine Trees, for the deep crimson of the bark

characterizing their tall, upright forms.

For the best place to see these famous pines, locals recom-mend Chodang Pine Field, located in the memorial park for the

famous scholar Heo Gyun and and his sister, poet Heo

Nanseolheon. Trees there are anywhere between 100- and

300-years-old. A favorite route among residents is to start at

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Gangneung Hyanggyo, the Confucian temple and school, holds a shr ine for the

famous philosopher Confucius, a sight so rar e that many Chinese people will visit.

the memorial park and walk for about 10 minutes among the

towering pines, which will take you to Gyeongpoho Lake.

Near Gyeongpoho Lake, the fascinating Charmsori

Gramophone & Edison Science Museum is home to some

4,000 gramophones and 150,000 records from 17 countries

around the world. Claiming the largest single collection of

Edisons inventions, the museum has the only light bulb stand

Edison ever made as well as the worlds first electric vehicle.

Best of all, if your timing is just right, the staff may crank up a

record on one of the scratchy, charming gramophones.

For the perfect end to your visit, drop by the traditional

restaurant Seoji Chogatteul for a taste of the old Korean coun-

tryside. Sticking faithfully to tried and true recipes, Seoji

Chogatteul uses only the freshest of handpicked ingredients,for an exquisite, culturally-rich Korean meal. Choi Yeong-gan,

the owner of the restaurant, says she is a big believer in tradi-

tion, and embraces the best nature has to offer. What better

place for her restaurant than Gangneung?

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H

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MY KOREA

summer coolness I promised myselfI would try anything at least once, in

hopes of banishing the heat and reaching a new level ofcool.

Summer in Korea is a beautiful thing,save for the hot sun and humidity

which, when left unchecked,can leave anyone lifeless and drained.When

faced with moments like these I have options,three, to be exact: adapt, relo-

cate or die.Despite my healthy love for the dramatic moments of life, death

seems a bit much and,like most people, I hate moving house. I am then,in all

of my sweaty glory, dedicated to adapting. Like any good expat,this is one

more reason to get out there, dig in and go native.

When it comes to Korean people, some of the rumors are true.They love

All of the signs are here;long days,warm air

and humid nights.Summer has, once again,

found the Korean peninsula and as I sweat,

live and struggle to breathe,I am searching

for my own piece of siwonhada to ease the

pains of summer.Siwonhada is a Korean

term bearing similarity to the English expres-

sion cool.That is, in a literal and figurative

sense, as well as an internal feeling of revital-

ization and refreshment. So, on my quest for

active,outdoor sports, they are one of the tallest groups of Asians and they

thoroughly enjoy sweating over boiling hot stone bowls of spicy soup.Now, I

would let the former slide ifit were winter, but in this oppressive summer

heat, I never really understood why an entire group of people would punish

themselves with scalding soup on the hottest day of the year.So, like the curi-

ous foreigner I am,I asked. Lo and behold,I discovered a treasure-trove of

cultural insight.As I listened to my 78-year-old surrogate grandfather,the

pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.

Grandpa Kim laid it all out for me Koreans fight fire with fire.Initially, I

didnt understand if he was speaking to me about the recent tensions with the

North Korea or something more culturally

subtle. Thank heavens he is a patient man

and had the wherewithal, as well as the

English-language capacity,to verbally flow-

chart it for me. He explained to me that

Korean people have a tradition of seeking hot

and spicy foods to cool them down when the

summer heat arrives.Now, I have heard of

people drinking warm beverages to cool

themselves, like taking in a hot mint tea in

SO

IKEIT OT

Summer has arrived,and with it,thoughts of ice cream, ice-colddrinks and exulting under aspray of cool water. In Korea,however, locals embrace a moreunorthodox approach: Foodthat makes you sweat away thehots. One American expatabandons her misgivings, headsoff to a chicken broth restaurantand fights fire with fire.

M

LE

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19/28

nourish depleted yin and yang,

gi and energy meridians. While

there now seemed to be hope for

my tattered gi,and while I was

eager to find my siwonhada, I

didnt want to do it alone.Any

new experience, heavy lifting or

excessive sweating calls for

good friends,and this was no

exception.I called in a lifeline,

phoned my dear friend Danae and

committed to the experience.

