From the Editor

December 2021, Issue 238 Published: December 1, 2021

Christmas tree in front of

Gwangju City Hall By Gwangju City Official Blog

광주광역시 공식 블로그 https://blog.naver.com/dodreamgj/

Dr. Shin Gyonggu Dr. David E. Shaffer William Urbanski Isaiah Winters Karina Prananto Kim Hillel Yunkyoung Karina Prananto Melline Galani The Gwangju News is the first English monthly magazine for the general public in Korea, first published in 2001. Each monthly issue covers local and regional issues, with a focus on the roles and activities of the international residents and local English-speaking communities. Copyright ©2021 by the Gwangju International Center. All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by this copyright may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the written consent of the publisher. The Gwangju News is published by the Gwangju International Center: Jungang-ro 196-beon-gil 5 (Geumnam-ro 3-ga), Dong-gu, Gwangju 61475, South Korea Tel: (+82)-62-226-2733~34 Fax: (+82)-62-226-2731 Website: www.gwangjunewsgic.com Email: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr gwangjunews gwangju_news

Registration No. 광주광역시 라. 00145 (ISSN 2093-5315) Registration Date: February 22, 2010 Printed by Jieum 지음 (+82)-62-672-2566

For volunteering and article submission inquiries, please contact the editor at gwangjunews@gic.or.kr. The colored leaves that we have so recently been admiring have now been shed by their bare-branched trees and bespeckle the ground below. Nighttime hours of darkness are distinctly lengthening, and shirtsleeve weather is but a fading memory. These are all indicators of the arrival of December, the advancement of winter, and the impending culmination of another year. Another year of life within a pandemic is surely not the most pleasant of experiences to encounter, but the corona gloom has seen a break in the clouds this year, as vaccines have become available and shots have gone into arms. We hope also that our twelve issues of the Gwangju News that we have provided this year have added a ray of light, a bit of brightness, to your 2021. With the chilling air and the earlier onset of darkness, more time is being spent indoors. We hope that as you recline in your favorite chair, you will keep the Gwangju News close at hand to bring you reading enjoyment. Our magazine staff and writers constantly strive to bring to our readership and our community, articles that are interesting, informative, and insightful. As December hosts the holiday season, in this issue, we hope to bring you some Christmas cheer with our feature on some staple songs of the season [“I’m Not a Grinch”]. Our other features this issue are on Gwangju’s human rights education program with KOICA, an interview with Gwangju artist/sculptor Choi Soonim, the unsung heroes who run into the flames as their calling, and an encore on what Jang Bo-go did for Unified Silla [Blast from the Past].

Why do old buildings deep in the Jeolla countryside wear “anticommunisn” and “counterespionage” in huge lettering on their sides? Find out in Lost in Honam. Why do holiday fruit cost an arm and a leg? The answer is in our Opinion column. And this month we have a second Opinion article on Covid confusion.

How we eat can not only improve our health but also our environment. Take a look at our two delectable plant-based recipes that are eco-friendly as well as vegan-friendly: bean burgers and falafel. And much, much more! We at the Gwangju News wish you the happiest of holidays as this year comes to a close and a new year opens, bringing with it more brightness, good fortune, and good cheer.

David E. Shaffer Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News