Opening a communicative space

between Korea and the world

Clear Winds 3
MARCH
ISSN: 2005-2162

Korea Goes Green 2009

www.korea.net
  March 2009
CONTENTS  VOL. 7 / NO. 3

6 18 53 54 62
Opening a communicative space
between Korea and the world
Publisher
Yoo Jin-hwan
Korean Culture and
Information Service
06

Cover Story
• A Full First Year for President
• From Green to Gold
34 Korean Literature
• Ko-un: Poet of Tragedy and Hope 51

Sports
• New Kids on the Diamond
• Pyeongchang Tries Again
Chief Editor
Ko Hye-ryun
• Art and Seoul
38 Korea through the Lens
• Good Fortune and Magic Pups


• 3rd Time Lucky?

Clear Winds 3
MARCH
Editing & Printing
JoongAng Daily 18 Diplomacy
• US Will Not Sideline Seoul: Clinton
42 Business & Technology 54 Travel
• In Village of Apricots, March is Winter’s End
ISSN: 2005-2162

Korea Goes Green 2009

www.korea.net

Cover Photo E-mail Reassures on Visit • World-record Bridge Takes Shape

60
Spring has come in webmaster@korea.net • Another World-first for Samsung
Fashion

20
the village of apricots.
Photo by YONHAP Design Global Korea • Asiana Named ‘Airline of the Year’ • Traditional Threads for 21st Century
JoongAng Daily
• The Seoul Global Village Center
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced in any form without permission from Korea
and the Korean Culture and Information Service.


• Lobbying for Change with City’s Backing
• EV Boyz Rappin’ on Korea 46 Series: Mobile Industry
• A New Pillar for the Economy 62

People
• Tenor’s Miracle Come-back
• Expats to Follow Monk’s Foosteps
The articles published in Korea do not necessarily rep- • Sport Unites Foreign Moms

50 Hidden Champion
resent the views of the publisher. The publisher is not
liable for errors or omissions. • China Loves ‘Angel Donor’
Letters to the editor should include the writer’s full name
and address. Letters may be edited for clarity and/or
space restrictions.
26

Culture
• Global Singing Stars Converge on Korea
• Klimt in Korea
• Samkwang: The Face of Hi-fi

66 Foreign Viewpoints
• Yuji Hosaka: The Need for Speed
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4 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 5


President Lee spending time with children.
A Full First Year for President
Businessman-turned-president Lee Myung-bak has extended the nation’s
diplomatic outreach, while wrestling with the global financial crisis.
6 korea March 2009
Cover Story
[JoongAng Ilbo]
ne year ago, a crowd of more than 50,000 gathered
in front of the National Assembly building to
watch as Korea’s first businessman-turned-presi-
dent took the oath of office. Feb. 25, 2009 marks
the first anniversary of Lee Myung-bak’s inaugura-
tion, and sees Lee tackling the aftermath of the global financial crisis
with reform at home and diplomatic cooperation abroad.
On his first day as president, Lee began his diplomacy as a global
leader. He met with delegates from the United States, China, Russia
and Japan after the inauguration to strengthen Korea’s ties with the
four giants. On his second day in the Blue House, Lee had meetings
with visiting foreign heads of state from Cambodia, Mongolia and President Lee on-site at the
Uzbekistan. epi-center of the Sichuan
In March, Lee made his first presidential visit to China. During earthquake.
March 2009 korea 7

the meeting, Lee and his Chinese counterpart Hu
Jintao agreed to upgrade the status of the two coun-
tries’ relationship from a “comprehensive and coop-
erative partnership” to a “strategic and cooperative
partnership.” Aside from Korea, the only two countries
that hold such strategic partnership status with China
are Russia and India.
After his official schedule in Beijing, Lee flew to
Sichuan Province to offer sympathy to those suffering
in the aftermath of the quake that took the lives of
more than 67,000. He was the first foreign head of state
to visit the disaster-struck region of China.
During his three-hour visit, Lee inspected Duji-
angyan, where some 3,000 people were lost in the
quake and 480 were reported missing. Lee went to
hospitals and schools operating inside tents. He also
inspected three South Korean military transport
planes that arrived to deliver about 380 million won
($362,000) worth of relief goods.
“China is a country so near to us, and I received a
warm welcome from Beijing, so I couldn’t leave the
country without paying a visit here,” Lee said to the
local officials and residents. “I hope that everything is
restored fast.”
Starting with China diplomacy, Lee also met with
other leaders around the world. In April, Lee visited
the United States for a summit with President George
W. Bush; Bush made a return visit to Seoul in August
to bolster the more than half-century alliance between
the two countries.
Lee also met with Japanese counterpart Taro Aso
five times during his first year as Korean president.
In September, Lee visited Moscow to hold a sum-
mit with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev,
completing his tour of the four global superpowers. An
ambitious project to supply Russian natural gas to
South Korea as early as 2015 - possibly via North Korea
- was agreed on between Seoul and Moscow during the
summit.
In the awake of the global financial crisis, the Lee
administration also successfully concluded a key cur-
rency swap deal with the United States. Based on the
two countries’ bolstered relationship, the Bank of
Korea announced a $30 billion currency swap agree-
ment with the U.S. Federal Reserve in October.
The Lee administration worked to stabilize the
nation’s financial markets by cooperating with Korea’s
neighbors. In December last year, the first presidential
summit between the leaders of South Korea, China
and Japan took place as the three nations took a major
step to forge closer ties and face the economic crisis.
In a joint press conference, President Lee said, “It
normally is not easy to build on momentum for coop-
eration, but the economic crisis ironically provided us
with an opportunity to come together.”
At the meeting, leaders of the three nations agreed
8 korea March 2009
G-20 Financial Summit underway in
Washington in Nov. 2008.
President Lee warns against economic protectionism at the G-20 summit.
‘The to the expansion of a trilateral currency
swap. Blue House officials said it would
economic have been impossible to strike the deal,
which had long been under consider-
crisis ironically ation by financial authorities in the three
provided us countries, without a special push by the
leaders.
with an Indeed, it was the first currency
swap deal China’s central bank has ever
opportunity to signed with a foreign central bank.
come Sources said Japan had remained doubt-
ful about the deal until the presidential
together.’ summit was finalized.
Lee then reached out to the interna-
tional community at the G-20 financial
summit in Washington in November
last year, promoting emerging econo-
mies’ roles in coping with the global
economic crisis.
“Korea will play a big role in the
efforts to establish new financial struc-
Cover Story
tures and greatly contribute to the his-
tory of the world economy,” Lee said in
At the G20, body of past, present and future country chairs which
will establish the continuity and direction of the glob-
a press conference after the G-20 sum- Lee proposed al leaders’ meeting. The Lee administration has formed
mit. He stressed the world’s emerging a new task force, led by former finance minister Sakong
economies should have a greater voice
a ‘standstill Il, to play its role in setting forth agendas for the Lon-
in the international conference, saying declaration’ to don G-20 financial summit in April. Lee will also
advanced nations and developing coun- attend the G-8 summit in Italy in July.
tries should work together in solving prevent the As he moves into the second year of his term, Lee
major global issues ranging from the rise of will broaden the horizon of his foreign policies. Lee is
economic downturn to energy issues expected to engage in presidential diplomacy almost
and climate change. protectionism. once a month, including a possible presidential tour of
Lee has been an active opponent of energy-rich Central Asia.
trade protectionism. During the G-20 Lee will this year, “spend time visiting regions such
summit, Lee proposed a “standstill dec-
laration” to prevent the formation of any
as Europe, Southeast Asia and Central Asia in line with
multilateral talks taking place in those areas,” a senior
new investment and trade barriers. administration official said.
“We have to be wary of a possible In June, Asean member nations will be invited to a
rise of protectionism in international summit on Korea’s Jeju Island.  By Ser Myo-ja
trade during economically hard times.
One protectionist measure is likely to
breed a series of other exclusive mea-
sures, throwing the global economy into
a deeper recession,” Lee said in his key-
note speech at the time. “When that
happens, economically disadvantaged
emerging nations will suffer the most.”
During this year’s Group-of-20 sum-
mit, Korea was also given the opportu-
nity to exert its influence in attempts to
reshape the global economy and finan-
[JoongAng Ilbo]
cial system. Korea will host the G-20
financial ministers’ meeting in 2010,
and Brazil, Britain and South Korea
form the current Troika, a management President Lee in discussion with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
March 2009 korea 9
 Cover Story

A
mid the global economic crisis, are environmental issues
destined to drop to the bottom of the priority list? “Abso-
lutely not!” says the Korean government. Seoul recently
unveiled a range of “Green New Deal” programs to gen-
erate jobs in the faltering economy, with large-scale gov-
ernment spending in eco-friendly businesses, including the develop-
ment of renewable energy and green cars.
Both the Korean government and Korea, Inc., have been making
efforts to secure eco-friendly growth engines in recent years, due to
the instability of global fossil fuel prices and the tightening of envi-
ronmental regulations in Europe and North America amid concerns
about global warming. These efforts have become more visible since
President Lee Myung-bak revealed his vision of “low-carbon, green
growth” for the nation’s economic development during the next
decade, in a Liberation Day speech on Aug 15, 2008.
Lee repeatedly stressed his agenda, at the 10th international con-
ference of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The so-called “envi-
ronmental Olympics” was held in Changwon, South Gyeongsang in
October, 2008, to address environmental issues ranging from conser-
vation of wetlands to climate change. In the conference, Achim Stein-
er, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme,
said that countries should resist the temptation to put the economy
before the environment in the current difficult times, adding that
Korea’s “low-carbon, green growth” agenda is very meaningful.
As Steiner pointed out, economic difficulties tend to tempt the
government and businesses to put environmental issues on the back
burner. But experts say that the current financial crisis could provide
a good chance for Korea to reform its energy production and con-
sumption structure to be greener. The Green New Deal is one of the
key efforts to seize this opportunity.
Among “Green New Deal” programs, the highest visibility proj-
ect for ordinary people will be the construction of a bicycle path
around the entire nation. The Ministry of Public Administration and
[JoongAng Ilbo]

Employees of a recycling company work
with cast-away mobile phones. Copper,
silver and even gold can be retrieved from
“dead” cell phones.
Security said in January it will spend 1.24 trillion won (US$1.23 bil-
lion) on establishing the 3,114-kilometer (1,935-mile), three-meter-
wide path exclusively for bikes by 2018.
The nationwide path will start from the Haengju Bridge in Seoul
and continue on to Mokpo, South Jeolla via a road along the west
coast. It will continue to run along the south and east coastlines. The
path will then head along the demilitarized zone and return to its
starting point at the Haengju Bridge The administration hopes that
the untouched ecosystem around the demilitarized zone and the
views along the coastline will attract not only domestic but also for-
eign tourists.
A more fundamental Green New Deal project is continued

From Green to Gold investment in renewable energy.

With the government promoting green policies, firms are finding that
even trash, manure, and sewage sludge can be profitably leveraged.
10 korea March 2009
As part of the project, the government is set to complete the
nation’s first - and the world’s biggest - tidal-power station at Lake
Sihwa in western Gyeonggi Province by the end of 2010. This plant
will generate 254,000 kilowatt hour, saving the nation 315,000 tons
of carbon dioxide emissions. The construction cost is estimated to be
350 billion won, which is about 15 percent of the money needed to
build a nuclear power plant.
Then there is wind power. The North Jeolla provincial govern-
ment plans to form a large-scale wind power farm with 444 power
generators on the Saemangeum reclaimed land off the West Coast to
March 2009 korea 11

