[EN] Gwangju News March 2019 #205

Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine I March 2019 #205 I Moon Kwang-Ja: Celebrated Designer Keeps Korean Cotton Alive

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From the Editor

Gwangju & South Jeolla Intern ational Magazine

I

March 2019, Issue No. 205

Published: March 1, 2019 Cover Photo Moon Kwang-Ja

By Sarah Pittman

THE EDITORIAL TEAM Publisher Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Chief Proofreader Layout Editor Photo Editor Proofreaders Online Editorial Team Researcher

Dr. Shin Gyonggu Dr. David E. Shaffer Wilson Melbostad Isaiah Winters Karina Prananto Sarah Pittman Tara Kulash, Joseph Nunez, Ynell Lumantao, Timothy Berg, Stephen Redeker, Di Foster, David Foster Karina Prananto, Shahed Kayes Baek Ji-yeon, Yoo Yeonwoo

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 © 2019 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.

Registration No. 광주광역시 라. 00145 (ISSN 2093-5315) Registration Date: February 22, 2010 Printed by Join Adcom 조인애드컴 (+82)-62-367-7702 GwangjuNews

gwangjunews

GwangjuNewsGIC

For advertising and subscription inquiries, please contact karina@gic.or.kr or 062-226-2733.

Special thanks to Gwangju City and all of our sponsors.

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What’s going on around town? We bring to you Saraswati Puja, the Hindu spring festival that recently took place in downtown Gwangju. We introduce you to Mayan salsa dance – Gwangju style! We reveal an authentic Thai restaurant, Sansook Kitchen, and also how to cook duck soup – Korean style! We acquaint you with Durudora, a chain of buy-and-share stores around Gwangju. And we fill you in on the status of the razing of Wolsan-dong along with some unexpected finds in what remains. For more on urban exploration, we bring you a “layman’s guide” and more eye-opening photos.

Thinking of travel beyond the peninsula? Consider the Batu Caves of Malaysia and the Hindu Tamil festival of Thaipusam (with photos, too!). Speaking of photos, we have plenty of photography for you – from Daehye Falls to scenes from around the Songjeong market area.

Our opinion piece takes you through Korea’s rocky journey to its vibrant democracy of today. Our short story is about the trials and tribulations of a motor scooter deliverer far away from home. Review the book Convenience Store Woman with Kristy Dolson; practice backpacking language in Korean; find answers to the Korean student’s question “Why must I learn English?” We have all this and the news and goings on around town for you this month as the warming spring breezes so subtly nudge out the harsher winds of winter.

Enjoy March, with the Gwangju News’ March issue close by your side.

David E. Shaffer Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News

March 2019

For volunteering and article submission inquiries, please contact the editor at gwangjunews@gic.or.kr.

To start off the month, you can have an interesting read on how March began in 1919 – with the March 1st Independence Movement, a red-letter day 100 years on. Our cover feature takes us to some oxymoron-ish present-day history: the Gwangju designer working with cotton fabrics who is a distant descendent of Moon Ik-jeom, the man who secretly brought the first cotton seeds into Korea. Our third feature is truly history in the making: The Gwangju News interviews filmmaker Neil George, who is documenting the plight of the Yemeni refugees on Jeju.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

The Gwangju News is published by 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

’m pretty sure I feel it; I’m almost certain I smell it in the air. We are Marching over the threshold and crossing into the warmth of spring. To mark this occasion, we present you with the March issue of the Gwangju News. We are confident that it will provide a month-ful of not just pleasant reading but also places to go, things to do, and vacationing to plan.

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CONTENTS March 2019. Issue No. 205 GWANGJU NEWS 03. March 2019 Happenings 06. Gwangju City News 56. Community Board FEATURE 08. “Gentle Yet Majestic”: Celebrated Designer Keeps Korean Cotton Alive 12. Blast from the Past: Korea’s March 1st Independence Movement 14. Providing a Voice to the Voiceless in the Korean Refugee Debate: Interview with British Filmmaker Neil George COMMUNITY 18. Durudora: Buy & Share 32. Saraswati Puja: The Day for the Deity of Knowledge, Art, and Music TRAVEL 20. Around Korea: A Layman’s Guide to Urban Exploration 24. Lost in Gwangju: The End of Wolsan-dong as We Know It 29. From Abroad: Hindu Culture in Malaysia – Thaipusam at the Batu Caves

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Celebrated Designer Keeps Korean Cotton Alive

SPORTS & OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES 35. Mayan Salsa Dance: A Salsa Dance Studio that Sizzles at Night FOOD & DRINKS 38. Where to Eat: Authentic Thai at Sansook Kitchen 40. Ori-tang: Spicy Duck Soup EDUCATION 42. Korea TESOL: “Teacher, Why Must I Learn English?”

44. Everyday Korean: Episode 14 – 배낭여행 (Backpacking) ARTS & CULTURE 45. Book Review: Convenience Store Woman 46. Photo Essay: Morning in the Market 50. Photo of the Month 52. Gwangju Writes: The Footpath OPINION 54. Behind South Korea’s Vibrant Democracy

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Interview with British Filmmaker Neil George

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Gwangju Happenings Compiled by Baek Ji-yeon

Gwangju Theater 62 Chungjang-ro 5-ga, Dong-gu, Gwangju (two blocks behind NC Wave) TICKETS: 8,000 won CONTACT: 062-224-5858 For more information, please visit http://cafe.naver.com/cinemagwangju (Korean)

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THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT 살인마 잭의 집 Genre: Drama Director: Lars von Trier Film Length: 125 minutes Language: English (Korean subtitles) Starring: Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Bruno Ganz Summary: The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer, over the course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really develop his inner madman.

LORO 그때 그들 Genre: Drama Director: Paolo Sorrentino Film Length: 157 minutes Language: Italian (Korean subtitles) Starring: Toni Servillo, Elena Sofia Ricci, Riccardo Scamarcio Summary: This film talks about the group of businessmen and politicians who lived and worked in close proximity to media tycoon and

politician Silvio Berlusconi in the years between 2006 and 2009.

I DREAM IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE 나는 다른 언어로 꿈을 꾼다 Genre: Drama Director: Ernesto Contreras Film Length: 101 minutes Languages: Spanish, English (Korean subtitles) Starring: Fernando Álvarez Rebeil, José Manuel Poncelis, Eligio Meléndez Summary: A thousand-year-old language is in peril: Its last two speakers, Evaristo and Isauro, now in their 70s, had a quarrel 50 years ago and have not spoken to each other since. Martin, a linguist, will undertake the challenge of bringing the two old friends back together and convincing them to talk again in order for him to be able to obtain a record of the language. Inevitably, there’s a bit of myth woven into it all, in the shape of a magical cave where all the speakers of Zikril go when they die.

March 2019

THE WIFE 더 와이프 Genre: Drama Director: Björn Runge Film Length: 99 minutes Language: English (Korean subtitles) Starring: Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater Summary: A wife questions her life

choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

▲ The House that Jack Built

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HERBIE HANCOCK: POSSIBILITIES 허비 행콕: 무한한 가능성 Genre: Documentary Directors: Doug Biro, Jon Fine Film Length: 90 minutes Language: English (Korean subtitles) Starring: Herbie Hancock, Christina Aguilera, John Mayer Summary: Possibilities is an intimate documentary about Herbie Hancock and his in-studio collaborations with a dozen formidable pop recording artists, collaborations that explore the unexpected, like jazz improvisations.

The film is also about how Herbie’s unique world view shapes a creative environment that encourages artists to step outside the velvet prison of easy expectations.