After thoroughly researching nearby

restaurants, I decided on one specializing in this revitalizing soup.On arriv-

ing, we were greeted by the owner ofthe establishment who gave us a broad,

curious smile.Then, he handed me a pink Post-it bearing the number 17.Yes,

there was a waiting line.Apparently, iyeolchiyeol is no joke. Danae and I,

along with what seemed like an ever-growing number ofKoreans, were all in

search of summer coolness.By the time 17 was called, another 15 people were

in line behind us.

We were ushered to a table, pre-set with all the necessities: Copious

amounts of spicy kimchi,a dish of locally grown hot Korean green peppers,

cucumber sticks, fiery hot pepper dip and what appeared to be a bone-bucket.

Interestingly enough,we never placed an order. They knew what we had come

for and,within minutes, two bubbling,boiling and steaming earthenware

bowls were placed on our table.With a delight matched only by children on

Christmas morning, I blew on the bowl to part the steam and catch my first

glance of this tasty treat. The feast my eyes beheld was truly awesome.

Samgyetang is a whole,young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice,jujubes,

dates, chestnuts, gingko nuts,garlic and young ginseng roots,served in a clear

broth. It all made sense now.I finally understood this Korean insight.

Grandpa Kims seemingly infallible wisdom had not led me astray. The

restorative properties of all of the foods used in samgyetang had the potential

to zap my muggy summer blues.

I rotated my chicken, investigating it,looking for the most logical place to

begin. Still not knowing,I took to social cues from my fellow diners. The con-

clusion I arrived at was just eat. So I did. I alternated between tender chunks

of chicken,p erfectly prepared rice and savory broth,tipped my bowl and con-

sumed every drop.Danae wasnt far behind me and,between the two of us,

we managed a dish ofkimchi, two peppers each, diced peppery radish,and

the whole lot ofcucumbers. Needless to say, we filled the bone-bucket.

We cleaned each dish on the table and stared at each other in amazement.

There we were,sweating brows and massive smiles, full and happy.Then we

looked around.We were not alone. The whole restaurant was filled with din-

ers, eating and sweating, sweating and eating.Audible murmurs of the word

masisseo (delicious) filled the air,and there wasnt an unhappy face to be seen.

As the line at the restaurant hadnt diminished rather,it had grown consid-

35

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KOREA

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2010

PROFILE

Katie Mae Klemsen is anAmerican expat living in

South Korea. She is aprofessor of English

language and literatureat Hanyang University in

Seoul. With a joyful dis-position, she enjoysrunning marathons,

drinking coffee, talkingpolitics and tuning her gi

(vital life force in thebody). When she isnt

getting lost on thebeaches of Asia, she

canbefoundin Bundang,Gyeonggi-do Province.

Lost or found, she canbe reached at Katie.

[email protected].

you must release the heat. Of course, during summer in Korea that is easier

said than done.If I were left to my own devices,I might just lock myself in my

house and blast the air conditioning. But because this is not a practical

option,fighting fire with fire,or iyeolchiyeolin Korean,must be my succor.

Much to my dismay,the real summer heat lies ahead. The three hottest days

in Korea are referred to as chobok,jungbok and malbok, and collectively as

sambok. This year,they fall on July 19, July 29 and August 8. So, with my

newfound cultural insight, I pulled my bootstraps up and hit the scalding

pavement in search of Grandpa Kims cure-all, samgyetang.

Samgyetang is a traditional Korean chicken soup belonging to the group of

foods referred to as boyang foods.These foods are said to replenish and

Morocco.But the idea of seeking to sweat it

out, in an already balmy climate, was a lot

like me: Foreign.

I learned a lot from Grandpa Kim and his

aged-to-perfection wisdom.An ancient belief

in the East dictates that the human body will

only enjoy good health and harmony when

the elements offire, water, earth and metal

are balanced.Apparently, my yin and yang

was out of balance and mygi, or chi, was in

need of a good tune-up.So,h e told me,

erably we made our way to the cash regis-

ter and happily paid for our first iyeolchiyeol

experience.

As we left the protection ofthe covered

awning, I felt a cold drop.S omehow,while

searching for coolness,the humidity broke

and for the first time in a long time, big, cold

drops of rain began to fall. There was a new

skip in my step.Whether it really was the

soup,or some imagined benefits of it,I felt

phenomenal. I couldnt hold back and began

to sing the first song that came to mind: I

Feel Good. Through the corridor,down the

hall and out the door,we sang the whole

song. Im sure,as Koreans walked past us

smiling, they were thinking,must be the

samgyetang.