make use of the winds blowing in from
the sea. The plan was unveiled after
the local government signed an
agreement with Hyundai Heavy
Industries, the world’s biggest ship-
builder, to invest 105.7 billion won
in the wind power system manufac-
turing plant in Gunsan County in the
province.
The Ministry of Knowledge Econo-
my said in December it will pour 111.5
trillion won over the next two decades
into developing renewable energy tech-
nology including solar cells for photo-
voltaic power generation and wind farm
equipment.
It also said it will invest 19.5 trillion
won on its “IT/Energy New Deal” proj-
ects this year. Among them are the
spread of energy-efficient LED illumi-
nation; the provision of 12,000 “green
homes,” which use mainly renewable
energy such as hydrogen fuel cell power
for heating and lighting; and investment
in state-run energy companies’ facili-
ties.
But experts warn that the govern-
ment needs to carefully choose which
green businesses to boost.
“As for expansion of power genera-
tion through photovoltaic power plants
and wind farms, the essential technolo-
gy needed for these facilities is domi-
nated by advanced countries,” said Kim
Jeong-in, professor of industrial eco-
nomics at Chung-Ang University.
“Accordingly, the expansion would not
lead to a great increase in employment
and other economic effects.”
“On the other hand, the improve-
ment of energy efficiency in buildings
can be a very good project,” he contin-
ued. “The work for building reform
projects has great spillover effects into
different industries, as it can be applied
to the whole building. Accordingly, such
projects create jobs in the short term.
The United Nations Energy Program
said improving the energy efficiency of
buildings as well as green car develop-
ment are the most effective eco-friendly
projects for creating jobs.”
Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group,
Korea’s biggest auto conglomerate, has
been speeding up plans to commercial-
ize eco-friendly cars since President Lee
12 korea March 2009
unveiled an ambitious plan to help the nation become
“one of the world’s top four countries in green car pro-
duction” in his Liberation Day speech.
Hyundai Motor plans to commercialize small
Avante hybrids that use electricity and liquefied
petroleum gas this July, a first among local automak-
ers.
Some ask why Hyundai is starting with an LPG-
electric hybrid instead of the gas-electric hybrids that
are common worldwide. “With Japan’s Toyota domi-
nating petrol-electric hybrid technologies, Hyundai
has no choice but to begin with an LPG-electric hybrid,”
said Jung Jin-sung, chairman of the Korea LPG Asso-
ciation. “Because Korea has more LPG-fueled cars
than any other country, it has also developed tech-
nologies in LPG engines. This will help in the develop-
ment of LPG-electric hybrids.”
Korea has 2.3 million vehicles with LPG engines,
accounting for 13.6 percent of total vehicles, the high-
est percentage in the world.
Hyundai Motor also wants to commercialize a
Bike paths hydrogen fuel cell car by 2012. The automaker con-
ducted a test run of a Tucson hydrogen fuel cell SUV
around the nation
across the United States in August. As part of Korea’s
Demilitarized Zone Goseong
effort to develop hydrogen fuel cell cars, GS Caltex
Ganghwa Corp. the nation’s second-biggest refiner, opened the
Haengju Bridge
Han River
first hydrogen fuel station in Seoul for fuel-cell cars in
Pyeongtaek a test operation in 2007.
Nakdong River
And local companies are also developing parts for
Geum River green cars actively. Helped by such efforts, LG Chem,
Pohang
in January, was selected by General Motors as the sole
Yeongsan River
supplier of lithium-ion battery cells for the U.S. auto
Mokpo Haeundae giant’s Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle, which will be
commercialized next year.
The West Coast path The recycling and renewable industry is gaining
(548 kilometers) momentum as the new Lee Myung-bak administra-
The South Coast path
(1,652 kilometers) tion has set the “Green New Deal,” as one of the coun-
The East Coast path try’s top priorities.
(634 kilometers)
The DMZ path
The government will be injecting a total of 2.8 tril-
(280 kilometers) lion won by 2012 into renewable and recyclable energy
The paths along development.
the Four Major Rivers
(1,297 kilometers in total) The government plans to spend 1.12 trillion won
on facilities converting trash into fuels and bio-gas, as
well as 280 billion won on establishing the basic foun-
dation for biomass production and 1.4 trillion won on
livestock manure energy facilities and dump sites.
The recycling and energy-renewing industry is a
rapidly growing market with huge potential. In Korea,
The world’s biggest tidal 75 percent of renewable energy comes from trash.
power plant under construc- The potential of the recycling market has no
tion in Sihwa Lake in Ansan boundaries. Various materials can be utilized in recy-
city, Gyeonggi province. The cling including mobile phones, electronic appliances
sea is on the right, the lake and even used tires. They are turned into energy or
on the left. recycled into other usable goods.
Provided by The government believes such projects could gen-
the Korea Water Resources Corp. erate advanced technology and produce added value
In line with governmental and industrial green
projects, private citizens - and even an entire village -
are today creating solar-powered homes.
such as production-cost reductions.
These potential incentives, it hopes, will
lure companies into buying into the
Green New Deal.
Since 2006, Daesung Group has
been recycling methane gas produced in
garbage dumping sites.
Taegu Energy Environment Corp.,
an affiliate of Daesung Group, has
refined methane gas collected from a
garbage dumping site near Dalseong
county in Daegu. The company gener-
ated revenue of 6 billion won that same
year.
Daesung Group is also planning to
convert bio-methane gas produced
from sewage treatment plants into a
usable resource.
The value of manure from livestock
is likely to surge as green businesses
expand.
In 2008, Daewoo Engineering and
Construction completed Korea’s first
bio-gas power plant in Asan, South
Chungcheong. The plant uses the meth-
ane gas collected from food garbage,
livestock manure and sewage sludge to
produce electricity and hot water.
Samsung Electronics said it has been
saving 21 billion won every year in
energy cost thanks to its business that
converts waste into energy. Since 1998,
the company been running the Asan
Recycling Center, which recycles met-
als. Reportedly, 5 grams of gold can be
retrieved from 1 ton of gold ore. But
from the same amount of used mobile
phone material, 150 grams of gold can
be recovered.
Hyundai Steel boasts of technology
Cover Story
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Companies to recycle scrap iron. The company said 1 ton of scrap
metal can be recycled more than 40 times. One ton of
including steel is now as useful as 10 tons thanks to recycling, the
company said. Hyundai Steel recycles 1,100 tons of
Samsung and scrap metal every year.
Hyundai are Even old-fashioned coal has new possibilities. The
government plans to develop a non-polluting coal that
pioneering could be used in producing synthetic oil, which will
new recycling
replace 80 million barrels of oil - equivalent to 8 per-
cent of the country’s annual oil consumption. Some 22
technologies. trillion won will be invested over the next five years in
the project.
It is not just government and industry: grass-root
changes are also taking place. Green activist Lee Dae-
chul, 65, designed and completed a “Zero Energy
House” in early January at the foot of a scenic moun-
tain near Hongcheon, a town in Gangwon Province.
The home’s heating and water-heating systems require
no energy source beyond the rays of the sun.
Located on a sunny spot, the wooden house is
wrapped in insulating materials. It features gigantic
windows installed on the southern wall and the roof.
The solar power generator in the garden collects the
sun’s rays during the daytime to produce warm water
and maintain the optimal temperature inside the
house.
Lee may embody a rare private effort at energy
self-sufficiency, but he is not alone. A whole village in
North Jeolla Province relies solely on solar energy.
Deungryong Village in Buan County may look like a
typical rural community, but the small town has
recently been thrust into the limelight after the resi-
dents installed what they call a “civil power generator”
that runs on sun rays. A generator may evoke the
image of a highly refined industrial facility, but the one
in the town gathers energy from village houses - each
of which is topped with a large-sized solar battery.
Even in mid-winter, each household pays only around
1,000 won per month in electricity charges. 
 By Moon So-young, Lee Ho-jeong, Seo Ji-eun
March 2009 korea 13
 Cover Story

I
t was during Korea’s 17th presidential inauguration ceremony
last year that President Lee Myung-bak signalled the dawn of a
new era of cultural prosperity. In his speech, he said:
“Korea is a nation of culture with an extensive history ... We
must develop our competitiveness in our content industry,
thereby laying the foundation of a nation strong in cultural activi-
ties.... Through culture, we are able to enjoy life and to communicate
10-minute distance Samcheong-dong
on foot with each other and advance together. The new administration will
Gyeongbok
Palace do its best to bring the power of our culture into full bloom in this
5-minute distance The National Museum globalized setting of the 21st century.”
on foot of Contemporary Art
He has been as good as his word. Lee and his administration have
Sejong Center for Insa-dong come up with various policies over the past year that will help estab-
the Performing Arts
KT Arts Hall lish culture as a key mode of modern living.
Kumho
Seoul Museum of History Arts Hall Kyobo Book Store Sa-choom Theater Among the many plans to develop a nation rich in cultural
resources and activities, the most recent policy plan was announced
Nanta Theater Ilmin Museum of Art Jump Theater in January by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Seoul stated that
Chongdong Theater Cecile Theater City Hall will promote the creation of a cultural district in the city
Ewha 100th Memorial Theater Cheonggye Stream center called the “Sejong Belt,” a similar concept to New York’s Broad-
The Ballerina Who Fell In Love
with a B-boy Theater Deoksu way and London’s West End.
Palace The city government decided to develop areas in central Seoul
Seoul Museum of Art
Sejong Belt including Gwanghwamun, Jongno and the Jung District into a cul-
tural hub and will support numerous performing centers like the
10-minute distance Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Kumho Arts Hall, Chong-
on foot dong Theater, KT Arts Hall and other small theaters for non-verbal
[JoongAng Ilbo]

(Above) The Sejong Center for the Performing
Arts is central to a plan to create a Broadway-
style theatrical hub in downtown Seoul. (Below)
Hit non-verbal show ‘Nanta’ (‘Cookin’’).
shows.
“It’s a plan to make the city more attractive and to provide oppor-
tunities for both Koreans and foreigners to appreciate diverse per-
forming arts,” said Lee Chung-seung, the head of the Sejong Center
in January. He was making a speech at the opening ceremony of the
Sejong Belt project. Some 400 culture and arts related figures were
present.
Among them was Choi Yoon-yeop, the head of Show B-boy, the
company that produces the non-verbal hip hop show, “The Ballerina

Art and Seoul Who Fell in Love with a B-boy.” The show mixes break-dance, or
street-dance, with ballet. It has attracted 700,000 theater-goers since
the show first hit the stage in 2005.
“Musical theaters located close to each other will begin coopera-
With the ‘Korean Wave’ a global phenomena, a range of programs aim tive marketing - promoting tourism packages, giving discounts - to
attract more tourists to the area,” Choi said, while noting that even
to further raise the status of Seoul’s cultural content industry. though Korea currently has considerable cultural content to share
with the world - as shown by the success of the “Korean Wave” - there
hasn’t been a firm policy to help develop and export it abroad.

Provided by the company

Regarding his show - which finished a run in New York late last
year - Choi said that he was shocked by the cultural gap between New
York and Seoul.
“In New York, everywhere you go is a cultural hot spot,” he rem-
inisced. “I was surprised by how the city is a cultural Mecca. Seoul,
14 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 15

Seoul’s old rail station, sup-
planted by a high-tech new
complex next door, is now
being utilized as a space for
the arts - such as photo ex-
hibitions (left) and fashion
shows (below left).
[NEWSIS]
too, can aim for a similar goal.”
He is now hoping to take his show to Broadway.
Meanwhile, “The Ballerina Who Fell in Love with a B-boy” will
be performed in Shanghai this month. He is sure the show will be a
big hit given all the support it has received.
While hoping to establish Asia’s cultural hub, Kang Bong-jin, a
spokesperson for the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, said that
the Sejong Belt project is different from the Daehangno area in Jong-
no, central Seoul, an area known as the city’s theatrical heart.
“The Sejong Belt plan mostly promotes non-verbal performanc-
es,” Kang said, noting that non-verbal performances are more suit-
able for tourists and expatriates to understand. They eliminate lan-
guage barriers, which are one of the biggest obstacles for non-Koreans
when watching a local performance.
Jeong Young-gwang, a Korean B-boy who appears in “The Bal-
lerina Who Fell in Love with a B-boy” reckons that since the show
doesn’t involve any words, audiences - especially foreign ones - seem
to be more charmed and moved by the dance moves.
“I’ve heard from many foreign audiences that we have re-import-
ed hip hop into a style of our own, since hip hop is originally from
the United States,” Jeong said. “The show is unique to our own Kore-
an style and that’s what foreigners are looking for.”
In addition to the city government’s Sejong Belt project, a new
city landmark will open July in the middle downtown: Gwanghwa-
mun Square.
“The square will appeal to many foreigners, as there are many
galleries and exhibition halls nearby,” said Kang, from the Sejong
Center. Currently, there are some 20 art centers and museums includ-
ing Kumho Museum of Art, Art Seonje and some 80 galleries near
Gwanghwamun.
Adding to the artsy atmosphere in central Seoul, the Ministry of
Culture, Sports and Tourism also announced a plan to renovate the
old site of the Republic of Korea Defense Security Command, or
DSC, in Sogyeokdong in central Seoul, into a National Museum of
Contemporary Art in Seoul, a new branch of the National Museum
of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi.
The government bought the old site for 113.5 billion won (US$80
million). This year, a total of 20 billion won is set to be spent on
museum renovation in Seoul; the program is expected to be finished
by 2012.
The main national museum was built in 1969 on the grounds of
Gyeongbok Palace, with a mission to contribute to the spreading of
[JoongAng Ilbo]
arts culture through its exhibitions. The museum moved into its new
buildings in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi in 1986 and its Deoksu Palace
museum annex in 1998. Display collections include modern Korean
16 korea March 2009
artworks, from paintings to sculptures
and arts and crafts.
Two months ago at the former DSC
auditorium, Yu In-chon, the Minister of
Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the
national museum will be expanded in a
bid to promote fine arts and to increase
cultural opportunities for all citizens.
As the former site of the DSC was
historically significant during the Joseon
(1392-1910) era - it’s where the Gyu-
janggak, the palace library and the
Sogyeokseo, the national Taoist temple
were located - many art figures are excit-
ed about how to combine history and
arts together. The site is also connected
to Gyeongbok Palace by an underpass.
The plan to set up a national muse-
um of art in central Seoul was brought
up in 1995 by a group of artists. And
with recent years having been prosper-
ous ones in the local arts market and
with growing public interest in the art
world, the 14-year-long aspiration has at
last borne fruit.
“The new national art museum in
Seoul will hold world-class exhibitions
and serve as a leading cultural hub in
Northeast Asia,” Yu noted. “The nation-
al museum will provide a creative spot
for exchanging aesthetic ideas.”
The government plans to identify
the roles of various national museums
of art, and then gradually increase the
number of museums according to genre
and function.
Meanwhile, the National Museum
of Modern Art, an annex at Deoksu Pal-
ace, central Seoul, will continue to oper-
ate under its current name. All three
museums will conduct extensive
research as well as exhibitions of mod-
ern Korean works of art.
After the renovation, the govern-
ment hopes to create an art valley along
the Bukchon area - a district known for
Cover Story
[JoongAng Ilbo]
President Lee (second from left) delivers his New Year’s greetings to cultural figures on Jan
15 at the old site of the Defense Security Command - soon to be National Museum of Con-
temporary Art.
its many hanok, or traditional Korean cottages - that
Former covers Sagan-dong, Sogyeok-dong, Samcheong-dong
military bases and Tongui-dong and is surrounded by Gyeongbok,
Changdeok and Changgyeong Palaces.
and old rail To kick-start the plan to develop the city’s heart
into a cultural hub, government is already rolling out
stations are the programs.
now being The government organized three cultural activities
in the latter half of last year at the old Seoul Station
turned into art building in central Seoul - a fashion show, a photo
exhibition and a contemporary art exhibition.
spaces. But why at the old and often-overlooked Seoul Sta-
tion building?
“It has history,” said Kim Nam-jin, who organized
the Seoul International Photo Festival, a photo exhibi-
tion that ended last Jan. 15. The exhibition, titled,
“Humanscape,” displayed some 350 photographs by 50
artists from all over the world.
The old Seoul Station building was built in 1925 by
the Japanese during their rule. Though the building
shares a sad - perhaps resented - history, the architec-
tural design - which features unusually high ceilings -
still offers a charming spot for exhibitions to take place.
It wasn’t until recently that the government decided to
make use of this near-forgotten landmark. For five
years, the building was surplus-to-requirements, left
in the shade by the high-tech new Seoul Station, built
in 2003 for the KTX bullet train. It was only in 2008
that the government started holding cultural dis-
plays.
Seoul City Hall and the Culture Ministry have
jointly decided to transform the building into a mixed-
use cultural spot by the end of 2010.
 By Lee Eun-joo
March 2009 korea 17
 Diplomacy

S
peaking in Seoul on Feb. 20,
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton said that South Korea
would not be side-lined by any
negotiations Washington undertakes
with Pyongyang.
“We maintain our joint resolve to
work together,” said Clinton, on a five-
day tour of Asia that marks her first
overseas trip since the Barack Obama
administration took office. “North
Korea is not going to get a different rela-
tionship with the U.S. while insulting
and refusing dialog with South Korea.”
The former first lady, who was also
visiting Japan, China and Indonesia,
stayed in Seoul for less than 24 hours,
but while in the capital, met Foreign

Minister Yu Myung-hwan for talks and
had lunch with President Lee Myung-
bak.
She also found time to visit Seoul’s
Ewha Womans’ University and speak to
a number of female lawmakers.
The high-profile visit helped clear
up some lingering questions that have
arisen over bilateral diplomatic issues.
There has been concern among
some pundits in Seoul that Washington
US Secretary of State Hillary might open up a bilateral dialog channel
Clinton made clear that with Pyongyang - something President
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Seoul will not be sidelined in Obama has hinted at. That issue had
North Korean policy. also fanned speculation that the current
six-party North Korean de-nucleariza-
tion talks would lose momentum.
Clinton refuted any such possibili-
ties.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with President Lee Myung-bak.
Clinton and Yu also said they that
their nations would coordinate closely
to fight climate change, the looming
global economic recession, and piracy
in the waters off Somalia.
And the two foreign ministers made
clear that they would work together to
secure ratification of the pending
Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. The
FTA, which covers a number of sensi-
tive trade issues, has been agreed upon,
but still awaits ratification in both coun-
tries’ legislatures.
“So we will draw together, upon our
partnership, to address a wide range of
[YONHAP]
with President Lee - known to be pas-
sionately interested in the Korean-
American alliance - who does not cus-
tomarily meet ministerial-level visitors.
And she was guarded, not by the
American secret service, but by Korea’s
presidential security service.
Long interested in women’s issues,
Clinton made a point of visiting Ewha
Woman’s University - the world’s largest
higher academic institution for females.
Ewha has signed a friendship agreement
with Clinton’s alma mater, Wellesley
College. While there, she gave a speech
about her political career to some 2,000

US Will Not Sideline Seoul: “There is no issue on which we are

more united that North Korea,” Clinton,
the highest-ranked member of the new
issues,” Clinton said. “And it will be
important that as we do so, we rest upon
a very firm foundation of our alliance.”
Ewha students.
Clinton is not the only high-profile
female leader to tour the famed Seoul