▲ The Wife

GWANGJU NEWS

* Synopses excerpted from Wikipedia, IMDb, and Hancinema.

All English language films are presented with Korean subtitles; non-English international films are presented with Korean subtitles only.

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Performances

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광주 당

Elisabeth, the Musical

The 2019 ACC Brunch Concert

뮤지컬 엘리자벳

2019 ACC 브런치콘서트

The best-selling blockbuster musical Elisabeth will be performed in Gwangju in March of this year. For the upcoming 6th The Musical Awards, this musical has been nominated in 12 categories, giving it the greatest number of award category nominations in the history of the awards. It has also won the Musical of the Year Award in eight categories, proving the outstanding success of the composer/writer. Elisabeth is a story about the beautiful Empress Elisabeth, who falls in love with Death. She dreams of freedom in a life controlled by the Habsburg Monarchy. As the protagonist, she portrays the tragic end of her personhood after being charmed by Death. In this musical, with sophisticated costumes and stage settings specially made to resemble 18th and 19th century Habsburg styles, you will be able to appreciate the dramatic beauty and conflict of the Empress Elisabeth set to dramatic melodies.

This concert, which celebrates its fourth anniversary since its first performance in 2016, is a stage where sweet music and life stories are combined. It provides a platform for performances and talks of various genres, such as classical music, jazz, pansori (판소리, traditional Korean musical storytelling), musicals, and modern dance, to be combined. Particularly, this 2019 event will be held 15 times in more diverse genres in order to celebrate the 2019 Gwangju World Swimming Championships (2019 광주 세계수영선수권대회). In March, pianist Han Jiho’s “Classical Spring” will be performed on Wednesday, March 13 at 11:00 a.m., while musical actor Bae Doo-hoon, winner of the music entertainment program Phantom Singer 2 (팬텀싱어 2), and classical Korean fusion band AUX (억스), winner of the 21C Korean Music Project, will perform various musical pieces based on fusion music and classical music.

Dates: Location:

Dates: Location:

March 1–3 60 Bukmundae-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju (Gwangju Culture and Art Center, Grand Theater) 광주 북구 북문대로 60 광주문화예술회관 대극장

Admission: VIP seats 150,000 won, R seats 130,000 won, S seats 90,000 won, A seats 70,000 won Telephone: 062-528-7880 Website: http://gjart.gwangju.go.kr/

Admission: Telephone: Website:

February 27 – November 27 38 Munhwajeondang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju (Asia Culture Center, Hall 2)

광주 동구 문화전당로 38, 국립아시아문화전당 극장 2

General seating 25,000 won, Side seating 10,000 won (per concert) / 300,000 won (for concert package) 1899-556 https://www.acc.go.kr/board/schedule/ performance/2574

Schumann’s “Spring”: The Gwangju Symphony Orchestra’s 341st Regular Concert

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

광주시립교향악단 제341회 정기연주회 ‘슈만의 봄’

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Since its inception in 1976, the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra has contributed to the development of local culture and arts. This performance by the orchestra will feature the symphony by German composer Robert Schumann entitled “Spring” (Symphony No.1 in B-flat major, Op. 38). It was composed in 1841, the year following Schumann’s marriage, and is one of his representative works. This B-flat major piece is not one that demonstrates the maturity of Schumann’s later symphonies. However, it is the first big work of a stable marriage, which meant the complete harmony of life for Schumann, and contains a special theme of birth (탄생). The euphoric melodies filling the entire movement tell us how delighted Schumann was in composing this symphony. Audiences will be able to start spring with the delightful combination of wind and string instruments, such as the trumpet, horn, flute, and oboe, in addition to the violin and cello.

Date: Location:

March 8 60 Bukmundae-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju (Gwangju Culture and Art Center, Grand Theater) 광주 북구 북문대로 60 광주문화예술회관 대극장

Admission: Telephone: Website:

R seats 30,000 won, S seats 20,000 won, A seats 10,000 won 062-524-5086 http://gjart.gwangju.go.kr/

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Exhibitions Asian Sounds and Music: Indonesian Pop Music Collection Exhibition 아시아의 소리와 음악 주제전문관 인도네시아 대중음악 컬렉션 기획전 This exhibition is being held as part of the “Sound and Music of Asia,” an archiving project of the Asia Cultural Center that investigates and shares music and sound culture that is disappearing from various parts of Asia. Since Indonesia’s independence in 1945, Western culture has been actively introduced in its music and movies. This exhibition shows how Indonesian pop music formed and developed under the influences of the Cold War, Westernization, and democratization, and how the changing political and social ideologies have impacted pop music during each period.

Dates: Location:

November 29, 2018 – April 28, 2019 38 Munhwajeondang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju (Asia Culture Center, Library Park) 광주 동구 문화전당로 38 국립아시아문화전당 라이브러리파크

Admission: Telephone: Website:

Free 1899-5566 https://www.acc.go.kr/board/schedule/ exhibition/2455

Photo Exhibition: 2019 Republic of Korea 100 years – 10 Scenes that Changed History 2019 대한민국 100년, 역사를 바꾼 10장면 사진 전시회

Dates: Location:

광주 북구 하서로 110 국립광주박물관 로비

Admission: Telephone: Website:

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Free 062-570-7000 https://gwangju.museum.go.kr/kor/index.do

At this festival, you can enjoy the phenomenon of Jindo’s mysterious sea route, made when a swath of sea floor measuring 2.8 kilometers long and 40 meters wide emerges.

Dates: March 21–24 Location: Hwadong-ri, Gogun-myeon, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do / 전남 진도군 고군면 회동리 Admission: Free Telephone: 1588-9601 Website: http://tour.jindo.go.kr/tour/sub. cs?m=99

The 2019 Gwangyang Plum Festival 2019 광양매화축제 The Gwangyang Maehwa (Plum) Festival, held annually in mid-March, is centered around the Seomjin River (섬진강변) in Maehwa Village (매화마을, Plum Village).

Dates: March 8–17 Location: 55 Jimak-1-gil, Daap-myeon, Gwangyang-si, Jeollanam-do / 전남 광양시 다압면 지막1길 55 Admission: Free Telephone: 061-797-1987, 3333 Website: http://www.gwangyang.go.kr/

The 20th Gurye Sansuyu Flower Festival 제20회 구례 산수유꽃 축제 The Gurye Sansuyu Flower Festival is an annual spring flower festival that takes place in the Jiri Mountain Hot Springs area.

Dates: March 16–24 Location: Jirisan Hot Springs Tourist Complex, 45 Sanggwan-1-gil, Sandong-myeon, Guryegun, Jeollanam-do / 전라남도 구례군 산동면 상관1길 45 Admission: Free Telephone: 061-780-2726 Website: http://www.gurye.go.kr/sanflower/

March 2019

February 28 – December 15 110 Haseo-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju (Gwangju National Museum, Lobby)

The 2019 Jindo Mysterious Sea Road Festival 2019 진도 신비의 바닷길 축제

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

This special exhibition is being held jointly with the Korean History Museum and will run from February through December. The museum has selected ten events that have changed the history of the Republic of Korea. They are as follows: the March 1 Movement (3.1 운동), the establishment of the provisional Korean government (대한민국 임시정부 수립), the Independence Movement (독립운동), the Gwangju Student Independence Movement (광주학생독립운동), liberation (광복), the establishment of the constitution and government (헌법 제정과 정부 수립), the Korean War (6.25 전쟁), the April 19 Revolution (4.19 혁명), the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement (5.18 광주민주화운동), and the June Democratic Uprising (6월 민주항쟁). The exhibition themes will be introduced in the above order, and the ten photographs and related materials will be released by theme. In March, photos of the March 1 Movement and the establishment of the provisional Korean government will be displayed.