The rain didnt last,but it cooled the air.

Finally,the Korean summer felt as light and

fresh as I did. Danae and I didnt go home

right away.We loitered a while in the breeze

of a new summer night, laughing and talking.

We gushed about how satisfied and rejuvenat-

ed we felt, and the incredible energy now

running through us.And in a small pause,

between our laughs,I thought I heard a whis-

per.It was my gi. Do you know what it said?

Siwonhada. by Katie Klemsen | illustrations by Jo

Seung-yeon | photograph by Kim Nam-heon

36-39 summit diplomacy 2010.7.28 2:12 PM 1 Mac-2 in T C M Y K


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for Korean companies to take part in

international bidding for public proj-

ects in Mexico. He further pledged to

increase cooperation with Central and

North America.

G-20 SUMMIT IN CANADA: LEADERS

AGREE TO REDUCE DEFICIT The G-20

Summit in Canada ended on June 28

with a joint communiqu from the

members, in which they pledged to

halve their deficits by 2013. They

decided to discuss other pressing

matters, including financial reformand worldwide financial safety nets,

at the Seoul meeting in November.

With this, Koreas role as the host of

the G-20 summit assumed even

greater importance.

37

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2010

PRESIDENT LEE MYUNG-BAK

ATTENDS G-20 SUMMIT, TOURS

PANAMA AND MEXICO

Over eight days from late June to early July,President Lee Myung-bak attended the Group of 20 Summit in Canada before going on toPanama and Mexico to meet the countriesleaders. Ahead of the G-

20 Summit in Seoul this November, the Toronto summit and theaccompanying trips marked an important opportunity to gaugeLees plans and to learn more about his diplomatic policy towardNorth and Central America. by Kwon Kyeong-hui

SUMMIT DIPLOMACY

SeoulEconomyDaily

President Lee Myung-bak recently

undertook a seven-day trip in Canada,

Panama and Mexico. In his first stop,

Toronto, President Lee met with US

President Barack Obama ahead of the

G-20 Summit and agreed to postpone

the transfer of wartime operational

control, while also discussing ratifica-

tion of the Korea-US free trade agree-

ment. In the ensuing G-20 meeting,

Lee used his allotted time to suggestitems for the agenda of the G-20

Seoul Summit. Participating heads of

state said they were looking forward

to the meeting.

President Lee also secured ways

Leaders from G-20 Summit member countries take a

photo at MTTC in Toronto, Canada, on June 26.In their statement, the leaders said

they recognized that there is a range

of policy approaches to determine

responsibility for the financial crisis.

They agreed to let individual nations

adopt the approach that best suited

their needs.

Discussing the forthcoming Seoul

summit, President Lee said he would

do all he can to ensure substantive

talks take place on establishing a sys-

tem of global financial safety nets. In

the process, Lee officially declared

Seoul was ready to serve as the hostof the next G-20 Summit.

The occasion holds great signifi-

cance for Korea in that it marks the

first time an officially developing

nation has hosted such a top-level

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39

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and the evaluation of its implementa-

tion, and the execution of plans for

members toimprovetheir fiscalhealth.

Sakong Il, head of the Presidential

Committee for the G-20 Summit, said,

What I sensed at this meeting was

that everyone wanted to take things to

Seoul. It seemed as though we were

attending a preparatory meeting [for

the Seoul Summit].

PRESIDENT LEES AMERICAN

DIPLOMACYFollowing his stop in

Canada, Lee traveled to Panama on

June 29, where he engaged in so-

called sales diplomacy with Central

American countries including Costa

Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

That day, Lee attended the Korea-

Central American Integration System

(SICA) group summit at the Sheraton

Hotel in Panama City. The delegates

agreed to encourage Korean firms

investments in Central America and

endorsed a 13-point joint statement.

Founded in 1993 to coordinate

democratic integration and regional

economy integration in the region,

SICAs membership includes Panama,

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua,

the Dominican Republic, Guatemala,

Honduras and Belize.

President Lee stressed at the

summit that Korean companies can

contribute to the development of

Central America by strengthening and

diversifying their investments in infor-

mation technology, energy, mining and

infrastructure. SICA leaders all recog-

nized the importance of hosting

Korean companies in their countries.