Clinton Reassures on Visit American administration to visit Korea,

said in a press conference.
On other issues, she applauded
Seoul’s pledge to provide more recon-
U.S. Secretary of State packs plenty of action into her lightning trip to South Korea. struction aid to war-ravaged Afghani-
stan. Washington is planning to increase
its number of troops in the country and
has asked allies for more civilian aid.
The visit was not Clinton’s first trip
to Seoul: She had visited the country in
1993 and 1996 in a different capacity - as
first lady.
This time, there were a couple of
breaks from traditional diplomatic pro-
tocol.
For one, she was invited to meet
academic institution: Britain’s Queen
Elizabeth II has also visited.
The secretary of state’s visit was
broadly welcomed by most sectors of
Korean society - a positive sign, consid-
ering the sometimes strained relations
that have plagued the two allies in recent
years.  By Jung Ha-won

18 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 19

 Global Korea

The Seoul Global Village Center

Expatriates can face difficulties with everything from the way they hold
their rice bowls to getting a home Internet connection set up.
In response, a Seoul City-funded help program has been initiated, which
is making life a whole lot easier for overseas residents.
T
he Seoul Global Village Center was estab-
lished a year ago as Korea’s first government-
sponsored community outreach center for
foreigners.
Slowly but surely, it has become one of the key
places to turn to for many expatriates. First launched
in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo District, on Jan. 31 last year,
the concept has now expanded: There are currently
five centers in Seoul.
The other four are in the Itaewon-Hannam area,
Ichon, Seorae Village and Yeoksam. The government
plans to open two more centers this year.
At each center, a staff of three - a foreign head and
two Korean assistants - get between 100 and 300 calls
a week asking for help about living in Seoul.
“The rewarding thing about this job is being able
to be a bridge for Chinese people to adapt to Korean
society and culture,” said Lau Yan, the head of the
Global Village Center in Chinese-heavy Yeonnam-
dong.
Cristina Confalonieri, an Italian national who
heads the Yeoksam Global Village Center, and Paul
Hussey, the Canadian head of Itaewon-Hannam Glob-
al Village Center, also participated in the interview.
The three spoke in Korean throughout.
Lau, a former medical doctor in China, did not
find the same helping hand when she came here six
years ago after marrying a Korean.
She even had difficulty getting simple administra-
tive documents issued. Her two daughters, who could
not speak Korean at the time, were shunned by other
children at the local school they attended.
She learned that successful adaptation into Korean
society means more than overcoming the language
barrier.
Without understanding the subtle differences
between cultures, foreigners, even Chinese people
who share many East Asian ways and etiquette with
Koreans, find living in Korea difficult, she said.
“A couple - a Korean husband and his Chinese wife

Five “Global Village Centers,” funded

by Seoul City, are making life easier
for expatriates living in Korea, while

[JoongAng Daily]
providing a space where Koreans and
foreigners can mingle.

20 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 21

Global Korea
‘Problems like these can be
resolved just by talking them
over for a few minutes.’
- came to me one day. They had rela-
tionship troubles which originated sim-
ply from different views on table man-
ners,” Lau said.
“The Chinese hold their rice bowls
when they eat but many Koreans think
this drives out blessings from the fami-
ly,” she continued. “Problems like these
can be resolved just by talking them
over for a few minutes.”
Confalonieri also came here with a
Korean spouse. She met her husband in
Italy, where he had gone to study vocal
music.
In Korea, she has become a celebrity
since appearing on the popular KBS-
TV show “Minyeodeuleui-suda”
(“Beauties Talk”). She has also published
a book of her experiences in Korea.
This success has provided her with
the opportunity to give back to Korean
society.
She recently formed a volunteer
group of around 60 expats who frequent
the Yeoksam center. The group visits an
orphanage once a month.
“I will try to make a center full of
love,” Confalonieri said.
Hussey came to Korea for the first
time in 2003. He also had a hard time
settling in at first.
No one explained to him how to
separate trash, as local law requires, or
gave a helping hand when his car broke
22 korea March 2009
Lau Yan of China, Canadian Paul Hussey and Christina Con-
falonieri from Italy head help centers for expatriates.
down.
But as he began to overcome the dif-
ficulties, he said, he saw what Korea had
to offer. Now, he calls himself an ambas-
sador for Korea.
“I wish more people would visit our
center,” Hussey said.
The Ichon Global Village Center,
which serves mostly Japanese expats, is
becoming a window for promoting
Korean culture.
“Japanese housewives are very inter-
ested in education for their children and
are willing to learn the Korean language
and culture to help their children,” said
Lee Hye-young, a Korean employee at
the Ichon center.
According to Lee, the center gets
five to six calls a day from Japanese
nationals asking whether the center has
any interesting cultural exchange pro-
grams.
The Yeonnam Center is getting an
increasing number of calls inquiring
about marriage counseling.
“We are hosting a clinic for married
couples,” said Kwon So-jeong, an
employee at the Yeonnam Center.
The Yeoksam center, located in the
foreign business cluster in southern
Seoul, receives a flurry of calls from
expats hoping to get job visas.
The center in Seorae Village, a
French community, and the center in
Interview
Itaewon-Hannam, mostly get inquiries
on general information about living in
Korea, including how to get home Inter-
net access or a mobile phone.
About half of the approximately 200
enquiries each of the centers receive
each week are such calls.
It’s not only foreigners visiting the
centers. Some locals living nearby are
going to the centers to learn foreign lan-
guages. The centers teach locals foreign
languages for only 10,000 won a
month.
Ju Min-young, a Junggok-dong resi-
dent, has become a regular at the Itae-
won-Hannam Center since attending a
fine arts class there.
“It is good to hang out with people
from all over the world,” said Ju.
A 39-year-old Indian who only
identified herself by her first name -
Shanti - said she met her boy friend,
who is a Korean, at the Itaewon-Han-
namdong center. Now she is volunteer-
ing, too. “I am working to open an
Indian cooking class at the center,”
Shanti said.
The heads of the global village cen-
ters are hired by Seoul City on two-year
contracts as sixth-rank public employ-
ees. They work a minimum of four
hours a day and are paid 1.5 million won
($1,089) per month.
 By Moon Gwang-lip
Alan Timblick
Alan Timblick:
With the backing of City Hall,
he is well placed to lobby.
Lobbying for Change
with City’s Backing
O
n Jan. 23, Seoul Global
Center celebrated its
first anniversary, and its
head Alan Timblick looks to the
new year as the one in which he
will try to really put the center on
the map.
“I’d like to see our services bet-
ter known,” the U.K.-native said.
“We’ll be more aggressive with
members of chambers of com-
merce and other organizations.
And I am hopeful that we’ll have
more budget to attend events and
publicize ourselves more.”
Seoul Global Center, a divi-
sion of the Seoul Metropolitan
Government, has a staff of 38 and
offers a wide range of services for
foreigners, such as business-relat-
ed consultation, advice on taxa-
tion, medical care, immigration
assistance and language. Also, for-
eigners can sign up for a credit
card and mobile telecommunica-
tion services there.
The best part about these ser-
vices? They are offered free of
charge. The worst? The people
who need them the most may not
know the center even exists.
“In the beginning, people
obviously didn’t know what we
did or what we were for, how easy
it was to use us, what was the scope
of the kind of services and benefits
we could offer,” he said. “This has
been the year of not just doing
[services] but telling people what
we do.”
Timblick said the center, which
Global Korea
handles an average of 400 inquires
per day, wants to take on more of
an “advocacy role” for foreigners
here, by helping to make changes
to regulations that might hinder
their businesses. “There are regu-
lations that exist that are obstacles
to making life good for foreigners
and foreign residents,” he said.
“When we identify those, we need
to lobby to get them changed.
We have no statutory right to
demand. But with the backing of
the Seoul Metropolitan Govern-
ment ... I think we’re in a good
location and good position to
[lobby for changes], as a channel
of communication between for-
eign residents and the authori-
ties.”
Timblick, who is an honorary
Seoul citizen, fully understands
foreigners’ plights in Korea. He
has spent more than three decades
in Korea and has worked for vari-
ous companies and organizations.
What has kept him in this country
for so long? “I guess it’s a constant
drive for improvement,” Timblick
said. “Koreans aren’t satisfied with
the status quo, and that’s excit-
ing.”
Timblick’s one-year deal has
been renewed, and he is not ready
to retire quite yet.
“After this year, I don’t know.
Let’s just wait and see,” he said. “I
expect to be engaged in doing
something. I enjoy [this job]. I
have a lot of fun here.”
 By Yoo Jee-ho
March 2009 korea 23

EV Boyz find themselves
celebrities after YouTube hit.
EV Boyz Rappin’ on Korea
“K
imchi, kimchi, it is good for
you and me…”
It is hardly a typical
scene, even on video: Three foreign
boys rapping and dancing to an incur-
ably catchy ditty that pokes affectionate
fun at items including kimchi and local
lagers. Meet the EV Boyz.
“This is a video about how it is for
westerners to live and work in a small
‘Edutainers’ find
underground hit with
rap video.
town in Korea,” said band member Bri-
an Peterson.
The video and song, “Kickin’ it in
Geumchon,” is both produced and per-
formed by the Boyz, an amateur group
of three Americans living in Korea.
The video quality is no surprise
considering that the band members -
Peterson, 25, Christian Zonts, 31, and
Mike Nance, 28 - were all in the enter-
24 korea March 2009
tainment business back home. They
have been in Korea for about two years
on average now.
The group is named after the place
where they live and work in Korea -
Gyeonggi English Village (EV) Paju
Camp, an English-language theme park
located in the city of Paju in Gyeonggi
Province.
English Village, a faux English town
with a pub, a Georgian city hall and even
a miniature Stonehenge inside its walls,
is a unique facility created by the Gyeo-
nggi provincial government to provide
local people opportunities to practice
English in a variety of everyday contexts
while immersing themselves in English-
speaking culture. Nance recently moved
to Seoul, but the other two Boyz, Peter-
son and Zonts, still live and work in
English Village as so-called “edutainers”
- a compound of “education” and “enter-
tainers” - who teach the language not
through traditional methods, but via
unconventional mediums such as per-
formance, game and music.
“Kickin’ it in Geumchon” shows
[JoongAng Daily]
their ordinary life in Geumchon, a small
town near English Village in Paju where
the group usually hangs out. It features
Korean foods like kimchi and bibimbap
- and their local drinking den.
The video has became the talk of the
town, registering more than 120,000
clicks after it was uploaded on YouTube
in March last year and was awarded the
second prize by the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism out of all the user-
created content made in 2008. It has also
appeared on national broadcaster KBS’
prime-time news program.
The song was written by Zonts, who
has more background in music, and was
designed initially for performance at
charity events held in English Village
about one and a half years ago. It never
crossed the Boyz’ mind that their song
would create such a sensation. “It is a
surprise that it is still going on a year
[after it was made],” said Zonts.
And their next project? “Soju Ching-
gu,” will be about friendships nurtured
over soju, Korea’s infamous tipple.
 By Park Sun-young
Sport Unites Foreign Moms
I
t was Jan. 22 and some twenty for-
eign women, their nationalities as
diverse as Japan, Kyrgyzstan and the
Philippines, were gathered at the gym of
Handle Elementary School in Jeonju,
North Jeolla Province.
The occasion? With the Lunar New
Year’s festival about to begin on Jan. 26,
the International Mothers’ Volleyball,
or IMV, team was celebrating the onset
of the Year of the Ox in advance.
Multicultural moms
bond through sport.
The women all came to Korea after
marrying a Korean. And they all cur-
rently live in North Jeolla.
The IMV was getting ready for a
friendly match against its local counter-
part, the Korean Mothers’ Volleyball
team, on the day. The foreign team
played a solid game in a united body, but
still lost by 0 to 2.
However, the players were not dis-
spirited: Afterwards, they actively par-
ticipated in a game of yut (a traditional
Korean board game with wooden sticks)
as well as an amateur singing contest
A group of foreign spouses married to Koreans de-stress before the household chores of the Lunar New Year festivities start to bite.
held after the match.
“I was able to get rid of the potential
stress I expect to get from lots of domes-
tic chores during the New Year’s holi-
days in advance while spiking the ball
during today’s game,” Ajibekova Gul-
barchyn, 32, the captain of IMV in Jinan
County, said with a giggle.
“Participating in the IMV is like a
shot in the arm as I can de-tress as well
as mix with friends from various coun-
tries,” added Gulbarchyn, a Kyrgyzstani
who came to Korea in 1999.
The IMV was established in Jeonju
and Jinan, both in North Jeolla, in April
2006, and was the first team of its kind
in the country. It was the brainchild of
Seo Ju-sang, 57, the president of the
Jeonbuk (North Jeolla) Volleyball Asso-
ciation, which is affiliated with the
National Council of Sport for All. Seo
came up with the idea when a local
peculiarity - the large number of foreign
women married to Korean men who
live across the region - came to Seo’s
attention.
The drive continued in other parts
of North Jeolla to produce similar teams
in Jangsu County in November 2006
and in Gimje City last October. As a
result, a total of four IMV teams are now
active in North Jeolla, with a member-
Global Korea
ship of around 120.
However, Seo did not find it easy at
first to run teams of foreign amateurs.
There was a language barrier and
most players were inexperienced and
not much good at volleyball. It was also
difficult to call out the players, who are
usually expected to stay home to take
care of their families, and who further-
more live scattered around the province.
But IMV has managed to carry on its
weekly practices and the team is now
quite popular, being frequently invited
to friendly matches in and outside North
Jeolla at least once a month.
IMV also plans to host various cul-
tural events engaging multicultural
families, which have been rapidly
increasing in Korea in recent years.
“We’ll hold a unique multicultural
festival this Sunday (Feb. 15) in which
the participants will not only play vol-
leyball, but also enjoy various events, for
example, making bibimbap together,
which will engage international couples
and multicultural family members,” Seo
said.
“Many events such as concerts, sem-
inars and trips are also in the lineup to
help more expat mothers better adjust
to their lives in Korea.,” Seo added.
 By Park Sun-young
Provided by Jeonbuk volleyball Association
March 2009 korea 25
 Culture

Global Singing Stars

Converge on Korea

F
eaturing popera diva Sarah Brightman,
famous rock bands Oasis and X-Japan, and
jazz masters Five Peace Band and Fourplay,
the list of foreign musical talent visiting in the
first half of 2009 proves that Korea is - at last - square-
ly on the international concert circuit.
Although the recession has forced people to tight-
en their purse strings, fans are expected to turn up and
shell out for concerts - especially when those concerts
offer chances to hear and see famed foreign musicians
who they’ve been awaiting for years.
With such a star-studded guest list, the local music
Clockwise from left: Sarah scene is expected to be pretty loud in the first six
months.
Brightman; Oasis, Travis,
Rock Blooms in Spring
Jason Mraz and X-Japan. All A number of celebrated foreign rock bands will
make their high-profile entry to the country with the
are scheduled to hit Korea in onset of spring in March and April.
The first musician in the lineup is Scottish pop-
the first six months of the year. rock band Travis who dazzled Korean rock lovers at
the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival last year. The
band was astonished by the reception they received in

Provided by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs

their previous concert in Korea and by the support of
Travis-lovers, organizers say. Travis will perform at the
Olympic Hall, Olympic Park, on March 1. The concert
will feature songs from their latest album, “Ode to J.
Smith,” among others.
“We are extremely glad to be able to organize Tra-
vis’ Korea concert,” said Shirley Hong of Yellow Nine,
the organizer. “We expect audiences to respond favor-
ably as we believe this band is one of the bands that
performed at Pentaport that Koreans particularly want
to see again here.”
Another popular British act - Oasis - will be visit-
ing Korea to perform on April Fool’s Day. This will be
26 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 27
 Culture

a follow-up after their highly successful, sold-out concert in

Korea in February 2006.
Japanese rockers X-Japan are another artist on the hit list.
yet to be fixed.