March 2019 South Jeolla Happenings

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Gwangju City News Reprinted with permission from Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall Photographs courtesy of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall

March 2019

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Mayor Lee Yong-sup: “Positioning Korea as a Sports Powerhouse by Holding a Successful World Swimming Championship”

Gwangju City Hall, together with the Organizing Committee of the 2019 Gwangju World Swimming Championships, held the championship’s “Suri and Dari” mascot unveiling ceremony at Seoul Station on February 11.

s the 2019 Gwangju World Swimming Championships will be held in less than 150 days on July 12, promotion for the success of the tournament has been launched in earnest.

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, who attended the ceremony, said, “Suri and Dari have finally come to Seoul from Gwangju. I hope that the 2019 Gwangju World Swimming Championships will be held smoothly for the benefit of the many swimming professionals from around the world.”

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Prime Minister Lee also made an official proposal for North Korea to participate in the contest. “We will officially propose that they send North Korean athletes, cheering squad members, and performance teams,” he said. “It is necessary for North Korea to participate, as the slogan for the tournament is to “dive into peace”. If possible, I expect the North and South Koreas to have a single team, as in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.”

In addition, the government promised to provide positive support. Lee said, “I will convene an international tournament support committee on February 19 to check the preparations for the event and to discuss ways to support the plan.”

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7 Mayor Lee Yong-sup, as chairman of the organizing committee of the Swimming Championships, said, “This swimming competition will be held in Gwangju, but it will be a great time to announce both the status of Korea and a peace settlement on the peninsula. Ours will be the fourth nation in the world to take on all five major megasports competition (i.e. the Summer and Winter Olympics, World Cup, World Athletics Championships, and World Swimming Championships), thereby making it a sports powerhouse.”

“The success of the tournament depends on the participation of the North Korean athletes and the public,” the mayor added. “I would like to ask for cooperation from the government and the political community so that North Korea can attend the championship.”

The mayor concluded, “There will be no business that creates as many jobs as the Swimming Championships in such a short period of time.” “If we hold this tournament

successfully, we will be able to create jobs continuously.”

The mascot unveiling ceremony was hosted by Oh Jeonghae, a Korean traditional music artist. The event consisted of representative promoter Park Tae-hwan’s signing ceremony; a performance; the unveiling ceremony of the two mascots, Suri and Dari; as well as the selling of mascot dolls and tickets.

Gwangju City and the Organizing Committee will organize the unveiling of Suri and Dari in 12 locations nationwide, including Incheon International Airport and the National Assembly Building, in order to promote the event and increase the public’s interest and cooperation.

The two mascots are a pair of otters, representing the otters living peacefully in the Mudeung Mountain and Yeongsan Reiver areas. These otters have been designated Natural Monument No. 330.

Six Trekking Courses Around Mudeung Mountain to Be Closed Temporarily

Five Major Crimes Gwangju to Decrease in Increase Public Gwangju Daycare Centers

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n February 17, Gwangju City released a plan to operate 120 additional public daycare centers by 2022. Currently, there are only 33 public daycare facilities in the city, which makes for a public–private daycare service ratio that is one of the lowest in the nation, the second lowest ratio in the nation following Daegu. At present, only 5.2 percent of Gwangju’s daycare centers are public. The city has decided to open 30 new public daycare centers every year until 2022 and provide 8.8 billion won in incentives.

To accomplish this, the city will adjust the metropolitan-to-district budget ratio to reduce the fiscal burden on its districts.

March 2019

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he Gwangju Regional Police Department recently reported that a total of 13,875 cases involving five major crimes occurred in the city last year. This is 1,540 fewer cases than in 2016, and 73 fewer cases than in 2017. The downward trend appears to be continuing, as the cases involving five major crimes – homicide, robbery, sexual violence, theft, and violence – stood at 1,491 from January 1 to February 12 this year, a 7.5 percent drop compared to the same period a year earlier. The police attributed this fall in crime to its rising arrest rate, as this prevents repeated convictions by frequent offenders. Gwangju police’s arrest rate for those committing one of the above five major crimes reached 84.7 percent in 2017, a rate 5.9 percent higher than the national average.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

n February 13, the Mudeungsan National Park Management Office said that some of its trekking courses will be closed from February 15 to the end of April. In total, six sections totaling 9.2 kilometers will be shut down. On the Gwangju side, three sections, one from Sotaeje to Majipbong Crossroad, one from Pungam Parking Lot to Gwangil Ranch, and one from Seonjuam Crossroad to Seoinbong Crossroad, will have entrance blocked.

As for the Hwasun and Damyang sides, three additional sections, one from Seoseokdae to the military base entrance, one from Dowon Camping Site to Madang Rock, and one from Gwangil Ranch entrance to Shinseondae Crossroad, will be closed.

Those who enter the prohibited areas or who are caught smoking or cooking therein will be fined up to 500,000 won.

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

FEATURE

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“Gentle Yet Majestic” Celebrated Designer Keeps Korean Cotton Alive Written by Tara Kulash

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F

rom the windows of Demain Art Hall in Gwangju, passersby might wonder whether they’re peering into a clothing boutique or an art gallery; after all, sitting as equals on display are a mannequin in a beret and a life-sized sculpture holding a mask.

Korean designer Moon Kwang-Ja (문광자) has been blurring these lines between fashion and art for 51 years now, garnering a name for herself in the international world of Art to Wear, while representing Korea through her passion for mumyeong (무명), a traditional Korean cotton.

Now in danger of becoming obsolete, mumyeong is said to have been introduced to Korea in 1363 by the Korean emissary Moon Ik-jeom, who, legend has it, smuggled the cotton seeds in from China in the hollow handle of a bamboo inkbrush. Koreans embraced this new material, which kept them warmer in the harsh winters than their traditional hemp clothing.

The material doesn’t come without its obstacles, though.

It can be hard to weave, expensive to dye, and difficult to care for. As mass imports of Chinese cotton emerged during the Japanese occupation of Korea, mumyeong began to lose its popularity. At a time when Moon Kwang-Ja was looking for a new material to work with,

99 she received a visit from a natural dyer who was searching for a designer to make mumyeong fashionable.

“It was a perfect match,” she says.

Not only that, but Moon is the 23rd granddaughter of Moon Ik-jeom, the emissary who introduced mumyeong to Korea.

“And maybe that’s fate,” she says with a smile.

Inside Demain Art Hall, which is named after her clothing line, Demain, surreal and abstract paintings and sculptures fill whatever space hasn’t been taken up by clothing racks and furniture. Hats she’s collected, as well as jewelry and bags made by her daughter, adorn the gallery, too, which she’s willing to sell if it completes an outfit. A black and white portrait of Moon painted by her son hangs behind her as she sits at a dining table in the center of it all, sharing with me the two massive hardcover books she published in 2004 and 2014. Titled Moomyung 1 and Moomyung 2, respectively, each is filled with photos of her work, as well as her story. As she points out, publishing books is almost unheard of for Korean fashion designers, which should show how passionate she is for mumyeong.

“Mumyeong is unpretentious and elegant,” she says in her

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March 2019

▲ Rolls of mumyeong, part of Moon’s cotton material collection.

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▲ One of Moon’s mumyeong designs featured in her book.

books. “We can compare it to a person who is modest and trustworthy, … gentle yet majestic.”