To bolster their ties with Korea,

SICA leaders proposed that Korea join

the Central American Bank for Eco-

nomic Integration (CABEI), a move that

Lee said he would seriously consider.

The Korean president also pleased

the assembled delegates by sayingthat Korea would take part as an

observer in SICAs activities and would

institutionalize its cooperation with the

organization. Currently, Spain,

Germany, Taiwan, Italy and Japan are

economic conference. Lee put on a

strong, confident display at the

Toronto meeting, raising hopes that

Koreas stewardship of the next event

would be a successful one.

President Lee worked hard to set

November as the deadline for the

readjustment of IMF quotas, with

government officials saying he hadalso played a major role in reaching

agreement on efforts to build global

financial safety nets. He proposed a

development agenda, the gradual

abolition of subsidies for fossil fuels SeoulEconomyDaily(left,oppositeabove);Cheongwadae(oppositeright)

President Lee attends the Korea-SICA (Central

American Integration System) Summit meeting and

listens to introductory remarks by President Ricardo

Martinelli of the Republic of Panama, on June 28

(above). President Lee and Mexican President

Felipe Calderon hold a joint press conference just

after the bilateral summit in Mexico on July 1

(opposite below).

non-member observers of SICA.

In order to strengthen security ties,

Lee pledged to have the Korean

National Police Agency run a training

program in maintaining public safety.

Expressing concern about security

problems in the region, SICA leaders

asked Lee for Koreas backing in next

years international conference on

security strategies in Central America.

The Central American leaders also

offered their best wishes for Seouls

successful hosting of the G-20

Summit in November and asked Lee

to help ensure that their positions are

taken into account during the summit.

In Mexico, his last stop, Lee suc-

cessfully reached a deal to allow

Korean firms to take part in bidding

for government projects, a privilege

usually granted only to companies

from nations that have FTAs withMexico. Lee asked his Mexican coun-

terpart Felipe Calderon to consider

allowing Korean financial companies

to enter Mexico, and Calderon reacted

positively to the idea.

Mexico agreed to work with Seoul to

ensure the international community

takes stern measures against North

Korea for its sinking of the Cheonan

navy ship in March. They said they

would also take a positive look at

Koreas bid for UN Security Council

membership from 2013 to 2014.

During this trip, President Lee

reaffirmed friendly ties with the US

through his summit with President

Obama, an official at the Blue House

said. And the president is also con-

sidering signing FTAs with Panama,

Costa Rica and Mexico. His economy-

oriented practical diplomacy, some-

thing hed pursued for a long time,

finally bore fruit during this trip.

President Lee and First Lady Kim toast with

President Calderon and First Lady Margarita Zavala

at a state banquet in Mexico, July 1.

40-43 global korea 2010.7.28 2:13 PM 1 Mac-2 in TC M Y K


22/28

says Choi Eun-kyeong of the marketing

strategy team at Woongjin Coway.

Also since 2006, Woongjin Coway

has been running programs to help

underprivileged children in South

Africa become the countrys next gen-

eration of football stars. In that year,

the company donated uniforms and

balls to the Green Stars club, based in

one of the poorest regions in the

country. Today, Woongjin Coway issponsoring four football teams.

The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group

is also actively giving back to society.

In a move that signaled its intent to

become more closely involved in chari-

table programs in North America,

Hyundai Motor joined the Boston

College Center for Corporate

Citizenship, a prestigious organization

for companies engaged in corporate

social responsibility.

This membership will help acceler-

ate our global efforts to give back to

the community, said an official at

Hyundai Motor. Last year, we

launched the Finding Three-Leaf

Clovers Worldwide program in six

countries, in which we granted the

wishes of children who had beeninvolved in motor accidents. We had a

great response.

Last October 17, the Hyundai-Kia

Automotive Group also participated in

the White Band Campaign as part of

Korean companies are expanding their operations overseas and

profit isnt the sole motive. In gratitude for the success they haveenjoyed through their foreign business,and wit h an eye on theirpublic image, Korean firms are now looking to give somethingback to the most underprivileged around the world. by Seo Dong-cheol

41

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GLOBAL KOREA

KOREAS CORPORATIONS

DELIVER HOPE TO THE WORLD

Hyundai-KiaAutomotiveGroup(aboveright);HanjinGroup(right)

KBKookminBank

A member of Raon Atti, Kookmin Banks volunteer

group, takes a photo with local children while work-

ing (opposite). Hyundai-Kias Slovakian employees

participate at Hyundai-Kias Global Blood Donation

Campaign (above). The Hanjin Group organizes a

reforestation program in Mongolia (below).