Korea Awaits Queen of Popera

Band member Yoshiki promised to perform in Korea on his
visit to Korea last September, and the group looks set to keep
that promise.
The band will hold its first-ever Korea concert on March
21, and another on March 22. X-Japan won an underground
following in Korea during the era when Japanese pop culture
was officially unavailable in the country. This makes X-Japan
the leading band to breed Japanese music maniacs in Korea.
After disbanding in 1997, the group was re-united 11
years later, and are now heading on a tour around Asia with
Klimt in Korea
Sarah Brightman, heroine of famous West End musicals
“The Phantom of the Opera” and “Cats,” opened the popera Austrian master’s biggest Asian exhibition.
era with the song, “Time to Say Goodbye.” Brightman is com-
ing to Korea for the second time to perform in three cities
between March 13 and 20. The British soprano will be pre-
senting a super-scale concert: According to organizers, it took
four years and more than 200 staff to prepare the produc-
tion.
R&B singer John Legend, who campaigned for U.S. presi-
dent Barack Obama with the song “If You’re Out There,” will

I
just one empty spot in the lineup: Band member Hide died in also be coming to Seoul for the first time on March 29.
1998. According to Sony Music Entertainment Korea, the Jason Mraz, who released his third album “We Sing, We t’s about time, art experts paintings exhibited in Seoul.
concert’s organizer, tickets that went into the first round of Dance, We Steal Things” last year, will be giving a concert in say, referring to the Gustav Klimt - a member of the
sales on Feb. 3 are selling rapidly. In their latest press release, Korea, as well. Mraz, a Grammy-nominated American singer/ Klimt (1862-1918) exhibi- Vienna Secession movement -
Sony announced that they had sold 99 percent of regular seats songwriter has performed with famous artists such as the tion at the Hangaram Exhi- produced brilliant and fanciful
in just three days. But the organizer also cautioned against Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Dave Matthews Band, James bition Hall in Seoul Arts Center, paintings and drawings, concen-
fraudsters riding on the band’s popularity. Blunt, Gavin DeGraw and Alanis Morissette. Many of his lyr- southern Seoul. trating mainly on the female
“Although we have not yet even started to issue tickets, ics are based on powerful yet delicate observations, as seen in The exhibition, running form.
there are some posters online alleging that they have some his previous hit songs like “Live High,” “If It Kills Me” and “A from January to May 15, claims Several of his major works on
good seats at the concert and if people are interested, they Beautiful Mess,” among others. to be Asia’s first and largest col- display are “Judith I” (1901), an
will send them to applicants at a cheaper price,” said Lee Mraz visited Korea twice last year expressing his special lection solely dedicated to the oil painting of a Viennese femme
Se-hwan from Sony. affection for the country where he has a large fan base: Korea Austrian Art Nouveau painter. fatale; “Adam and Eve” (1917);
Meanwhile, another Japanese visual rocker “Gackt” is the first stop on his 2009 World Tour. “Gustav Klimt in Korea and “Baby” (1917-1918), thought
will perform in Korea in April, though the exact date has  By Kim Hyung-eun 2009” includes some 110 oil to be the artist’s last work.
paintings, drawings, murals and Though Klimt’s more
installations. famous works like “The Kiss”
“You will get a full picture of (1907-1908) or “Portrait of
who Klimt was,” said Agnes Adele Bloch-Bauer I” (1907)
Foreign Musicians’ Concert Schedule Husslein-Arco, the director of couldn’t make it to Seoul from
the Austrian Belvedere Gallery, Vienna, sections from the
Artist Genre Date Place Contact Information during an interview on Jan 31. “Beethoven Frieze” mural are
Husslein-Arco was in town here.
Jason Mraz Pop Feb. 21 Olympic Hall, Olympic Park 02-563-0595
accompanying some represen- The Beethoven Frieze was
Nicotine Punk rock Feb. 28 Hongik University SangSang Madang Live Hall 02-749-7516 tative pieces by Klimt from her painted by 21 members of the
Travis Brit-pop Mar. 1 Olympic Hall, Olympic Park 02-3443-9969 gallery in Vienna. Secession movement group,
The Austrian gallery con- including Klimt, for display at
Brad Mehldau Trio Jazz Mar. 4 Seoul Arts Center Concert Hal 02-720-3933 tributed more than 30 paintings the 14th Vienna Secessionist
Sarah Brightman Popera Mar. 13,14,16,20 Various cities, venues 02-3141-3488 by Klimt - some of which have exhibition in 1902 in Vienna.
rarely been displayed in previ- The work is a celebration of
Yuhki Kuramoto Jazz Mar. 14 Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall 02-751-9606~10
ous exhibitions. Works by or the German composer includ-
X-Japan Visual rock Mar. 21, 29 Gynmasium Stadium, Olympic Park 02-783-0114 related to Klimt were also con- ing installations, painting, craft
John Legend R&B Soul Mar. 29 Olympic Hall, Olympic Park 02-3141-3488
tributed by private collectors work and music.
and galleries, including The A movable copy of the mural,
Oasis Brit-pop April 1 Gymnasium Station, Olympic Park 02-3444-9969 National Gallery of Art in courtesy of the Austrian govern-
Joshua Redman Jazz April 26 Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall 02-2005-0114 Washington, D.C. and the Gal- ment, is on display here.
lery Saint Etienne in New York. The exhibition has already
Fourplay Jazz April 28, 29 LG Art Center 02-720-8500
Husslein-Arco said that no received favorable feedback from
other country in Asia would be Klimt fans in Korea and art
able to see the wide range of experts.  By Lee Eun-joo Judith I by Gustav Klimt

28 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 29


Paper lanterns dangle from the roof
of the prayer hall in Sangdoseonwon
Temple
W
hen it comes to Buddhist temples, a
particular set of stereotyped images
tends to appear in the mind’s eye.
First there are those ferocious
Breathing guardians standing sentry at the gates in martial poses.
The paintings on temple walls usually feature the four
heavenly guardians of Buddhism, with a range of evil
New Life demons defeated by them kneeling beneath their feet.
Numerous statues of Buddhas - often golden - inhab-
it the grounds and buildings.
into Buddha
This is the scenery the public is accustomed to at
temples. The similarity between temples has also led
to complaints that temples only display the past, as
what stands for today’s Buddhist culture appears to
A Seoul temple is taking a new have changed little over the centuries.
approach to Buddhist design. This is what makes the Sangdoseonwon Temple
stand out. The temple has embarked on a journey to
create a new Buddhist culture that is creative and
reflective of today’s aesthetics. Visitors to the temple
will see a blend of the old and new breathing together.
Here, the future design of Korea’s Buddhist culture is
being born and bred.
Located behind Soongsil University in Sangdo
30 korea March 2009
dong, Seoul, near a forest of high-rise apartment complexes,
lies the temple. It stands four floors high and has one story
below ground. As soon as one crosses the threshold, the tem-
ple’s unique style is revealed. The sermon hall is located in the
basement, but the stairs leading to it are made of red Bubinga
wood with the walls decorated with Buddha figures, impart-
ing a very elegant atmosphere.
Descend the stairs and open the door. Chances are, you
will be struck silent for a moment: The Buddha that greets
you is not the standard gold color but rather painted in a
color between silver and lead. The skill of the sculptor is
noticeable in the detailed clothing and long, thin fingers. Its
form, and the the atmosphere radiating from it due to the
material, make it very modern looking. Moreover, its outline
differs from conventional figures that tend to have a rather
imposing nature.
Much of this new look is down to the duralumin used to
sculpt the figure, explains senior monk Misan (who like most
monks, uses only one name). “Overall we used the Buddha
figure at Seokguram Grotto as a basic model,” Misan, said,
referring to Korea’s most famed classical Buddhist sculpture.
In addition, 450 small Buddha statutes decorating the wall
behind the large Buddha are displayed so that they depict a
Culture
A Seoul temple is es-
tablishing a new design
paradigm for an old
religion.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
pattern when seen from afar but are clearly Buddhas when
seen close up. The lanterns hanging from the ceilings are also
artworks in their own right as they are made from hanji (Kore-
an traditional paper.)
After its opening in November of 2007, word of mouth
spread quickly about the temple’s unique interior design and
Buddhist artifacts.
Since then, it has been besieged by visitors ranging from
camera buffs to monks from other temples who are dispatched
to find out more and take a clue from the temple in order to
enhance their own temples’ image.
Commonly heard comments are that the new approach is
“fresh,” and that it was about time that someone broke from
the past and brought forward creative change.Kim Jong-mu,
an official working at the temple, says that young monks from
other temples visit Sangdoseonwon frequently. “At this very
moment there are several temples benchmarking our design,”
said Kim. The temple welcomes all visitors and lets them roam
freely around the temple to take pictures of the building and
the interior.
“I hope we can become a stepping stone in changing the
architectural culture of temples within the cityscape,” says
Misan.  By Brian Lee
March 2009 korea 31
 Culture

T
he queen will return.
Local ballet patrons are agog over the recent news that
Korean ballerina Kim Ji-young will be returning to her
homeland in August.Kim, 31, a soloist with the Dutch
National Ballet, is known for a world-class technique that is at once
dynamic, powerful and lively, yet as graceful and elegant as ballet
can be.
Ballet sources believe that Kim is following in the practice
shoes of Kang Sue-jin, who joined the Stuttgart Ballet, Germany’s
first major ballet company, in 1986. Kang and the German troupe
performed John Cranko’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” in
Seoul last November, garnering huge attention from the media and
the public, while enrapturing Koreans with the beauty of the per-
formance and the performer.
Now, observers of the dance scene note, is the perfect time for
Kim to come back to her homeland, to take her place as the role
model for the next generation of local ballerinas.
A key player in Kim’s decision to come back is Choi Tae-ji, the
director of the Korea National Ballet Company. Choi had been the
young ballerina’s biggest supporter when she decided to fly to Rus-
sia to study while she was barely in her mid teens, as well as when
she became the youngest ballerina ever to get accepted by the
Korea National Ballet Company. “She opened my eyes to ballet,”
said Kim of Choi.
Choi believes that the return of the star is crucial to reinvigorate
a Korean ballet scene that has been suffering from stagnation
recently. But her return could sacrifice overseas fame.
“Ji-young has solidified her position in the Dutch ballet scene.,
and other circumstances look more upbeat in the Netherlands
than in Korea,” said Choi. “I feel very grateful that she’s made a bold

Provided by the organizer

decision, that took into consideration the bigger cause, rather than
immediate desire.”
Kim refers to Choi as “her other mom” - and that is tremen-
dously significant, for “mom” is a heartbreaking word for the bal-
lerina.
In 1996, when she staged her graduate work at Vaganova Ballet
Ballerina Kim Ji-young will Academy in Russia, her mother flew to the country specially to see

Prima Ballerina Returns return home from the Neth-

erlands in August.
her youngest child perform. After the show, however, her mother
was not on hand to congratulate her. Kim’s mother had collapsed
during her performance and was rushed to hospital. Kim hurried
to her bed, but by the time she arrived, her mother had already
The imminent return of ballerina Kim Ji-young is spreading new hope passed away.
“She is the best with her sense of speed, rhythm, coupled with
that Korea’s dormant ballet scene will be rejuvenated. techniques” said dance critic Jang In-ju of Kim. “She has now
added the maturity that only comes from years of experience and
heartbreak.”  By Kim Hyung-eun

32 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 33


Ko Un:
Poet of Tragedy and Hope
K
Major works o Un (1933 - ), a Buddhist monk
“God, the Last Village of Language” turned poet and pro-democracy
(“Sin, Eoneochoehu-eui Maeul,” 1967) activist, was born in Gunsan, Jeol-
“Going to Munui Village” labuk-do. His formal education was
(“Munui Ma-eul-e Gaseo,” 1974), interrupted by the outbreak of the Korean War,
“Early Morning Road” and Ko Un joined a monastic order in 1952 as
(“Saebyeok Gil,” 1978) the head disciple of Seon (Zen) Master Hyo-
“Ten Thousand Lives” bong. For the next ten years until he left the
(“Maninbo,” 1986) order, Ko Un traveled the country, immersing
“Mt. Baekdu” himself in self-discipline and spiritual cultiva-
(“Baekdusan,” 1987) tion. Ko began to write poetry during this
“The Song of Tomorrow” period, but it was not until the mid-1970s that
(“Naeil-ui Norae,” 1992) he emerged from the Nihilism and self-hate
“South and North” afflicting his early poems and transformed
(“Nam-gwa Buk, “ 2000) himself into a passionate voice against social
“Young Wanderer” injustice. In works such as “Going to Munui
(“Eorin Nageune,” 1974) Village,” “Climbing a Mountain,” and “Early
“Shattered Name” Morning Road,” Ko tackled contemporary
(“Sansani Buseojin Ireum,”1977) political issues, be they the division of Korea or
“Wandering Man” the abuses of the military dictatorship, and
(“Ttoedoneun Saram,” 1978) expressed a fierce determination to overcome
“Avatamsaka Sutra” Korea’s tragic history.
(“Hwa-eom-gyeong,” 1991) Ko’s strong faith in the power of history led
“A Boy” him to lengthier, grander schemes later in his
(“Eotteon Sonyeon,” 1984) career, two examples of which are the ongoing
series of poems “Ten Thousand Lives” (20 vol-
umes since 1986) and the epic poem “Mt.
Source: Korea Literature Translation Institute Baekdu” (7 volumes since 1987). In lyrical lan-
guage, “Ten Thousand Lives” brings together
34 korea March 2009
Korean Literature
portraits of the many different lives that com-
prise the tumultuous history of modern
Korea.
The transformations that Ko’s poetry have
undergone are intimately related to his response
to changes occurring in contemporary Korean
society. At the same time, in more recent works
of both poetry and prose, notably in a series of
“Zen Poems” as well as in the novels “Avatam-
saka Sutra” and “Seon” (“Zen”), he has tackled
specifically Buddhist themes far more openly
than ever before, although he refuses to be
labeled a “Buddhist writer.”
A prolific author of more than 130 volumes
of poetry and essays, Ko has also been politi-
cally active, serving as a central committee
member of the National Association for
Reclaiming Democracy, the president of the
Association of Writers for National Literature,
and as chairman of the People’s Arts Associa-
tion for Korean Artists. He was a Yenching
Institute research fellow at Harvard University
and a visiting professor at the University of
California at Berkeley. Ko’s poetry has been
translated into more than ten languages includ-
ing German, French and Japanese. His awards
include the 1974 Korean Literature Award, the
1988 Manhae Prize for Literature, and the 1991
JungAng Grand Prize for Culture.
March 2009 korea 35
 Korean Literature

Ten Thousand Lives The Song of Tomorrow

The first in this continu-
ing series of poems appeared
in 1986; 20 volumes have
been published to date. Ko
Eun conceived the idea
behind “Ten Thousand
Lives” in the summer of 1980
during his imprisonment for
pro-democracy activities.
Enduring torture and the
fear of death, Ko resolved to
record the faces and spirits of
countless people he had
encountered. It it this deter-
mination that culminated in
his epic tribute to humanity.
His fundamental belief in
the solidarity of mankind is
made clear in the prologue to
this volume where the poet
writes, “Not one can be a
being unto himself/ In this
endless march of life, tomor-
row/ O, a man is a man
among men, a world of men.”
Life, the poet declares, is a
process of acquiring the wis-
dom necessary for co-exis-
tence and interconnection;
as such, the source of a
brighter future lies in the web As implied by his reputa- remarkable frankness and ecstasy of being alive: “Snow
of human relationships. The tion as the most prolific poet effortless rhythm that epito- flakes aflutter/We are alive,”
spectrum of life Ko sketches in Korea, Ko Eun leads a life mize realist poetry. he proclaims and urges us to
is truly remarkable, encom- that cannot be separated The first poem in this “raise ourselves once again
passing the poet’s own family from the act of creating poet- collection, “Tomorrow” and go” toward “the brand
and acquaintances, ordinary ry. Whether in public or pri- reflects on times past. “What new sound of drumbeats.”
people as well as important vate, Go Eun exhibits a among them all was truth- It is not the poet’s inten-
figures from the past and the remarkable ability to trans- ful?” the poet asks himself tion, however, to indulge in
present. It is an encyclopedic form ordinary words or and expresses his determina- baseless optimism or dwell
representation of Koreans, statements into brilliant tion to soldier on without a on past mistakes. In order to
conveying in the process “the poems. This verbal gift, pause “...in the brilliant name welcome a future filled with
chain of life’s joy and the joy merged with his profound of tomorrow.” The darkness hope, the poet suggests that
of living on this earth that no awareness of historical forces of the past can no longer we will need to “reflect on the
amount of poverty or perse- and compassion for man- dominate the future. In present” rather than dwell on
cution can break.” kind, has resulted in works of “Today,” the poet sings of the past.