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March 2019

Possibly her proudest achievement dates back to 2003, when Moon was invited to display her work at Anthem Gallery in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. She was participating in an exhibition to celebrate 100 years of Korean immigration when Julie Schafler Dale, author of the iconic book Art to Wear, saw Moon’s work and was moved enough to sell it in her own boutique, Julie: Artisans Gallery. In the “Moomyung” books, Schafler Dale says of Moon’s work, “I was intrigued by the elegance and fantasy of the forms, which were both retro and futuristic, yet consistently provocative.”

Indeed, Demain clothing has as versatile a feel as the inspirations it’s born of. A flowing brown wool dress, Moon says, was inspired by the thought of gifting someone a bouquet of flowers. A white blouse with fancy tucks and its skirt were made with the image of famous KoreanAmerican opera singer Hong Hei-kyung in mind, who later wore the outfit for a finale performance. Other inspirations include fragrances, literature, and her relationship with God. Moon also opened a store in California in the 1990s, which received positive reviews, but after realizing that exporting was expensive and “impossible,” she decided to close.

These days, Moon keeps 1,000 rolls of mumyeong on hand in case the material runs out for good. At a mere 33 centimeters in width, one unit of mumyeong can cost

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$2,000. For this reason, Moon charges her clients only for the material. She also sticks mostly to white fabric, as dying the traditional cotton is an expensive process. Instead, she adds color accents and trims.

Although mumyeong only accounts for 5–10 percent of her total work, Moon says it’s easily “the most important” to her.

In fact, Moon says she knows of only one other person who may still be working with mumyeong and that person must be more than 90 years old by now. She fears for its future.

Moon’s daughter and granddaughter are carrying on the family torch for fashion, and she wants to protect this rare art form for them. Every season, she says, she’s thinking of what’s next. She loves her work, arriving first to the shop every day, or “running to work,” as she puts it. And after 51 years, Moon wants to “maintain that spirit – like a tree,” she says with a mischievous smile in her eyes. “Keep what’s good, discard the rest.”

Original interview translated by Park Min Photographs by Sarah Pittman

The Author

Tara Kulash is a journalist and English teacher living in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do. Before Korea she lived in Spain, and before that she worked as a newspaper reporter in the United States for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Oregonian in Portland, Oregon, where she focused on healthcare and environmental news.

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March 2019

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12 Blast from the Past

FEATURE FEATURE

Korea’s March 1st Independence Movement Originally written by Shin Sang-soon

(Originally appearing in Gwangju News, March 2006)

As this March is the centennial observance of the March 1st (1919) Independence Movement, we thought it fitting to commemorate the occasion by bringing you this 2006 article by Prof. Shin Sang-soon, longtime contributor to the Gwangju News on things Korean, with supplements from his March 2010 article on the same topic. — Ed.

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March 2019

K

orea starts the month of March with a holiday commemorating the independence movement of March 1, 1919. After implementing the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and pursuing a national policy of “wealthy country and strong army” (buguk-gangbyeong, 부국강병), Japan was intent on advancing into the Asian mainland through Korea. The 16th-century Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin-waeran, 임진왜란; 1592–98) had already confirmed this. After winning wars with China (1894–95) and with Russia (1904–05), Japan’s design on Korea became nakedly apparent.

Japan’s victories over China and Russia gave Japan supremacy over the Korean Peninsula, allowing Japan to freely undertake any schemes it wished in relation to Korea. A series of incidents ensued: Queen Min’s murder in 1895 by a group of ronins (lordless samurai); the intervention by the Japanese into the Joseon Empire’s internal affairs; the 1905 Protectorate Treaty, which completely deprived Joseon of its sovereign power to maintain relations with foreign governments; and finally,

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five years later in 1910, the last king, King Sunjong, was forced to make the proclamation of Joseon’s annexation

by Japan. The Korean people’s animosity towards Japan was about to reach its boiling point.

There are numerous stories surrounding the Annexation Treaty of August 22, 1910. It was the official start of the colonization of Korea. When the treaty became known to the public, the reaction was violent. Several patriots committed suicide, lamenting the loss of their country.

Some raised “righteous armies” (uibyeong, 의병) of commoners, only to be put down by the mighty Japanese forces. Uneasy times drifted on for several years.

Early in 1918, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson made a 14-point peace proposal in dealing with the aftermath of World War I. One of the points was a “national selfdetermination” policy, which immediately grabbed the attention of weaker nations all over the world. At this time, The Japan Advertiser of December 1, 1918, reported that Syngman Rhee and two other Korean residents in America would attend the Paris Peace Conference as the representatives of the Korean people. This news encouraged Korean students in Tokyo to form the Korean Independence Youth Association in secrecy. Early in 1919, their leaders managed to draw up a Declaration of Independence and proceeded to proclaim independence

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13 on February 8, 1919, at the Korean YMCA in Tokyo.

But this plan was uncovered in advance by the Japanese authorities and the leaders were arrested.

The student movements in Tokyo gave impetus to the leaders on the peninsula. Thirty-three leaders representing Christian, Buddhist, and Chondogyo (천도교, Heavenly Way) faiths secretly prepared their proclamation of Korean independence for delivery on March 1, 1919, at Pagoda Park in Seoul. With the sounding of the noon bell, one of the leaders read aloud the Declaration of Independence. The thousands of people gathered there exclaimed “Manse! Manse!” (만세, 만세; Long live [Korea]!). A national frenzy spread over the peninsula like wildfire.

The declaration was a peaceful one, as the crowd was empty-handed but for the piece of paper the declaration was written on. But the Japanese colonial authorities’ retaliation was swift and forceful. Here are two examples: Near Suwon, Japanese troops rounded up the entire population of Jeam-ri village, herded them into a church, shot them all, and burned down the building. Yoo Gwan-sun, a 16-year-old Ewha Girls’ High School student was arrested for leading a “Manse” movement in Chungcheong Province. She was put in prison and tortured to death.

Even though the peaceful uprising failed to achieve independence, the March 1st Movement became the symbol of the Korean independence movement.

Its spirit is inscribed in the preamble to the Korean constitution: We, the people of Korea, proud of a resplendent history and traditions dating from time immemorial, upholding the cause of the Provisional Republic of Korea Government born of the March First Independence Movement of 1919…

Text arranged by David Shaffer

The Author

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March 2019

Shin Sang-soon was a longtime professor of English education at Chonnam National University. After his retirement, he was the columnist for “The Korean Way,” which ran in the Gwangju News from 2002 to 2010. Prof.

Shin was also an early editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News and a senior advisor to the Gwangju International Center.

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Korea was freed from the chains of colonial rule with the defeat of Imperial Japan in World War II. With her liberation, South Korea became a democratic republic in 1948. Manse!

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FEATURE

14 14

Interview with Ahmed Askar for the documentary Gone.

Providing a Voice to the Voiceless in the Korean Refugee Debate

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March 2019

Interview with British Filmmaker Neil George Written by Wilson Melbostad

F

or a good portion of 2018, headlines here in South Korea were dominated by news of a small group of around 500 refugees seeking asylum from war back in their home nation of Yemen. Opinions from seemingly all corners of Korean society were broadcast on social media and the national news channels, yet, as such events usually transpire, few were able to hear from the Yemeni refugees themselves on the circumstances that brought them here.

Gwangju News sat down with local documentarian, Neil George, whose newest project, entitled Our Journey, attempts to give a voice to these individuals as they continue to work towards acceptance within Korean society.

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Gwangju News (GN): Please introduce yourself to our magazine! What is it that you currently do and where do you currently live?

George: My name is Neil George and I’m a film professor and director from England. I’ve been living in Korea since 2011 teaching film and producing documentaries with various content, mostly related to social and human rights issues.