Last April the residents of a village in

Cambodia, a country infamous for the

low quality of its water, watched their

visitor in anxious silence. Under the

scorching sun, a Korean was trying to

pump water from a well. As the 600 or

so villagers looked on, the minutes

ticked by with no sign of success.

Suddenly, the quiet was broken by a

noise coming from the underground

pipe, and water rushed outward. The

nearby people whooped with joy. It

was the 500th well that Woongjin

Coway, a Korean company, had suc-

cessfully pumped for water.

GENEROSITY WITHOUT BORDERS An

affiliate of the Woongjin Group,

Woongjin Coway manufactures water

purifiers, air purifiers and bidets.

Beginning in 2006 with 75 wells in 26

villages near Phnom Penh, the compa-

ny now aims to drill 100 wells per

year. In 2007, some 20 senior execu-

tives of the Woongjin Group took part

in constructing 100 wells across

Cambodia.

So far, the company has opened

526 wells and individual employees

have dug 210, and they benefit more

than 1,500 households in Cambodia,

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the International Day for the

Eradication of Poverty. The group ran

fundraising campaigns and hung large

banners across 20 sites in 10

nations, including the United States,

Germany, China and India. Hyundai-

Kia group has also operated a global

blood donation campaign since 2004,

and from last year, about 13,000

employees in the groups five over-

seas branches the United States,

India, Czech Republic and Turkey for

Hyundai, and Slovakia for Kia have

been taking part too.

At Hanjin Group, the subsidiary

Korean Air has been operating a refor-

estation program in Mongolia for

seven years. This May, Korean Airs

employees and about 200 college stu-

dents joined residents of Baganuur, a

district of Ulan Bator, to plant 10,000

poplar trees. The movement, which

began in 2004, is designed to help

prevent any further desertification of

Asia, and so far, about 46,000 trees

covering 314,000 square meters of

land have been planted. In recognition

of Korean Airs efforts in the country,

the Mongolian government has award-ed the airline with its highest environ-

mental honor.

The reforestation campaign has now

gone beyond Mongolia and into other

areas of the world. Korean Air has

been trying to cultivate a forest in

Chinas Kubuqi Desert, one of the epi-

centers of yellow dust, since 2007,

and has taken part in the Million Trees

Los Angeles campaign since last year.

In its efforts to reforest the planet,

Korean Airs campaign has taken on

a truly global hue.

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE And what

of Samsung, Koreas biggest corpora-

tion? Befitting its global presence,

Samsung is involved in various pro-

grams and regions around the world.

Its best-known social responsibility

program is Samsungs Four Seasons

of Hope, a fundraiser in the United

States that draws on contributions

from star athletes and celebrities.

Since its inception in 2002, the pro-

gram has donated about US$25 mil-

lion to charities and educational pro-

grams for underprivileged youth.

In China, Samsung joined hands

with the China Disabled Persons

Federation to offer free cataract sur-

gery to 6,150 patients from 2007 to

2009. This year, Samsung built atraining center for guide dogs in

Beijing to help the deaf. In addition,

the company has set up about 80

Samsung Anycall Hope Primary

Schools in joint efforts with the

Chinese government to improve edu-

cation in underdeveloped areas. The

goal is to build 100 schools by the

end of this year.

Since the collapse of the Soviet

Union in 1991, Samsung has provided

US$140,000 in annual grants to the

Bolshoi Ballet; more recently, the

company created the Tolstoy

Literature Awards, to which it con-

tributes US$70,000 per year. Since

2003, the group has also helped track

athletes under 17 in Kenya as part of

its talent nurturing program. And

between August and November every

year since 2005, the corporations

Japanese arm has required that all its

employees take part in at least 40 vol-untary missions, including helping

take care of the environment and pro-

viding assistance to disabled people.

Kookmin Bank, Koreas largest, in

2008 launched a voluntary group for

college students called Raon Atti

(meaning pleasant friends in old

Korean) that helps Asian countriessuffering from poverty, starvation or

natural disasters. For five months

beginning August 2008, the first 50

members of Raon Atti volunteered in

seven Asian nations, including East

Timor and Cambodia, serving

Documents

KOREA magazine [August 2010 VOL. 6 NO. 8]