Poems
That Old Woman Paddy-field Flowers
She knew many tales. In the plains round P’yongtaek children used to laugh Forty thousand years ago, in prehistoric times,
Living in a grass-roofed hut, girls used to sing. when one by one
where millipedes used to drop from the rotting thatch. In that hallucination people had moved from caves
Falling raindrops were part of her family. in the freshly planted paddy-fields to live in huts,
Hard times were her element. there were baby rice plants if a father was killed while hunting
Cholera a bright yellow-green. his sons
or other common diseases never came to her. Now it’s sunlight. would bring him home on their backs
Poverty Water. then hang the body from a tree
and bad spirits disliked her. The daytime moon was one of her family. After a final weeding the rice ripens. and spread flowers on the ground beneath.
When the nation was brought low, moonlit nights shone bright From being in the Republic of Korea Forty thousand years later
under the Japanese the field became part of the Chosun People’s Republic in Chinan, North Cholla Province,
and later, after Korea was divided, then the Republic of Korea a four-year-old child whose father had died in the war,
she had only to drink a gulp of water then the Chosun People’s Republic once a grave had covered his remains
and she forgot a host of tales. then the Republic of Korea again. spread flowers there.
Once, Onnyon from the village opposite came by after gathering herbs After American jets had flown over, the plains were silent. Behind him, his mother wept.
and said, When you die Don’t be sad. A few wild crysanthemums.
we’ll make the memorial offerings for you. Your descendants have not lost touch with these plains.
I don’t need offerings, she said, In scorching heat the rice is ripening.
and laughed, a rare event. On the banks of the fields, homeless dogs are coupling.
If she had no teeth
she still had gums. - Poems from Ten Thousand Lives, Volume 17 

[JoongAng Ilbo]
Her gums’ laughter was all there was. Translated by Brother Anthony and Lee Sang-Wha

36 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 37

 Korea through the Lens

[NEWSIS]
[NEWSIS]

Moon Lanterns — Wish lanterns glow

in the dusk as residents of Yeongwol,
Click Gangwon, make their way across a stream
Saturday to mark the first full moon of the
Korea Lunar New Year. Koreans traditionally light
lanterns, build bonfires or swing canisters
of burning coals on the first full moon for
good fortune. (Above)

Fun, Fortune and Foreigners — Over-

seas residents play a traditional Lunar New
Year’s game, designed to invoke good luck.
(Above, right)

Cold Dash — Around 600 swimmers

brave the icy sea on Feb. 15 at Haeundae
Beach in Busan to take part in the “Polar
Bear Swim” Contest.
(Right)

Farewell, Teen Years -

Young men and women
take part in a coming-
[JoongAng Ilbo]

of-age ceremony in City

Hall Plaza, central Seoul.

[NEWSIS]
(Right)
 Korea through the Lens

Provided by R&L Bio

Sleepy Miracles — “Magic” and “Stem,” two beagle puppies cloned from stem cells derived
from fat tissues. Seoul-based biotech firm RNL Bio - with a little help from their surrogate
mother, a golden retriever - was behind the breakthrough, a world first.

Mounds of Meju — Residents in Gangjin, South Jeolla, store fermented soybean cakes,
meju, in jars to make soy sauce and soybean paste on Feb. 4, the first day of spring. The villag-
[YONHAP]

ers sell the food product across the nation.

Crazy Skiers — Costumed skiers take to the slopes of Phoenix Park in Pyeongchang, Gang-
won on Feb. 15. It was the seventh year the event was held.

So Long — The fourth batch of Dongmyeong Unit soldiers bid farewell to their sons and
daughters at a ceremony held in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, to mark their dispatch to Leba-
non on a United Nations Peacekeeping mission.
[JoongAng Ilbo]

[YONHAP]

World-record Bridge Takes Shape
M
onths after Incheon Bridge
made headlines for the
completion of the over-
seas section of what will
be the world’s sixth-longest bridge,
another Korean bridge is coming into
the global spotlight.
Geoga Bridge, which will cross the
sea for 8.2-kilometers between Busan
Port and Geoje Island in South Gyeong-
sang Province, is in its fifth year of con-
struction.
The bridge, being constructed by
Daewoo Engineering and Construc-
tion, is poised to be a Korean landmark,
not just for its size but for its practicality.
It will cut traveling time between the
city and the island from three and a half
hours to 40 minutes.
If completed as scheduled next year,
it will enter the Guinness Book of
Records, setting as many as five world
records in bridge construction.
The records are all related to the
method of construction known as
“immersed tunneling.”
Under the plan, the bridge will
include a 3.7-kilometer-long immersed
tunnel along with two, 2-kilometer-long
cable-stayed bridge sections.
An immersed tunnel is different
from an excavated tunnel that is made
42 korea March 2009
by drilling into the hard surface of the
sea bed. Immersed tunneling is a cut-
ting-edge methodology that sinks con-
crete boxes assembled on land into the
sea, links them to each other using water
pressure, then buries them under the
sea floor.
It sounds difficult - and it is.
The construction site is 48 meters
deep. There are no workers on the site.
Dependent only upon a Global Posi-
tioning System (GPS), the constructing
company connects concrete tunnel box-
es, which are 180 meters long and weigh
45,000 tons in total, under the sea.
Only a 2-centimeter margin of error
is tolerable.
Weather conditions are another
variable. Construction work is possible
Noksan Industrial Complex
JinHae
Je Island
Geoje Island
ridge
Geoga B
Busan~Geoje Fixed Link Project
Business &
Business & Technology
Technology
Immersed Tunnel
Immersion equipment
(Precisely controlled using computer)
Moving to immersion
Weight: 45,000 tons site by towing vessels
180m only when the wave height is 0.4 meters
Maximum depth or lower.
(40m)
9.75m According to Ku Im-sik, the head
26.5m
manager of the bridge construction
Tunnel sunk by filling it with water.
project at Daewoo Engineering and
Sections fixed. Water drawn out. Construction, the bridge is on target for
Total length of immersed tunnel: 3.7 kilometers five world records.
(Between Gadeok Island and Jungjuk Island) Considering the engineering tech-
niques being used, this is not odd. Ku said it is also the world’s first tun-
Ku proudly explains each of the five nel to be built on a frail sea-bed which is
world records the bridge is poised to composed of a considerable portion of
set. mud flats.
Busan
“First of all, the length of each of the Another record, he said, is that it is
Gadeok Island
tunnel tunnel blocks (boxes) to be assembled the first tunnel to be built in a wind-
Immersemdeters)
(3.7 kilo under the sea is 180 meters long,” he tossed open sea, not an enclosed bay or
said. “These are the world’s longest in a harbor as is usually the case.
bridge made by immersed tunneling.” Lastly, he said, the bridge is the first
The second record, he said, is the bridge to be built making use of the
Provided by the company
meter)
48-meter-deep construction field, double-segment joint method in linking
(8.2 kilo which is also the deepest among any concrete blocks under the sea.
immersed tunneling bridges construct- “I am confident that this will be the
ed - or under construction - anywhere safest tunnel in the world,” said Ku. 
in the world.  By Moon Gwang-lip
March 2009 korea 43
 Business & Technology

Samsung Electronics has rolled out its Asiana Named ‘Airline of Year’
seventh world-first chip in a decade.

A
Samsung Electronics’ 40-nanometer DDR2 dynamic random access memory. siana Airlines became the
first Korean carrier to
receive the “Airline of the
Year” award from the pres-
tigious magazine Air Transport World
last month.
The award is considered one of the
premier prizes in aviation.
Yoon Young-doo, Asiana’s new
ating routes between Korea, Japan and
China is decreasing steadily and Asi-
ana’s role in this area will grow stron-
ger as a result, “ he said.
“With the Korea-U.S. visa waiver,
agreement, we expect visitors to the
U.S. to increase twofold in the next
three years,” Yoon said.
“In step with this increase, we are
“Although last year we saw a deficit
due to the won’s depreciation against
the dollar as well as high oil prices, we
expect to step into the black again this
year,” Yoon said. Asiana Airlines based
their business plans for this year on a
$60 per barrel mark for crude oil and
1,200 won per dollar mark for the
country’s currency. 

Another World-first for Samsung president and chief operating officer,

said this is the first time a Korean air-
line company has won this award, add-
looking into making new routes
between Korea and the U.S.,” he add-
ed.
By Cho Jae-eun

ing that government regulations on Despite the adverse circumstances

I
n yet another world-first, Samsung
Electronics has developed DDR2
dynamic random access memory
using 40-nanometer technology,
the Seoul-based technology giant said
on February 4 in a release.
A nanometer is one-billionth of a
meter, and 40 nanometers is the equiva-
lent of one-3000th of a hair.
“With 40-nanometer technology,
we can enhance production up to 60
percent compared with using 50-nano-
meter technology,” said Samsung, the
world’s top chipmaker, in a release.
For chip makers, developing higher
DRAM density means they can cut pro-
duction costs and lead market trends by
providing the latest DRAM semicon-
ductors at higher prices. Since chips are
produced from a wafer, the smaller
chips are, the more chips are produced
out of one wafer.
“In the world’s chip market, the most
important thing is timing,” said an
industry official. “Success depends on
how much quicker than your rivals you
can develop the newest chip product,
because nobody wants to purchase low-
capacity chips even if their prices are
rock-bottom.”
In that sense, Samsung’s develop-
ment of 40-nanometer technology is
based world No. 2, Hynix, produce
chips with 50-nanometer technology.
Japan-based Elpida Memory will
start to produce 50-nanometer DRAM
chips within the first half of this year
and U.S.-based Micron Technology still
produces 60-nanometer chips.
The situation is worse for Taiwan-
based chipmakers. Powerchip and Pro-
MOS do not even produce 60-nanome-
ter chips. Germany-based Qimonda
went bankrupt last month due to the
tough market conditions in the indus-
try.
This gives Samsung a head start on
its rivals and industry officials say it will
take two years for other chipmakers to
catch up.
Along with enhanced productivity,
the 40-nanometer DRAM chip con-
sumes up to 30 percent less electricity
compared to its 50-nanometer counter-
part.
However, tough times continue in
the industry: Nobody knows when the
world chip market will rally.
“It’s hard to forecast when the mar-
ket will rebound,” said Brian Park, an
analyst with Prudential Investment and
Securities. “When the financial crisis
eases, the market will see a turn-
around.”
Air Transport’s
first DRAM products seven times over airline routes should be less restric- surrounding the local aviation indus- “Airline of the Year”
the past 10 years. tive. try recently, with high oil prices and award winners
The 40-nanometer DDR2 DRAM “Although by sales, Korean Air is the Korean currency’s depreciation,
comes two years and five months after the leader, in terms of service, safety Asiana Airlines has been active in Year Airlines
Samsung developed a 50-nanometer and financial policies, Asiana is at the improving its passenger service. 2009 Asiana Airlines
DRAM in September 2006. forefront, “ said Yoon, addressing jour- The company announced this year 2008 Singapore Airlines
Unlike flash memories, which store nalists in central Seoul’s Lotte Hotel on that it has invested a total of $70 mil- 2007 All Nippon Airways
information even when power is turned Jan. 29. lion in upgrading a variety of its air- 2006 Cathay Pacific Airways
off, DRAM memory stores a great Yoon, who was appointed president craft cabins. 2005 Air France
amount of data but loses data when last December, said data provided by Service improvements include big- 2004 Qantas Airways Limited
power is turned off. the International Air Transport Asso- ger, more comfortable first-class seats 2003 Southwest Airlines
DRAM chips are often used by IT ciation forecast that this year passenger and individual monitors in economy 2002 Japan Airlines
industries which are in need of storing flight demand and cargo flight demand class seats in select aircraft. 2001 Continental Airlines
a huge amount of data, such as subscrib- will decrease 3 percent and 5 percent The company’s goal for this year is 2000 Lufthansa
er information. respectively, compared to 2008. around 4.5 trillion won ($3.3 billion) in Source: Air Transport World
 By Sung So-young Demand for smaller airlines oper- sales.
Samsung Electronics’
chip history by developing
the world’s first DRAM
products QW
Year Nanometer
2000 150 Asiana expects visitors to the U.S. to
2001 100 increase two-fold in three years.
2002 90
2004 80
Flight attendants serve passengers in first class on an Asiana Airlines flight. The
2005 60
airline company received the “Airline of the Year” award from Air Transport
2006 50
World for its superior in-flight service. The company said it has spent $70 mil-
2009 40 lion on upgrading passenger service since 2006. Provided by the company

remarkable. Samsung has been leading chip Source: Samsung Electronics

Currently, Samsung and the Korea- market standards by releasing world-
44 korea March 2009