GN: How did you first come to Korea, and how long have you been living here? Also, what do you think of life here thus far?

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15 George: I first came to Korea in 2005. I wanted to travel around Asia and just ended up in Korea teaching English as a foreign language, but I didn’t really expect to stay that long. However, I really liked the country, people and the food and became very interested in the culture and history as well. The biggest stumbling block was work, as I was only interested in working in film or TV because that was what I did back in England. So after about a year I returned to England to continue working in TV production and completed my MA in broadcasting in 2010.

mostly related to social issues, including While They Watched, a film about North Korean defectors; The Story of Sohn Kee Chung, a biographical piece about the Korean marathon runner who won a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics; and After the Sewol and Crossroads, two feature documentaries looking at the Sewol ferry tragedy and its aftermath. I’m now producing a documentary, as well as a series of short films, in association with the UNHCR, about the Yemeni refugees who came to Jeju in early 2018 which caused quite a national uproar.

Then through the various connections I had made in Korea, I fortunately got offered a job teaching documentary and editing at a media university, so I moved here again in 2011.

GN: Speaking of which, can you tell us about the inspiration for the Our Journey film series, your most recent project involving the Yemeni refugees who came to Jeju?

Since then I’ve been teaching film production as well as producing various films, mostly related to social and human rights issues, as that was what I did in England. Life has had its ups and downs since 2011, but overall, I live quite comfortably here and enjoy making films.

GN: What initially inspired you to pursue a career in film?

Have you made previous films in Korea before covering the topic of the Yemeni Refugees?

George: I studied photography at university and got interested in film in my final year, which naturally took me into working in TV production. I love listening to people’s stories and exploring issues, so I was naturally drawn to documentary filmmaking. Since living in Korea I’ve produced and edited 5 feature-length films/documentaries,

George: The main inspiration behind the films was trying to understand the situation more and wanting to listen to the refugees’ stories in more detail. I felt this was missing from the local media when they first came into the country and I wanted to find out more. A fellow filmmaker, Hankyul Kim, asked me to collaborate on a project exploring this in more detail. We initially decided to go to Jeju in search of the refugees and listen to their stories. Fortunately, due to my previous films about the Sewol tragedy, I had a lot of activist contacts who put us in touch with the right people and after listening to a few of the refugees we could see that they weren’t being represented and their stories weren’t being told. I felt extremely disappointed about this, especially after everything I had seen during the 2016– 2017 candlelight protests, where the Korean people came together to fight for truth, justice, and equality. I wanted to try and give voice to some of the refugees, so people could

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March 2019

Screen shot taken from the film Family.

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16 have a better understanding of them as well as the situation in Yemen that forced them to flee.

GN: Your films seem focused on personal stories from the Yemeni refugees who landed on Jeju. What was your reasoning for making the films so personal, and can you briefly share with us some of your favorite stories that you’ve acquired through the filmmaking process?

George: I wanted to focus on certain words that we all take for granted in life: hope, passion, and family, for example.

These words might have various meanings to us all, but we understand their core values. By focusing on them, I wanted to allow the refugees to use my films as a platform to voice their thoughts. I met with each person several times and discussed the idea and how to do it, and from those meetings, I wrote each script.

Another reason was that I felt the whole situation was complicated, needing a lot more time and resources to cover the issues raised. The initial idea was to share the thoughts of the refugees, how they feel, and why they came to Jeju. Even this was a formidable task, so I settled on narration-based short films that give voice to the refugees and in which they share their thoughts and feelings about their lives, why they came to Jeju, and how they feel about their current situation.

I have now met and spoken to over 30 of the refugees, which is not that many considering that over 500 arrived in 2018. One thing I came to understand was that none of them chose to come to Jeju; it was a final resort. They just didn’t have anywhere else to go, and given their situation, I would have probably done the same thing. I would hope for understanding from the people of the country I landed in and some empathy to what was happening in Yemen.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get this, and that for me was the most disappointing part of the whole Yemeni refugees’ issue.

The positive element to this issue for me personally is that I have come to meet some of the nicest people and feel very fortunate to call them my friends, whom I will surely visit in Yemen once the war is resolved and they are back with their families.

GN: What is the main message you’d like to convey to Korean society (or beyond) through your films?

George: Allow me to take you back for a moment to the Sewol ferry tragedy in 2014, when the entire nation was shocked to its core as to how and why that kind of tragic disaster had been allowed to occur. The people stood up at that point and fought for change. The Sewol families fought for basic human rights to be improved, and it took them

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March 2019

In order to understand the bigger picture of Yemen’s civil war, we must listen to the voices of those affected by it, and actually, I would really like to tell each refugees’ story, as

they are all completely different. But due to budget and time, it’s an impossible task, so I settled for those who wanted to tell me their story.

Interview with one of the Yemeni refugees for the documentary Gone.

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17 world, but as my focus for the stories lies here, I cannot help but feel disappointed with this kind of attitude and reaction.

Similar to the Sewol tragedy, the information from the media was confusing, and so my only way to ascertain actual facts was to go directly to the source. In doing so, we discovered the problems at the heart of it all, and so my main message has become that of understanding.

Screen shot taken from the film Hope.

several years before we saw any kind of justice.

The sad case we have seen with the Yemeni refugees was that it brought to light the extent to which Korean society is still insular. People took to the streets in protest about a small group of refugees with no understanding of the reasons behind their presence or a desire to find out. Unfortunately, we see these kinds of reactions all around the

Consider placing yourself in their situation, and then think about how you would act. A civil war has been raging for a long time, with friends or family members being killed. What would you do to be safe? You would do anything to survive and keep your family safe. You may not agree with their decision to escape the war, but you should not judge when you don’t know the whole story. Open your ears, eyes, and minds, and listen to them, as in doing this, it will open the conversation, which in turn can lead to a much better understanding. That is, at the end of the day, all they are looking for. They don’t want charity or handouts; they want to be given the opportunity to fend for themselves and support their families. Once this war is finally over, who will be the ones left to rebuild the country? More than likely, it will be the countless number of refugees who fled the war!

Photographs courtesy of Neil George

The Author

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March 2019

Behind-the-scenes still shot from the film Hope.

Wilson Melbostad is a human rights attorney hailing from San Francisco, California, who is proud to call Gwangju his second hometown. Wilson is a lecturer at Chonnam National University who, in his spare time, works on various pro bono legal cases throughout the country. Wilson also enjoys breakfast food to the point where he feels comfortable putting such information in his bio.

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I believe a little understanding and compassion isn’t much to ask for, given that their home country of Yemen is currently being destroyed in what some call an illegal war and has been classified as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. I think the world needs to shine a bigger light on this tragic situation before it gets beyond hope.

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18

Durudora: Buy & Share Written by Harsh Kumar Mishra

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March 2019

COMMUNITY

G

wangju is famous for its revolutionary work done for the greater good of society, and so are many of the organizations in Gwangju. I am very happy to write about one such local organization that has been doing meaningful work for society. Durudora is a secondhand specialty store based in Gwangju, and recently I was fortunate enough to sit down with its CEO, Kim Changsik, to discuss Durudora’s inspiration, founding, and overall mission.

New immigrants were able to get help from the store when settling in Korea. Now, they have become donors themselves to help newer immigrants.”

Regarding Durudora’s inspiration, Kim said, “One hundred years ago, a special store was founded in the United States of America. Its name was “Goodwill,” a social enterprise that sold goods donated by citizens and provided jobs for vulnerable groups in society. At the time when Goodwill was founded, there were many immigrants living in America. At Goodwill, they could purchase daily necessities at cheap prices and even find employment. Many immigrants and other vulnerable groups in society were able to find consolation and refuge at this Christian organization.”