Mobile Industry: A New
Pillar for the Economy
Special
Series
04
T
New Growth Engine Industries
he introduction of cellular
communications in everyday
life has changed lifestyles
throughout the world. Now
more than 3 billion people use their
own mobile phones in communica-
tions, business and emergency calls.
The mobile industry, including-
operators, system makers and hand-
set makers, has grown so fast that the
total market volume now exceeds $1
trillion.
The Korean mobile industry also
has benefited from the worldwide
growth of the business. Samsung and
LG Electronics are ranked among
the top five in worldwide handset
market share. Mobile operators in
Korea have enjoyed rapid growth of
subscribers. Now almost all Korean
people subscribe to mobile services.
The industry has contributed to the
Korean economy in this way and
been a major growth engine so far.
Its contribution to the Korean GDP
was almost 7 percent in 2007.
Stagnating Growth and
Structural Weaknesses
Even though the mobile industry
has grown continuously, the growth
rate has slowed year by year. This
slowdown is a great threat to the
Korean mobile industry. The cellular
penetration ratio in Korea exceeds
46 korea March 2009
90 percent, forcing operators to pay
more marketing expenses in order to
maintain their subscribers. For sys-
tem makers, the market situation is
even worse than for handset makers.
Nationwide coverage for mobile ser-
vices is already complete and opera-
tors hesitate to deploy more advanced
systems to enhance services. In the
overseas market, Korean handset
makers have done well enough to
rank fifth in market share. Samsung
Electronics has been ranked second
and LG Electronics fourth. The total
market share of Korean handset
makers approaches 25 percent and
continuously increases, but still
needs to increase its share to over-
come Nokia, the No. 1 manufactur-
er.
On the other hand, system mak-
ers could not enter the worldwide
system market easily. The leading
system makers, such as Ericsson,
Huawei and Nortel have already
taken the whole market with techno-
logical and price competitiveness.
Korean system vendors are strug-
gling to enter the worldwide market
but the situation is getting worse. To
open a new system market, Korean
system vendors have invested in a
new technology called Mobile
Wimax, which Koreans call “WiBro.”
With WiBro, a small segment of
market has begun to open but the
expansion of the market is still less
than expected.
For Korean operators, finding a
new business opportunity in the
overseas service market seems a
good way of overcoming difficulties
within the domestic market. How-
ever, the barriers in the overseas
market are too high to overcome.
Sustained Growth to
Overcome Crisis
The Korean mobile industry is
confronted with the difficult task of
sustaining growth. Even though the
difficulties seem to come from mar-
ket saturation, there are other hid-
den reasons.
The first is a technological issue:
The Korean mobile industry has
tried to secure intellectual property
rights (IPR) conforming to world
standards, such as CDMA and
WCDMA but the result has not been
enough to secure independence
from leading companies such as
Nokia, Qualcomm, Ericsson, etc.
The second one is cost and is related
to the technology issue: The ecosys-
tem for a mobile system consists of
the component manufacturer, set
maker, system vendor and the ser-
vice provider, but the ecosystem
members have not been connected
0 0
2007 2012
Worldwide market size
(Unit: billion dollars)
1,000
803
800
600
400
200
0 0
2007
efficiently so the cost of the mobile
industry has been heavier than that
of its competitors. This is also related
to the technological issue: The core
components’ dependency on foreign
companies. The core components,
such as baseband MODEM and RF
transceivers are mainly supplied by
foreign companies such as Qual-
comm and TI, so the set makers do
not have control over the compo-
nents and sets they produce.
In spite of all the difficulties, the
Korean mobile industry plays an
important role in the Korean econo-
my. The expectations and possibili-
ties of the industry are still high.
Therefore, investment in mobile
communications should be rein-
forced to strengthen the competi-
tiveness of the mobile industry.
Through investment, the tech-
nological gap should be filled and
Korea’s ecosystem should be rebuilt.
Investment should also be made to
support the base of mobile commu-
nications, such as education, tests
and support for industry activities.
Through investment, mobile com-
munications could be a new growth
engine for the Korean economy.
From Voice to Data
Putting investment into mobile
communications and making it a
2007
Source : Yankee Group. “Global mobile forecast” June 2008
969
Number of subscribers
(Unit: billion)
5
4
3.11
3
2
1
2012 2007
Source : Yankee Group. “Global mobile forecast” June 2008
new growth engine is not just a hope
but a fact resulting from environ-
mental change and technological
evolution. If the mobile industry in
Korea takes a chance and follows up
on changes in trends and leads in
advanced technology, it can act as a
new growth engine for the Korean
economy.
The first change is the usage pat-
tern shift of mobile service subscrib-
ers. Traditionally, the major mobile
service has been voice communica-
tions. Even though third generation
mobile services such as WCDMA
and cdma2000 1x EV-DO aimed to
promote data communications in
the cellular network, the usage pat-
tern of mobile subscribers remains
unchanged.
Still the major mobile service is
voice communication and data ser-
vice occupies only a small portion of
the mobile business. However, the
situation seems to be changing with
the introduction of an affordable
mobile data service and various data
applications. If the data service for
the cellular network becomes a major
mobile service, the third generation
cellular network should be upgraded
to a more data-efficient architecture
because the current network is effi-
cient for voice service and carries the
overhead for data services. Upgrad-
2012
4.09
2012
ing the cellular network to a new
architecture could be a great chance
for the mobile industry, especially
for system vendors. Fortunately,
Korean system vendors have initiat-
ed change by developing data-ori-
ented systems like “WiBro,” so they
can become leaders in the next gen-
eration systems business.
New Standards, New
Technologies, New Players
The trend change toward the
expansion of data service requires an
evolution in technology to provide
bandwidth efficiency in the cellular
network. Because data service
requires more traffic capacity in the
same bandwidth, evolution is essen-
tial for moving into data services.
The evolution from the current cel-
lular standard requires a new stan-
dard of development to implement
the evolved techniques in formal
words. ITU-R initiated the move-
ment to generate a new cellular stan-
dard and several standardization
bodies including 3GPP and
IEEE802.16 are already moving to
generate the new standard. ITU-R
calls the new standard “IMT-Ad-
vanced” and the first version of the
standard will be finalized by 2011.
The Korean mobile industry is
also trying to incorporate their
March 2009 korea 47
 ‘Due to the convergence trend, traditional laws and
regulations are not proper ... we must improve them
Total market volume of worldwide mobile communication
for a new age of business convergence.’
(Unit : Million dollars)
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 CAGR
System 59,562 56,667 56,254 55,906 58,586 60,880 0.4
Handset 155,264 170,490 182,109 202,953 223,273 244,388 9.5
Service 661,688 763,950 849,500 914,308 969,993 1,026,256 9.2
Total 876,494 991,107 1,087,863 1,173,167 1,251,851 1,331,424 8.7
Special
Series Source : Gartner. 2008

04
New Growth Engine Industries

research results into the standard so
they can obtain effective IPRs.
Traditional mobile service uses
only cellular technologies, but recent
trends have introduced other access
technologies, such as Wireless Local
Area Network and Wireless Personal
Area Network in mobile service.
Fixed Mobile Convergence and
Fixed Mobile Substitution could be
seen as combinations of several tech-
niques and cause a blurring of the
boundaries between landline com-
munication services and wireless/
mobile services.
Those kinds of combined tech-
nologies and related services could
extend the coverage of the mobile
industry and could be a new busi-
ness opportunity for mobile opera-
tors. Also, the combined service
should require new types of con-
verged terminals and new forms of
systems. Convergence in mobile
communications could therefore
offer new opportunities for the
mobile industry.
For handset makers, a new kind
of converged terminal business has
become a reality.
Apple’s iPhone has already
entered the market and Google has
the Android. The market competi-
tion has become keener through the
entrance of new competitors and the
traditionally strong players, like
Nokia, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson.
However, openness in handset man-
ufacturing and the rapid growth of
the high-end handset market could
be a new opportunity for Korean
manufacturers because they are tra-
ditionally strong in the high-end
handset market.
With the trend of convergence
and the gravity shift in the market,
Korean handset makers have a
chance to lead the market.
Turning Crisis into
Opportunity
Because the market is saturated,
the Korean mobile industry is hav-
ing difficulty maintaining growth.
However, new opportunities are cre-
ated amid changes in usage patterns,
mobile standards, convergence in
technologies, handsets and systems,
plus the gravity shift in the handset
market. Now it’s time for Korea to
grab its chance and develop the
capability to lead the world.
To seize this chance, the first
thing Korea should do is develop
technologies that can drive Korea
and help maintain the lead. Technol-
ogy development is a basic factor in
empowering the industry. From the
component development to stan-
dard IPR, there is plenty of work to
do in technology development.
The urgent thing is to prepare
IMT-Advanced standardization,
because the IPRs related to the
worldwide mobile standard are the
basic factor in competitiveness.
ITU-R has already began the
standardization process and the 3rd
Generation Partnership Project
(3GPP) and the IEEE802.16 Work-
ing Group are preparing their own
specifications for IMT-Advanced to
match the time-line guided by ITU-
R, at the beginning of 2011. Through
IPRs the industry can negotiate with
foreign companies for cross-licens-
ing and lead the industry. The next
thing is to look for next-generation
technologies beyond IMTAd-
vanced.
Mobile technology evolves con-
tinuously and we could expect the
next step beyond IMT-Advanced.
Therefore, we need to look at the
possibilities for the next step. The
other technology development
would be focused on strengthening
the competitiveness of component
technology. Baseband MODEM, RF
components, and multimedia com-
ponents are all keys to enhancing
competitiveness. Technology devel-
opment requires highly skilled engi-
neers and a test bed. Also, new
mobile services require a proper
environment in terms of laws and
business regulations.
The mobile business will com-
bine with many different fields such
as biomedicine, education, military
applications, construction, etc.
Therefore, raising skilled engi-
neers is not only important for the
mobile business itself but also for the
new combined business areas. The
test bed could offer the opportunity
to verify a new service, system and
handset before they reach the mass
market, thus enriching quality.
Laws and regulations, if not
properly operated, could become a
barrier to a new business. Due to the
business convergence trend, tradi-
tional laws and regulations are not
proper for new businesses. There-
fore we must look at current laws and
regulations to improve them for a
new age of business convergence.
Korea’s domestic market is rela-
tively small compared to that of
developed countries.
Even the service market is small
and already saturated. To become a
global player, exporting products
and services is not an option but
mandatory. Mobile operators are
trying to become worldwide players,
but they have had difficulties in cul-
tural barriers, raising capital expens-
es, etc. There may be few things the
government can do to improve those
situations, but we still need to coop-
erate in order to improve.
For small- and medium-sized
enterprises, entering the world mar-
ket is even harder. They lack brand
power, information on the foreign
market, and experts to help them
undertake worldwide business. To
break through, the government
should support them by giving them
an official service to connect them to
foreign market players.
In some sense, the service opera-
tors could be a helping hand for
SMEs because an operator’s opera-
tions abroad may require the coop-
eration of various companies, like
system vendors, application provid-
ers, etc.
Concerted Efforts
We have discussed the current
situation of the Korean mobile
industry and what we should do to
make mobile communications a new
growth engine for Korea’s economy.
If we are successful, we can become
the No. 1 mobile country.
Korea’s share of the world hand-
set market would approach 35 per-
cent, and the mobile industry’s con-
tribution to the nation’s GDP is
expected to be around 10 percent.
The standard IPRs owned by Korean
companies and research institutes
would be around 10 percent.
To make the mobile industry a
main pillar of the Korean economy,
those in industry and the govern-
ment should make concerted efforts
under a grand vision.
By Ahn Jae-min
Ahn Jae-min
Professor of Chungnam National University
• Ahn Jae-min is a professor of informa-
tion and communication engineering at
Chungnam National University in Dae-
jeon, South Chungcheong Province. He
received a Ph. D. in electrical and elec-
tronics engineering at KAIST in Daejeon.
His main research fields include MODEM
algorithm development, channel coding,
and wireless mobile communication sys-
tem engineering.
• Email: jmahn@cnu.ac.kr, jmahn@iita.
re.kr

48 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 49


Hidden
Champions
Speaker Grille
Samkwang has been able to
turn the won’s fall into a gain.
Courtesy of Samkwang
50 korea March 2009
Samkwang:
The Face of Hi-fi
f you are listening to your hi-fi
as you read this, there is a good
chance the music is reaching
your ears via a Samkwang Elec-
tronics product - for Samkwang is the
world’s No. 1 maker of speaker grilles.
Samkwang Electronics’ speaker
grille was selected as one of the 127
“World’s Best Products” compiled by
the Ministry of Knowledge Economy
last year. The ministry, which created
the list based on 2007 data, has been
drawing up similar lists since 2001.
Samkwang’s global share in the
speaker grille market was 36 percent
in 2007. In that year, it produced $57
million worth of the products; 2008
data are not out yet.
A speaker grille is the “face” of
consumer and industrial loudspeak-
ers, and consists of either a hard or
soft screen mounted directly over the
face of the speaker. Speaker grilles
make televisions look more sophisti-
cated, and also help the speaker deliv-
er more precise sound.
Recent economic circumstances
have been proving favorable for the
company: “It is not a crisis, but an
opportunity!” said Samkwang man-
ager Chung Seung-ki.
The Japanese currency’s yen value
rose almost 90 percent last year
against the won, to over 1,550 won
per 100 yen, making Samkwang’s
products more affordable than many
competitors’.
The recently strengthening yen
has significantly improved Samk-
wang’s bottom line as the company
depends on the Japanese market for
nearly 90 percent of sales: Samkwang
supplies speaker grilles to Japanese
electronics manufacturers including
Sony, Sharp, Toshiba and Pioneer.
The result? As it is paid in yen by
its Japanese buyers, the company has
been enjoying a foreign exchange
windfall.
Samkwang first entered the Japa-
nese market in 2005, exporting 3.5
billion won ($2.5 million) to the
country the same year. Samkwang has
not yet released last year’s sales fig-
ures, but Chung said the company
shipped an estimated 20 billion won’s
worth of speaker grilles to Japan in
2008 - nearly seven times more than
2005’s amount. And the number of
Japanese buyers is continuing to
increase.
The company has a factory in
Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, with 100
employees on the assembly line. It
succeeded in developing a 0.3-milli-
meter-thick grille in 2006, a technol-
ogy only Panasonic (formerly known
as Matsushita) owned at that time.
With that success under its belt,
Samkwang was able to win a range of
Japanese customers such as Sony and
Sharp.  By Limb Jae-un
New Kids on the Diamond
Will World Baseball Classic Team Win Same Success as in ‘06?
W
hen Korea’s national baseball team jogs onto
the diamond for the second World Baseball
Classic in March, it will have an entirely differ-
ent starting lineup from the one at the inaugu-
ral WBC in 2006.
Three years ago, that team reached the semifinals. Built
on solid pitching, timely hitting and flawless defense, Korea
was the darling of the tournament with unrelated Kims, Lees
and Parks dominating the roster.
But this year’s team will be without both the Philadelphia
Phillies pitcher Park Chan-ho and the Yomiuri Giants slug-
ger Lee Seung-yeop. Both played key roles and were named
to the tournament All-Star team in 2006.
Even so, Korea is hoping it can attain similar success
with the overhauled lineup.
Despite the above changes, Korea retains the core group
of players that won the nation’s first baseball Olympic gold
medal in Beijing last summer.
A pair of left-handed starters, Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim
Kwang-hyun, will anchor the pitching staff. Both are former
MVPs in the Korea Baseball Organization - Ryu in 2006 and
Kim in 2008 - and both excelled in the pressure cooker that
was the Olympics in Beijing.
One intriguing name on the pitching staff is Kim Byung-
hyun, a former major leaguer who has been out of competi-
Sports
[JoongAng Ilbo]
tive baseball since early 2008. The right-hander with a sub-
marine delivery, Kim was named to the provisional roster
and joined the team for training camp in Hawaii in mid-
February.
Questions have emerged as to whether Kim would be in
game shape to pitch for Korea. But team manager Kim In-sik
said he isn’t worried.
“If Kim weren’t ready, he would have told us already,” the
manager said. “He has been working with a personal trainer
in Los Angeles and he should be just fine.”
The lineup is expected to miss Lee Seung-yeop, who has
hit a clutch of homers for Korea in international events. But
in his absence, Cleveland Indians’ Choo Shin-soo will be a
force in the middle of the lineup from the left side of the
plate.
Choo had a breakout season for the Indians in 2008, hit-
ting .309 with 14 home runs and 66 runs, batted in as the
team’s everyday outfielder in the second half of the season.
Flanking Choo in the lineup will be the reigning KBO
home run king Kim Tae-kyun, and his good friend Lee Dae-
ho, who provided punch for Korea in Beijing. Speedsters Lee
Jong-woo and Lee Yong-kyu will look to get on base before
the sluggers.
Korea opens the WBC against Taiwan on March 6 in
Tokyo.  By Yoo Jee-ho
March 2009 korea 51
 Sports