The mission of the company is to share and to love. “We do this by distributing donations made by citizens and by providing job opportunities,” Kim continues. “We invest 70 percent of our net profit to social welfare projects and plan to expand overseas. Jesus told us that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love our neighbors. If you want to practice loving your neighbors, please donate any leftover items in your house with a warm heart. What may not be necessary for you may be the most necessary thing for someone else.”

Following the original example set by Goodwill, Durudora has successfully established itself at several locations here in Gwangju. The name Durudora comes from the Korean word duru (두루), or “everywhere,” and the Greek word dora, meaning “gift.” Loosely translated, Durudora means “gifts shared all around the world.”

“According to Deuteronomy 10:19, you are to love those who are foreigners,” Kim said. “Durudora is a place where we practice love and sharing in this way. Nowadays, Korea is blessed with great affluence, and as a result, perfectly usable, good-quality clothes are sometimes thrown into the garbage. Also, one has to pay for throwing away such garbage if it is a large amount. We started this Christian social enterprise to help solve these problems in Korea.”

Durudora started three years ago at a small underground site. Recalling those early days, Kim said, “At first, we shared clothes and daily necessities with foreign workers, refugee applicants, and immigrant families in Gwangju.

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To make this all happen, many Koreans are volunteering to help collect and sort the donated items. With Koreans and immigrants working together, this store has created a friendly work environment for many international residents and multicultural families.

I appreciated having the chance to speak to the head of such a generous organization, one that is setting a great example for people around Gwangju. If you would like to share the love through Durudora, feel free to donate, volunteer, or spread the good news that such a service exists for people in the Gwangju community.

Photographs courtesy of Durudora

DURUDORA / 두루도라 Address: 311 Yeonsan-ro, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju 광주 광산구 연산로 311(옥동 180-2번지)

Phone: Kim Changsik (010-4680-7767)

The Author

Harsh is a Korean language and culture enthusiast who is pursuing his PhD in Korean linguistics at Chonnam National University.

He has been living in Gwangju since 2015 and calls Gwangju his second home.

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Durudora’s store located in the Pyeong-dong area.

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Durudora clothing items on display.

March 2019

Exporting recycled clothing to African countries.

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Durudora’s first exports to India.

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20 Around Korea

A Layman's Guide to Urban Exploration

TRAVEL

Written and photographed by Ryan Berkebile

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March 2019

An abandoned airplane at a closed-down university campus in rural Jeollanam-do.

I

am not a person who has a lot of nightmares. I never wake up screaming or sweating from dreams. For as long as I can remember, I have always dreamed involving the exploration of abandoned buildings. In these R.E.M.-induced scenarios, I ponder the contents found inside said dwellings. The surreal murkiness of dreams makes it difficult to recognize the artifacts discovered. I do not remember anything specific; all I know is that I have been having these dreams since before I was aware of urban exploration (도시탐험) as a hobby and subculture.

Since late 2014, I have been turning my dreams into reality. It was around then that the realization hit me one day in an abandoned bowling alley in rural Jeollanam-do: I was weaving together my nighttime and daytime worlds.

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Some of the places I have visited in daily life are stranger than anything my subconscious could produce. In previous articles of the Gwangju News, I have written about the (coincidentally named) Nightmare Lab (issue #201, November 2018) and an abandoned North Korean school in Japan (issue #197, July 2018), but these discoveries are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Imagine yourself coming across a fully furnished, abandoned airplane left to rust at a closed university. How would you feel?

It is not something you come across every day. When my friend and I came across this weird discovery, pure amazement and curiosity did not even begin to describe the feelings we felt. If apathy is your first reaction, maybe urban exploration is not for you. What would be your first

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21 impression if you discovered headless and/or limbless animatronic cowboys at an abandoned amusement park in Japan? I was gleefully weirded out at this find. If you are genuinely creeped out, once again, maybe urban exploration is not your bag of tea.

Urban exploration is also not for the faint of heart. If you do not like getting dirty, feel guilty about casual trespassing, have a sensitivity to mold and dust, fear climbing over and under sharp fences, or are grossed out by discovering dead animals, then you will probably not enjoy this hobby. Perhaps the pictures taken while urban exploring strike your curiosity more than the activity itself.

Fortunately, there are many YouTube channels, personal blogs, coffee table books, and Instagram hashtags to help you investigate this hobby from afar.

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March 2019

▲ The remains of a robotic cowboy at a forsaken amusement park in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.

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March 2019

▲ Many spiritual items found in the bedroom inside the Shaman Hoarder’s House.

Let me take a step back and explain the world of urban exploration. Put quite simply, urban exploration is the investigation of man-made structures. Curious people from all over the world risk trespassing, injury, or even their lives exploring abandoned or mostly unseen structures. The levels of danger vary from place to place.

If you go out on an adventure in Pripyat, Ukraine, you risk exposure to high levels of radiation. This is an extreme case, but many places you do go into can be mold-infested or structurally unsound.

Urban exploration is a catch-all term that attempts to encapsulate the various kinds of man-made structures explored. Sites are not limited to the urban setting; in fact, numerous exploration areas are found in the rural environment. Even the term “exploration” is misleading, as it conveys a sense of discovering something new.

Explorers, or adventurers (as some prefer to be called), are in a sense modern archeologists attempting to document forgotten artifacts of the recent past. Those involved in the hobby refer to it in shorthand as UE or urbex. In Japan, the exploration of abandoned buildings is called haikyo, which is rooted in the Chinese characters 廃墟, which stand for “ruins of a castle.” I am particularly drawn to

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this strain of urban exploration and, in the succeeding paragraphs, will explain what attracts me to modern ruins.

Every devotee has a particular area of investigation that draws them into the hobby. Some adherents are passionate about climbing to the summit of active skyscrapers, cranes, or antennas. Yet others are dedicated to wandering the depths of underground structures like sewers and storm drains. In total honesty, we are often trespassing on someone else’s property. That aspect alone might dissuade you from having a favorable opinion of urbex. I might lose people at this point, but for those still willing to read along, let’s discuss the ethics of urban exploration.

Urban exploration is a synthesis of adventure, tourism, anthropology, and modern archeology. The ethics that apply in these areas are also valid in the world of urbex.

Ideal tourists are considerate about their impact on the immediate surroundings. They make efforts to leave the area how they came upon it. Similarly, an ethical explorer considers how negative behavior will affect the neighborhoods explored, as well as the hobby as a whole. A thoughtful urbexer, like any knowledgeable anthropologist/archeologist, will also be an objective

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23 observer in the field. A mindful urbexer does not partake in pointless vandalism, take things from sites, or become a confrontational jerk. I advise creating mental notes on who is and who is not a dependable explorer. If there is any shadow of a doubt about a person’s conduct, avoid exploring with that person. Knowing whom you can trust as a person is critical to understanding whom you can trust to take with you on a mission.

No matter where you reside, urban exploration provides a unique opportunity to see your surroundings in a new light. You see things you might otherwise miss by going to the usual tourist destinations. Forgotten ruins or underground structures can be jumping-off points for discovering the history and culture of your area of interest.

I have grown curious about traditional Korean spiritual practices from my visits to abandoned buildings and houses. My hanja (Chinese characters) comprehension skills have significantly improved through the desire to decipher the orphaned calligraphy scrolls and Buddhist art I discover.