Pyeongchang Tries Again

F
or the first time in the event’s
51-year history, the Biathlon
World Championships were
held in Asia: Korea’s resort
town of Pyeongchang, Gangwon Prov-
ince, provided the venue.
More than 600 athletes from 40
countries descended upon Pyeongchang
for the nine-day competition, from Feb.
13-22. Biathlon, which combines cross-
country skiing and rifle shooting, is not
a major sport in Korea but is hugely
popular in northern Europe.
That explains the dominance of
European biathletes. In the men’s
20-kilometer individual race, there has
never been a winner outside of Europe
since the world championships started
in 1958. The 10-kilometer sprint event
began in 1974; it too has never seen a
non-European champion.
Though Korean biathletes failed to
win a medal at the championships,
Pyeongchang proved a gracious host
with its winter sports complex, Alpensia
Resort, which also includes facilities for
ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
The biathlon is one of several inter-
national winter sports competitions
taking place in Pyeongchang and neigh-
boring towns this year. In January,
Hoengseong, near Pyeongchang, hosted
the Snowboard World Championships
- the first-ever Asian host. In March, the
World Women’s Curling Championship
will come to Gangneung, northeast of
Pyeongchang. Hosting these major
events is part of Pyeongchang’s efforts to
bring Korea its first-ever Winter Olym-
pics.
Pyeongchang has twice bid for the
Winter Games and has come up short
both times. Only two months after it lost
to Sochi, Russia, by three votes for the
right to host the 2018 Winter Olympics,
Pyeongchang declared its intention to
bid for the Winter Games - for the third
time.
With no other Korean city in the
running, the Korean Olympic Commit-
tee is expected to officially announce
Pyeongchang as the Korean candidate
in March. The KOC will then inform the
International Olympic Committee in
October of Pyeongchang’s candidacy.
The IOC is set to select the official
candidate cities in July next year. Then
in July 2011, at the 123rd IOC Session,
in Durban, South Africa, the host city
for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be
announced.
Though Korea isn’t yet competitive
in winter sports bar short track speed
skating, speed skating and figure skat-
ing, major events will help establish
Pyeongchang’s viability onships.
“Think of just how many athletes,
coaches and officials will get to experi-
ence Pyeongchang,” said Kim Young-
beom, head of the organizing staff for
snowboard and biathlon champion-
ships. “This is our chance to showcase
3rd Time Lucky?
to the world that we can host these
major events.” 
Kim Yu-na Shoots for Gold at Worlds.
 By Yoo Jee-ho, Kim Jason

W
Rifle: 50 meter bore rifle ith the world “I’d heard there were many Koreans living in Vancouver,
Target: When hit, the black Target measurements
Scope colored targets flip to white (diameter) Prone (45 mm) championships but I didn’t expect such huge cheering,” she said. “The city will
Gunsight cover .22 LR indicating a successful hit. just around the feel like home to me at the Winter Olympics next year.”
bullets
Gunsight corner, Korean Kim needed at least 127.76 in free skating to become the
Ammunition magazine
Standing (115 mm)
figure skating starlet Kim Yu-na first female skater to reach 200 under the new International
is coming off a resounding vic- Skating Union’s judging system. At November’s Cup of China
1 tory at February’s Four Conti- on the ISU Grand Prix circuit, Kim had 128.11 free skating
nents Championships in Van- points. But Kim said she wasn’t thinking about history.
Biathlon: A combination of cross-country skiing and shooting (50 m bore rifle).
Depending on the event, a participant has to ski 7.5 to 20 kilometers on their Nordic skis couver. Kim scored 72.24 points “To be honest, I tried to forget about my short program

[JoongAng Ilbo]
and shoot targets along the course. in short program - the highest score,” she said. “My focus would solely be on today.”
Ski: Both classic and free style cross-country styles are permitted. Most participants tend mark of all-time - and ended Kim is the early favorite for the worlds this year. In the past
to use the free style.
with 189.07 points total, to beat two World Championships, she battled nagging hip and back
Shooting: Consists of prone and standing Canadian Joannie Rochette by injuries, but this year, Kim said she’s never felt better physi-
shooting. Competitors must shoot five
Yeongdong successive targets at each shooting line. prone
nearly six points. cally.
Hoenggye IC
Expressway Kim’s archrival, Mao Asada of Japan, bounced back from Defending world champion Asada struggled mightily in
East Sea a sloppy short program to finish in third overall. Vancouver. The Japanese media have reported that Asada
Seoul Golf course standing
Biathlon venue But the event clearly belonged to 18-year-old Kim, who sustained a knee injury in January and wasn’t at 100 percent.
Alpensia Resort
Pyeongchang won her first Four Continents in her first try. With the World “I still have problems to conquer, so I will try harder at the
Yong Pyong Donghae
Expressway
Championships coming in Los Angeles in March, Kim, who worlds,” Asada said.
Resort Cross-country course has taken bronze in the previous two worlds, is hoping third Kim however, is confident. She said before the Four Con-
time will be lucky. tinents that she isn’t worried about other skaters - including
course She is certainly in top form. The teenager was almost Asada.
An flawless in short program and despite some miscues on “”I know everyone wants to pit me against Asada, but I’d
aeri
al v jumps in free skating, Kim was one happy camper, saying rather not worry about others,” Kim said. “As I’ve always done,
iew Biathlon course
of A Biathlon course she fed off the enthusiastic Korean contingent in the stands I’d like to stay focused on my own performance.”
lpen This course has been approved by the International Biathlon Union as an elite course
sia in Vancouver.  By Yoo Jee-ho
Res suitable for top flight international events. Lights have been installed in preparation
ort for night games due to the time difference with Europe. The total length of the
52 korea March 2009 course is 14.8 kilometers. March 2009 korea 53
 Travel
Travel

Provided by Korea Tourism Organization

In the Village of Apricots, March is Winter’s End
54 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 55

A view of Maehwa Village
Visitors take photos in front
of Apricot Blossoms at the
Gwangyang Maehwa Festival.
56 korea March 2009
Provided by Korea Tourism Organization
I
t is a stunning spectacle: A
traditional riverside vil-
lage glittering with what
looks like a light dusting
of frost. But winter is over. Up
close, the visitor will see that the
frost is, in fact, hundreds of
thousands of brilliant white apri-
cot petals in full bloom.
There are many symbols of
spring, but one of the first tell-
tale signs that the long Korean
winter is finally over is the bud-
ding of maehwa, or apricot blos-
soms. The best place to take in
the picturesque scene of apricots
in bloom - which traditionally
Tourist Tips symbolize integrity and fidelity
Maehwa Village is a fine place to visit but there are also - is Maehwa Village in Gwang-
plenty of interesting places to visit and things to do in the yang City, South Jeolla Province.
surrounding area. The apricots bloom in early
If there is one place to visit while inside Gwangyang City March, and their blossoms usu-
limits, Dosunguksa Village, a rural theme village, is it. ally last up to a month.
Located at the foot of Mount Baekwon, it offers all the The annual local apricot fes-
amenities expected of a traditional village and is blessed tival, which also has the distinc-
with fresh spring water that flows from the mountain, and tion of being the first flower fes-
is served from traditional wells. After drinking a gourd full tival of the year in Korea, usually
of fresh well water, it’s best to follow up with homemade starts on the second weekend of
tofu and a cold bowl of dongdongju, a milky rice beer. March. As the name suggests,
There are plenty of rooms available for overnight stays in apricots are in abundance in
the village and those looking for an all-natural meal can Maehwa Village with approxi-
sample traditional side dishes and others made from wild mately 300,000 trees planted on
mountain herbs. over 150 farms.
Visitors can participate in hands-on activities such as ce- Entering its 13th year, the
ramics and tofu and soybean paste making. The village Gwangyang Maehwa Festival
offers plenty of outdoor activities during the spring season offers a range of performances
such as wild green tea leaf and mountain herb picking as and traditional fare, but as has
well as the chance to participate in tea ceremonies. been the case in the past, the
Dosunguksa Village is located near Gwangyang Bus Ter- highlights are the photographic
minal. contest of apricot flowers and the
For more information, visit http://dosun.go2vil.org. Seomjin River.
Travel
According to the organizers,
plenty of activities involving
aspects of regional traditional
culture will be on tap. Some new
events this year include a pan-
sori, or traditional Korean narra-
tive musical competition, and a
mountain bike competition. A
maehwa cook off, an outdoor
exhibition of traditional poems
about apricot blossoms and a
slew of performances and con-
certs have also been prepared.
Having steadily grown since
its inaugural year in 1997, the
organizers of the festival are
expecting another increase in
visitor numbers this year.
“Last year, we had about
650,000 visitors and we’re expect-
ing an increase of anywhere from
30,000 to 50,000 people for this
year’s event,” said Seo In-sook,
an officer in charge of Gwang-
yang City’s Culture & Public
Relations department. “The
warmer weather should also
help.”
The roots of what was once a
local festival can be found on
Cheongmaesil Farm, the largest
and oldest apricot farm in the
village. According to Kim Myeo-
ng-duk of Gwangyang’s Culture
& Public Relations department,
the founder of the farm, Kim
Oh-cheon was forcefully taken
to Japan during the colonial
years to labor as a miner. Prior to
returning home in 1931, Kim
spent all his savings from his
March 2009 korea 57

labor to purchase apricot and chestnut
trees. Hong Ssang-ri, Kim’s daughter-
in-law, was greatly taken with the beau-
ty of the apricot flowers during the
spring, and the health benefits of apri-
cots. She planted more and more apricot
trees over the years.
“Hong’s farm was the first in the vil-
lage to grow apricots and as she
increased the number of trees on her
land, she fell in love with the bright
beautiful colors of the flowers during
the spring,” said Seo. “As she gained
success in harvesting apricots, others
in the village followed her lead.”
The Cheongmaesil Farm, which is
approximately 30 football fields in size
and which contains over 10,000 apricot
trees, produces various apricot products
including apricot extract and apricot
red pepper paste. It also sells soy bean
paste, pickled side dishes, chocolates
and cosmetics. You may imagine how
hectic things get around the farm when
the time to harvest the maesil, or green
apricots, arrives in June.
In order to accommodate its vast
need for apricots, over 2,200 hangari or
ceramic jars can be found on the grounds
of the farm or buried in nearby hills.
“Our red pepper paste has a hint of
sweet and sour flavor that is distinctly
different from regular red pepper
pastes,” said Lee Mi-gyeong, a staffer at
Provided by Korea Tourism Organization
the farm. “Our products are also all-
natural, meaning no additives or preser-
vatives have been added.”
She particularly recommended apri-
cots pickled in sugar for about a year in
ceramic jars.
Mount Baekun Yoohyangrim trail “They can be added to salads or
eaten as a side dish when eating meat,”
58 korea March 2009
‘The apricot flower was admired not only for its beauty,
but also for its ability to blossom during the chilly early spring.’
she suggested. “The sour flavor and the
health benefits of apricots make them a
good choice.”
The growing number of apricot
trees and the firm hold they have gained
over the village in recent years can also
be seen in the growth of the festival. For
the first three to four years of the festi-
val, it was organized by the farmers of
the village, but as its popularity increased,
Gwangyang City began to play a larger
role in organizing things. It is now one
of the biggest regional festivals in South
Jeolla Province.
“It is often considered the eighth
largest festival in our province but there
are currently talks about the Ministry of
Culture, Sports and Tourism lending a
hand next year to commemorate
Maecheon Hwang Hyeon in time for the
100th year anniversary of his passing,”
said Seo. That move would give it status
as a national festival.
Maecheon Hwang Hyeon was a
famed poet during the late Joseon Peri-
od (1392 - 1910) who took his own life
in 1910 upon learning the Japanese had
annexed his country.
The symbol of spring is also one of
the four most prominently used sym-
bols in Joseon artworks. Apricot blos-
soms became prominent in paintings
sometime during the mid- to late-Joseon
Period. Aristocrats would often admire
apricot blossoms over drinks and hold
poetry reading sessions.
“Apricot blossoms, along with
orchid, mum flower and bamboo are
often referred to as the ‘four gentlemen’
of traditional art,” said Park Su-hee of
the Movable Cultural Properties divi-
sion of the Cultural Properties Admin-
Visitors at the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival
booths.  Provided by Gwangyang City
istration. “The apricot flower was
admired for not only its beauty but its
ability to blossom during the chilly ear-
ly spring.”
The Seomjin River, which adds to
the scenic beauty of Maehwa Village, is
a major waterway that flows from south-
easternern North Jeolla Province, down
into the northeast part of South Jeolla
Province and thence into the Korea
Strait.
According to Seo, English speaking
Gwangyang City staff members will be
on hand at the festival this year to pro-
vide information and translation for
foreign visitors.
The best way to get to Maehwa Vil-
lage from Seoul is to take an express bus
from the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to
Gwangyang Bus Terminal.
Organizers will also be running a
range of shuttle buses from the Gwang-
yang Bus Terminal to Maehwa Village
on the weekends over which the festival
runs.  By Jason Kim
Travel
Gwangyang Treats
If you’re thinking of visiting Maehwa
Village in time for the Gwangyang
Maehwa Festival, apricots are a given
but barbeque is also a must. Obviously,
you will try an assortment of variations
of apricot dishes, including apricot red
pepper paste as well as variations of
pickled apricot side dishes. While apri-
cot has many health benefits, you’ll
also want to check out some regional
dishes.
While Gwangyang is known as the
place to get your grilled jeono (giz-
zard shad) fix during the autumn, an-
other regional specialty is Gwangyang
bulgogi. This sweet-flavored bulgogi,
or marinated beef, is grilled over oak
wood charcoal, which provides a dis-
tinct aroma.
Bulgogi is one of the most widely rec-
ognized Korean dishes and although
not indigenous to the region, the se-
cret to its preparation lies in the man-
ner in which the meat is grilled.
The practice of using a marinating for-
mula specific to the region, and oak
trees to fire up the grill was started
during the Joseon Dynasty.
March 2009 korea 59
Fashion
Traditional
Threads for
the 21st Century
From clothing to cosmetic cases , from headgear to handbags,
U
Bae Yeong-jin’s self-appointed mission is to add updated Korean elements
to fashion products, leading to a globally acceptable design aesthetic. nless it is updated, there are
 Provided by Bae Yeong-jin limits to achieving the glo-
balization of hanbok, or
Korean traditional cloth-
ing, says a leading dress designer.
“We need to modernize hanbok so
its design suits the tastes of New Yorkers
while retaining the unique qualities of
traditional hanbok,” said designer Bae
Yeong-jin, 52. Ms. Bae declares that she
is in search of the crossroads between
New York fashion and hanbok design in
order to foster the clothing/textile
industry, which is highly value-added.
She was chosen as curator of the
Clothing Section at the 2009 Gwangju
Biennale (Sept. 18 - Nov. 4), an event
which aims to reinterpret Korean cul-
ture from a modern viewpoint. With
that background in mind, Ms. Bae is
immersed in experimenting with prac-
tical, modern hanbok designs.
Ms. Bae aspires to spread the unique-
ness and excellence of Korean clothing
design to the world and hopes that
Korea can be recognized as a leading
nation in the top-end clothing/textile
industry. Her modern reinterpretations
of hanbok, have received favorable
responses from her overseas boutiques
in Manhattan’s 37th street and in Fort
Lee, NJ.
She is renowned for her use of mate-
rials such as ramie fabric - which brings
out the elegant lining of hanbok - quilt-
ing and mother-of-pearl. These are used
not only in her clothing lines, but also in
handbags, shoes, and bedding so as to
fully promote “Korean” qualities in
60 korea March 2009
Fashion
many aspects of design. For instance, the traditional
rabbit fur waistcoat, called baeja, used by Korean
mothers for centuries, is modified into a sporty vest
that goes well with blue jeans. The designer has woven
peony flowers and butterfly motifs with little beads
into both sides of these colorful vests, and extended
their length to reach the hips, while preserving the fur
on the shoulder line, adding both vibrancy and sophis-
tication. She has also converted the jobaewi - a winter
hat with earflaps that was traditionally worn by Korean
women - into turban-style headgear. The difficult-to-
adjust shirt ribbon, or otgoreum, has been altered into
a knotted button.
Mother-of-pearl, in floral designs, is incorporated
into handbags and shoes to produce an exceptional
‘Clothing and innovative charm. Ms. Bae’s designs are also
expressed in the vials and containers of cosmetic com-
design is an panies that seek delicate beauty, and her evening dress-
area that can es, that feature the sexy and elegant lining of hanbok,
are a favorite among foreign diplomats in Korea.
add infinite Ms. Bae’s practical use of hanbok first won its place
in the spotlight ten years ago in 1999 when Queen
value.’ Elizabeth II came to Korea and visited her store. The
beautiful hanbok worn by actors and actresses in the
popular television drama “Palace,” which aired in
2006, were the works of Ms. Bae.
Her flagship store in Sagan-dong, Jongro district,
situated next to Gyeongbok palace, is called “Coser,”
(“to weave” in Spanish) and is a much sought-out des-
tination among foreign dignitaries and visitors want-
ing to learn more about Korean clothing Ms. Bae’s
design experiments and vision can also be on found
her website, http://www.cosercollection.com.
“Clothing design is an area that can create infinite
value, a goose that lays the golden egg, so to speak,” she
says. “It is a sad to say that although Korea is leading
in other industries, we do not have a single global fash-
ion brand.” Perhaps Ms. Bae’s design experiments will
Bae Yeong-jin realize this dream.  By Choi Ji-ho
March 2009 korea 61
People People