One abandoned place in Gwangju, that we like to call “the Shaman Hoarder’s House,” provided us a sad, yet invaluable glimpse into the world of being a mudang

(무당), or shaman. Open the door to this unusual house and you will know immediately the reason my friend and I named it so. The floor is invisible, as it is blanketed in trash and lost belongings. Any table or dresser is filled with layers and layers of Taoist and Buddhist charms.

Throughout the house, yellow paper talismans written/ painted in red ink called bujeok (부적) hang on the walls to offer protection against misfortune. I was befuddled and speechless from the sight, much akin to waking up from a night of vivid dreams. Who are the people who lived here?

Where are they now? These are the repetitive questions I keep asking myself over and over again as an investigator in the conscious and unconscious realms.

The Author

Ryan Berkebile is an English teacher, analog camera fanatic, and urban explorer living in Gwangju. He has been teaching in Korea since 2005, with brief stops in Vietnam and Japan along the way. Visit longdistancerunner.org or @zen_compass to see photos and stories of his explorations.

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March 2019

▲ A “haunted” school in Hong Kong that closed in 1998.

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24 24 Lost in Gwangju

The End of Wolsan-dong as We Know It

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March 2019

TRAVEL TRAVEL

Written and photographed by Isaiah Winters

The Seobu Seventh-Day Adventist Church awaits demolition beside gutted houses.

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25 2525

L

ike so many other areas in Gwangju, Wolsan-dong (월산동) is a patchwork of both upwardly and downwardly mobile neighborhoods. Walk a few minutes in one direction, and you’re at MBC’s towering headquarters next to glittering new apartments; walk a few minutes in another, and you’re in a working-class neighborhood mired in various stages of eviction and demolition. The area is very much at odds with itself, which is something I’ve grown to like. But while it remains an eclectic patchwork today, all the arrows point in one direction: The Wolsan-dong of tomorrow is set to be monolithically new.

At least four of the area’s long-awaited redevelopment projects are scheduled, with two already being in full swing. The first of these began last summer, when a neighborhood between Dolgogae Station and Yangdong Market was cordoned off behind high walls of tarp fitted with CCTV cameras and then razed to the ground to make way for new apartments. At present, a second area directly downhill from MBC’s headquarters is midway through its own demolition process. Most of the residents there have already been evicted, although a few, either through sheer doggedness or hopeless destitution, have remained even as the homes around them have been torn down. At least one of these strongwilled residents even continues to do his landscaping every weekend, probably both out of pride and as a way to keep the looters and wreckers at bay.

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March 2019

The personalities of the many who’ve been evicted can still be discerned from what they’ve left behind. One of the most eccentric souls to live in Wolsan-dong was an elderly woman whom we’ll just call “Grandma.”

Grandma was an avid art collector with a unique flare for interior decorating, and her now vacant house stands as an ephemeral testament to her intense love of the arts. Calligraphy, traditional masks and landscape paintings, abstract art, vinyl records, and even a mounted ferret are all still on exhibit at Grandma’s house today. Though in a condemned neighborhood, her house is one of the very few to not have been ransacked, and I like to think it’s because the demolition crew remains as awestruck as I am by the vestiges of such a unique person. Or maybe they’re just superstitious.

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The particular demolition crew currently at work along the hillside beneath MBC seems to be especially lenient. In addition to giving the last few holdouts extra time and space, it’s raised no high tarps, put up no CCTV cameras, and has given people like me no grief for passing in and out of the area’s many gutted structures. In fact, it seems the crew even went so far as to halt demolition in one particular area after a person, likely a squatter, moved into one of the abandoned houses after Seollal.

Responding quickly to the new arrival, the crew spray-painted “A person has been living here since Seollal. Don’t cut the power” along the side of the house. This suggests a more humane demolition process than some that’ve taken place elsewhere across the country. The demolition crew, after all, is made up of regular people, too.

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March 2019

A shot taken from the neighborhood downhill from MBC that’s currently being demolished.

The old pharmacy owner reads himself to sleep inside his improvised library.

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A couple poses during better times in front of their now gutted home.

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March 2019

An elderly couple surveys the demolition process taking place below MBC.

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March 2019

▲ The view from inside “Grandma’s” house, with Grandma’s portrait still hanging on the wall.

In the two redevelopment zones not yet undergoing eviction and demolition, other unique souls linger along the margins of society. One who stands out is a little 87-year-old man whom I met by accident inside a now defunct pharmacy where, it turns out, he used to sell traditional Korean medicine for 30 years. Today the pharmacy, which looks abandoned but still plays a little jingle whenever the door is opened, functions as both his living space and as an improvised library of sorts where he keeps the impressive array of books he’s collected over his 60-year career as a pharmacist. All alone, he passes the time by opening a book on his lap, often the Bible, and reading himself to sleep. On my most recent visit, I was able to speak to him a bit about the redevelopment going on in the area. As the owner of the building, he said he’d been approached by buyers but that he wasn’t going to sell. “I won’t sell,” he repeated kindly but firmly. I don’t doubt him.

The most haunting encounter my friend Ryan and I had during our time roaming through Wolsan-dong was on a low hilltop that’s barely managed to keep its verdant head above the city’s rising tides of concrete. As we plodded our way up the hill to scout the surrounding area, we encountered a middle-aged man out in the cold clutching a plastic bag. Something was clearly not right with him, so we stopped dead in our tracks to observe. Sitting motionless in the dirt, the man’s glazed eyes seemed to look through us rather than at us. I’d seen a similarly listless gaze in the faces of Romanian street children clutching bags of paint 15 years before – a side effect of

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huffing. We hightailed it, not seeking definitive answers, although I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to the most vulnerable souls like him once the area got its upscale makeover.

A few weeks later, we returned to this same low hilltop overlooking much of Wolsan-dong and fortunately didn’t run into anyone on our way up. Cleared of trees, the hilltop is etched with fallow plots of unauthorized farmland resting before this spring’s planting season, which may be its last. Two new apartment complexes are slated to be built adjacent to this hill in the near future – the two said projects not yet underway. With local farmers no longer around to till the soil every year, I imagine the hilltop will be turned into a well-maintained park of sorts, which certainly comes with benefits, like more trees and less plastic trash scattered about. Still, one of the sharpest visual contrasts found within Gwangju proper will likely be gone. It’s this stark patchwork that makes the area so endearing and leaves me feeling lost in Gwangju.

The Author

Originally from Southern California, Isaiah is a Gwangju-based urban explorer who enjoys writing about the City of Light’s lesserknown quarters. When he’s not roaming the streets and writing about his experiences, he’s usually working or fulfilling his duties as the Gwangju News’ heavily caffeinated chief proofreader.

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:07

29 From Abroad 29

Hindu Culture in Malaysia Thaipusam at the Batu Caves Written and photographed by Michael Goonan

TRAVEL TRAVEL www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

The goddess Murugan towers over the crowded staircase leading to the Batu Caves.

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2019-02-26 �� 2:36:08

30

M

alaysia is easily the most interesting country I have visited thus far in Asia. A melting pot of cultures and religions, it is home to Malay Muslims, Indian Hindus, Chinese Buddhists, and folk practitioners, as well as an array of indigenous groups.

People of Indian descent make up about seven percent of the population in Malaysia, most of them Tamils who are descendants of those who immigrated to Malaysia from Tamil Nadu during the period of British colonization in the 19th and early 20th centuries. As someone who is particularly fascinated by Indian culture (and its delicious cuisine!), and who has not yet had the opportunity to visit India itself, I was excited to explore this interest during our visit to Malaysia.