Tenor’s Miracle Come-back

After thyroid surgery, Korea’s top tenor was told
he would never sing again. Japanese fans and
a Japanese surgeon believed differently.

O
nce upon a time, in the city After the surgery, his voice was small University, and a world-renowned spe-
of Daegu, North Gyeong- and husky; specific words were difficult cialist in vocal cord reconstruction.
sang Province, there lived to form because small muscles control- On hearing the news, Bae’s close
a little boy named Bae Jae- ling his vocal functions and nerves had Japanese friend, Totaro Wajima, a music
chul. Jae-chul loved to sing. been cut. producer, arranged for Dr. Isshiki to
While in elementary school, he Then came the devastating news. operate in April 2006. Many fans, upon

Bae Jae-chul
decided to become an opera singer after “The German doctor said ‘Let’s say learning the news about Bae, sprang
winning a popular children’s singing that there is a sprinter who uses two legs into action and raised funds.
contest on television. After graduating to run 100-meter race,’” Bae recalled. After operating, Dr. Isshiki guaran-
as a voice major in Seoul, he flew to “When you sing, you will be using only teed Bae that he would be able to com-
Italy in 1994, graduated at the top of his one leg to complete the same course.” municate but stressed that he might not
class from the Conservatorio Giuseppe Bae had no hesitation. “My instant reach the level for opera singing
Verdi Milan in 1998 and launched into response to the doctor’s words was, “That was a challenge both for me
a career as a tenor. Word about his per- ‘Well if I can still use one leg in the race, and Dr. Isshiki,” Bae said. “He had never
formances spread, and he began to win I can finish it eventually, even if I can’t operated on a tenor before.”
acclaim on European stages. Music crit- run as fast as a sprinter with two legs.” With careful training, his voice
ics praised him as “one of the greatest He asked the doctor for options. The gradually returned. In Dec. 2008, three
Asian tenors of the century.” doctor said the only chance to restore years after the surgery, he held his first
Then, in September 2005, the fairy- his vocal cords was Dr. Nobuhiko Isshi- recital for Japanese fans in Tokyo.
tale ended. ki, a professor emeritus at Japan’s Kyoto “I could hear some start crying when
While performing in Verdi’s I started my first song,” he said.
“Don Carlo” in a theater in When the concert ended, there
Sabriken, Germany, Korea’s lead- was a standing ovation.
ing tenor felt something odd in “It’s a miracle!” said Dr. Isshi-
his throat. He was subsequently ki, who attended the concert.
diagnosed with thyroid cancer. With his vocal range only 70
“When I first heard that I had percent of what is once was, Bae
cancer, I thought I could go back is concentrating on gospel, but is
on stage about three months after confident that he will recover his
surgery, as thyroid cancer is not previous glories.
Provided by Bae Jae-chul

life-threatening,” Bae said. How- “I kept telling myself. ‘Some-

ever, the surgery, scheduled for day I will be able to perform opera
three hours, went on over eight. again,’” he said.
The condition was worse than His next recital is booked for
expected. From left, Bae Jae-chul and Japanese producer Totaro Wajima. Tokyo in May.  By Kim Mi-ju

62 korea March 2009 March 2009 korea 63

People
Expatriates gather in Gyeongju to celebrate the inauguration of Korea’s first pilgrimage tour trek.
Expats to Follow
Monk’s Footsteps
I
n a trek billed as a “21st-century version of
‘The Canterbury Tales,’” an intrepid group
of expatriates are planning a pilgrimage in
the footsteps of famed Buddhist thinker
Wonhyo (617-686).
Participants will journey along the routes
that Wonhyo traveled on his path to enlight-
enment. The first pilgrimage project launched
in Korea, it is sponsored by the Korea Tourism
Organization and the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism.
The three-year period set for the project
includes designing the exact route, developing
details and setting up a Web site.
Wonhyo’s Trek: Around 25 people from eight countries
The tentative trekking route gathered to celebrate the inauguration of the
for the Wonhyo Pilgrimage
Project.
project in Gyeongju, South Gyeongsang Prov-
ince. The pilgrimage will start in Gyeongju
and end in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
East Sea Wonhyo, one of Korea’s most beloved and
Icheon unconventional monks, who lived in the
then-Silla Kingdom, renounced the formal
Chungju
Pyeongtaek religious life to teach ordinary people. He was
Sangju known to carry a gourd, dancing and singing
Yellow Sea Gumi around the country, encouraging people to
Gyeongju chant and recite the Buddha’s name. He called
South Korea
himself “Ooae-Gursah” (“Unhindered Practi-
tioner”). His greatness, however, stems from
an experience while heading for China to
64 korea March 2009
China Loves
‘Angel Donor’
[JoongAng Ilbo]
study Buddhism.
One dark night, a storm drove Wonhyo to
shelter in a cave on Korea’s west coast. In the
darkness, he was overcome with thirst. Scrab-
bling around on the cave floor, he found what
he thought to be a gourd filled with cool water
and drank deeply. In the morning light, he
found that the thirst-quenching liquid was, in
fact, filthy rainwater swarming with maggots
that had collected in a rotting skull. He fell to
his knees and vomited. Then he experienced
deep enlightenment: He realized that truth is
created by the mind.
Wonhyo abandoned his trip to China and
returned home to study and teach.
According to Tony MacGregor, a Canadi-
an expatriate who first suggested the idea, the
project will include elements of Geoffrey
Chaucer’s 14th century “Canterbury Tales,” a
collection of stories told by Christian pilgrims
to amuse each other during their journey to
England’s Canterbury Cathedral.
“We plan to write about our experiences
and entertain each other with stories and pro-
duce a kind of 21st-century version of ‘The
Canterbury Tales,”’ said MacGregor. “Chau-
cer’s tales open a window on life in 14th-cen-
tury Europe...we hope ‘In Wonhyo’s Footsteps,’
will be equally entertaining and also offer
future readers a glimpse of life today,” he said.
Organizers hope the pilgrims will be accom-
panied by a scholar of Wonhyo from the Jogye
Order, who will give brief talks on Wonhyo
each evening during the pilgrimage.
It is also hoped that a specialist in “The
Canterbury Tales” will lecture to the pil-
grims.  By Moon Gwang-lip
People
Jang has been repeatedly spotlighted for
doing charity work for the underprivileged in
North Korea, South Korea and China. Yang
Min-kyu, Jang’s manager, said although he can-
not reveal the exact figure of Jang’s donations,
he estimates that it has reached 10 billion won
so far.
K
Jang, who started out as an actor and singer
orean singer and actress Jang Na-ra, in Korea in 2001, moved to China in 2005.
28, donated 8 billion won ($5.8mil- After successfully attracting a large fan base
lion) worth of clothing to earthquake there, she has received praise for her work in
victims in Sichuan Province in China both singing and acting. She won the “Most
on Jan. 19. The province suffered a devastating Popular Singer” award at the China Golden
earthquake last May last year, which claimed Disc Awards in 2005, and has appeared on tele-
more than 69,000 lives. vision dramas in China.
The donation was organized by Boston, the
parent company of Chinese parka coat brand
Bing Jie, for whom Jang is a model. Boston
In Korea, Jang won “Today’s Young Artist
Award,” from the Ministry of Culture, Sports
and Tourism last October.
donated 100,000 duck feather parka coats to Jang is this year starting a comeback in
Jang’s charitable organization “Jang Na-ra’s Korea, taking the main role in the upcoming
Aeshim Donation.’’ Jang immediately decided film, “Sky and Sea,” - her second movie role
to donate them to residents of the earthquake- since 2003’s “Oh! Happy Day.”
hit area in a bid to help survivors stay warm in The movie will hit theaters this year. 
the freezing winter.  By Kim Mi-ju
In the delivery ceremony, Jang said she was
delighted to visit Sichuan and provide the
clothing to the quake victims. “I feel honored
and proud to help victims,” she said. “I’m hop-
ing that they will feel warmth in their hearts
with these duck feather parkas.”
Jang went to a makeshift center for the aged
in a suburb of provincial capital Chengdu and
delivered some clothes herself.
Jang, nicknamed “The Angel Donor” by
fans, established her charitable organization in
Jinan, Shandong Province, China, in 2007 to
help young leukemia patients who could not
afford medical treatment. The city of Jinan -
across the Yellow Sea from Korea - recently
appointed her an honorary citizen and honor-
ary publicity ambassador of the city; the first
Korean celebrity to receive the title.
“Aeshim Donation was originally launched
to help young leukemia patients, but will
expand to reach out to more young children in
China,” she said. “Children suffering from
heart-related diseases or those from poverty-
stricken rural areas will benefit.”
Jang learned to help out the needy from her
[JoongAng Ilbo]
mother, who was deeply involved in charity
works. Jang said she “...hopes to see more peo-
ple involved in charity work.” Jang Na-ra
March 2009 korea 65
Foreign Viewpoints
The Need
for Speed
‘Expatriates living in Korea
can enjoy the quickness and
convenience that characterizes
Korean culture.’
Yuji Hosaka, is Japan-born. He graduated
from Tokyo University in 1979 and came to
Seoul in 1988 to study political science at
Korea University where he received a Ph.D.
degree in 2000. He was naturalized as a
Korean citizen in 2003. He is currently pro-
fessor of the College of General Education
at Sejong University and is also head of the
Dokdo Comprehensive Research Center at
Sejong University.
66 korea March 2009
I
have been living in Seoul for more
than 20 years. During my time in
Korea, many things have changed
and many things have been devel-
oped. These changes seem to embody
the characteristic speediness that de-
fines much of modern Korean culture.
The most impressive thing that I have
experienced while living in Korea is Ko-
reans’ generosity to help others with a
warm heart. They tend to consider oth-
ers very carefully and take immediate
action when help is needed. However,
Koreans are very fast and good at not
only reading others’ minds, but also at
enacting national policies.
One of the most significant strides
that Korea has taken is the introduction
of online public service systems, which
are provided by all public organizations
in Korea. I was also amazed to see Ko-
rean public organizations rapidly facili-
tate electronic administrative systems to
provide citizens with convenient public
services.
To give an example: Family registra-
tion certificates can be issued through
home computers. In addition, the issued
certificate can be printed at any district
office in Korea without going to their
own registered district office. These
computerized public service systems
greatly improve the efficiency of Korean
public services. Many advanced coun-
tries envy Korea its computerized public
service system.
Koreans can also benefit from on-
line banking systems which are now
available everywhere across the nation.
Online banking systems here are much
more sophisticated than those of Japan.
Unlike Korea, Japanese bank account
holders can only undertake their bank-
ing business at the same bank branch
where they have opened their bank ac-
counts. Elsewhere, only limited banking
services are available to them.
One of the best examples of Kore-
ans’ speedy culture is “Quick Service.”
This is a high-speed, door-to-door deliv-
ery courier service run by motor-cyclists
who pride themselves on delivering
goods and documents within an hour -
even within such an enormous and con-
gested city as Seoul.
The public transportation system in
the capital is another good example of
the speediness at the heart of so much
Korean culture.
The Seoul transportation network is
an integrated one, which enables Seou-
lites to transfer from buses to subways,
and from subways to buses, without
paying extra charges within the areas
where the same fares are charged. The
introduction of the transportation card
- so called “T-money”- reduces trans-
portation costs. It is favorably regarded
as a systematic facilitation which consid-
ers people’s convenience and their very
Korean need for speed. This integrated
transportation system in Seoul does not
exist in other countries, and is one of
which Koreans should be proud. Ex-
patriates living in Korea can enjoy the
quickness and convenience that charac-
terizes Korean culture.
Another service worth noting is
the so-called “replacement driving ser-
vice.” This is a service in which replace-
ment drivers, summoned by telephone,
drive home those persons who have
overindulged in their evening tipple in
the latters’ own cars (for drunken driv-
ing is as illegal in Korea as it is in other
countries.) There is one drawback to
this otherwise admirable practice: The
replacement drivers are not covered by
the drivers’ insurance in the case of an
accident. This means that if an accident
occurs, the car owners - who are more
or less drunk - face difficulty in getting
compensation because the procedures
for claiming payments are complicated.
To sum up, the Korean character
is focused on the pursuit of speed to
achieve goals - but sometimes safety
can be of secondary importance.