If you Google “things to do in Kuala Lumpur,” without a doubt the Batu Caves will be one of the first things you encounter. This impressive sight, located on the outskirts of the city, is an elaborate group of Hindu temples and shrines located around and within limestone caves on a mountainside. Unbeknownst to us, it turned out that our first full day in Kuala Lumpur was Thaipusam, the biggest event of the year at the caves. At the center of the celebration is Murugan, the god of courage, wealth, and wisdom, whose biggest statue in the world is located at the Batu Caves.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

Hindu pilgrims walk barefoot for several miles to the caves before climbing 272 stairs to the temple of Murugan.

Over a million people were in attendance this year.

We encountered several people asleep in the temples, exhausted from their long journey! As curious tourists rather than ardent devotees of Murugan, we decided to take a Grab ride and keep our shoes on for the stair climb.

▲ The many colors of the temple at the base of the mountain.

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I realize that this makes us excruciatingly lame, but like a young, fictional George Washington, “I cannot tell a lie.”

The weather for Thaipusam could not have been much better. The sun was shining, and the temperature was around 85° Fahrenheit (30° Celsius). This was a very welcome break from the frigid January we had been experiencing in Korea before arriving. When we got to the Batu Caves, it was a chaotic and lively scene. It was not clear to us where we should enter, and so we first wandered into a line at the entrance to the Divine Life Society Temple near the caves. Unbeknownst to us, we had just entered a line for free food, or prasada, at the temple! Seeing how confused we looked, our new friend, Kumar, who was standing in front of us in line, informed us of where we were and what was happening. Few people in this world love Indian cuisine more than I do, so you would be right in guessing that I was over the moon.

It appears that my curry senses were tingling and my subconscious mind duly directed us to exactly where we needed to be.

As we sat for prasada, we soon discovered that this temple engaged in the South/East Indian custom of eating everything with one’s hands. This was the first time I had encountered this custom, but it did not phase my girlfriend, Emily, who had encountered it in Sri Lanka.

I wish I could say I dug right in, but I must admit to cheating and using the banana chips to scoop my delicious vegetarian curry. “Delicious and nutritious,” as the saying goes! After eating, we took some time to browse the temple grounds, eventually arriving at the table where they were selling books by the swamis upon whose teachings their practice is based. Emily and I bought one book each, and we were subsequently given three more books for free!

They provided interesting reading for the rest of our trip.

Finally, we said our goodbyes and made our way to the grounds of the Batu Caves. We discovered a large market at the foot of the caves, with vendors selling various foods, jewelry, statues of the Hindu deities, and more. Many people were shaving their heads as an offering to the gods and covering their newly shaved heads in orange powder.

Emily and I bought colorful Indian attire, and I amused some of the locals as I struggled to don my new orange shirt patterned with mantras and the Om symbol. From here, we approached the temple at the base of the cave.

Here, we encountered many sleeping devotees and many people praying at various shrines to the deities. There was a large line to take a selfie with a statue of a cow – a sacred animal in the Hindu religion. We were struck by the programmed nature of it all. People gathered wherever they chose for a variety of purposes. Some sat in groups talking. Some slept. Some were deep in meditation or prayer.

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:09

3131

▲ Views of the temple and the crowd inside the Batu Caves.

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Like most things in life, words and pictures can only go so far in recreating the atmosphere of an event as unique as Thaipusam at the Batu Caves. If you are planning to travel to Malaysia during late January or early February, it is a festival that you must experience for yourself. It will surely be a unique and unforgettable experience.

The Author

Michael Goonan teaches English at Nampyeong Elementary School in Naju. Originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, he’s also lived in the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Australia, and the Netherlands. He blogs about travel, culture, politics, and more at Goonan.us.

March 2019

As we climbed the staircase to the cave, we were struck by the great diversity of people there: families carrying young children, elderly devotees struggling with each barefoot step, curious Malay Muslims, and Malaysian Chinese tourists. Interestingly enough, we saw only a handful of Western tourists there. As we approached the top of the staircase, we began to encounter the many monkeys that live on the mountainside next to the caves. These monkeys have no problem getting close to people, looking for any opportunity they could find to steal some food or make

some mischief. Finally, we arrived at the temple complex within the caves. To say it was awe-inspiring is a definite understatement. The colors and ornate architecture, the scattered groups of devotees – many of them asleep – and the stunning natural atmosphere are truly one of a kind. www.gwangjunewsgic.com

As we got ready to make the climb to the temple at the top, we encountered a procession of people performing some of the traditional Thaipusam austerities. Some pilgrims, looking to gain the favor of Murugan and purify themselves of their sins, carried elaborate statues and pictures of the god on their heads, attached deep into the skin of their bodies with hooks. Ouch! Apparently, this was historically a more popular practice than it is today, as it is discouraged by many of the Hindu religious authorities. But that did not stop those truly determined to gain the favor of the god in this way.

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32 32

Saraswati Puja

The Day for the Deity of Knowledge, Art, and Music

ARTS & CULTURE

Written by Suraj Adhikari and Janam Raj Kaji Maharjan

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

W

hile K-pop and Korean dramas are absolutely fantastic in their own right, there is much more to Korea that people living outside Korea do not realize. The Koreans are warm and welcoming of the “waeguks” (foreigners) and their cultures and traditions.

A week after the celebrations of Korea’s Lunar New Year, the Hindus of Gwangju were to observe an auspicious holiday of their own – Saraswati Puja. Thus, the Hindus of Gwangju, with the backing of the Gwangju International Center (GIC) and support from the Universal Cultural Center (UCC) and the First Nepal restaurant, were able to gather at the GIC to celebrate one of the most auspicious days of the year. The festival of Saraswati Puja, also known as Shree Panchami and Basanta Panchami, is celebrated across the globe by Hindu communities in the month of Magh (January–February). Actually, this was the fourth time that the Hindu community in Gwangju has arranged such a program. This year, it took place on Sunday, February 10, just a week after Korea’s Lunar New Year. The love and blessings from local Koreans made the program absolutely gracious and memorable.

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The preparation for the big day started a week earlier, with arrangements and assembling being done by dedicated volunteers. A day prior to the occasion, all the volunteers met up at the UCC to prepare food that was to be served on the following day. Kneading wheat flour to shape up the dough for a special luchhi (a Bengali dish), and slicing vegetables and mixing rice for tarkari (curry) and khichuri (a traditional rice item), every volunteer was busy readying things necessary for the celebration.

The most awesome part of the day was, however, when an artist, Muslim by religion, drew a beautiful sketch of the goddess Saraswati, reminding us all that humanity transcends all religions. On the day of the festival, Hindus around the world worship Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, art, and music. Students worship their books, while artists and musicians worship their respective tools and instruments. People simply take this opportunity to pay respects to the materials that help them acquire knowledge.

All the hard work the volunteers were putting in to prepare delicious dishes, artistic articles, and other things for puja (worship) seemed as if everyone was right on track in

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:11 Written and photographed by

33 doing what the festival was all about.

The next day, at the GIC hall where the event took place, we saw a huge number of Hindu participants, even a little more than the organizers had anticipated. Everyone looked lively and excited about Saraswati Puja. The festival is observed to mark the advent of Basanta Ritu, the spring season. Yellow, the color of ripe fruits, mustard crops, and spring flowers, is believed to be the favorite color of the goddess. Participants adorned themselves in shining clothes and decorated dresses.

The beautiful yellow dresses of the female participants and the colorful traditional attire of the males added to the color of the ceremony. It was truly a visual delight.

The celebration started with a formal puja ritual.

The main pundit (officiator) for the event was a graduate student from Chosun University.

He dictated the puja by chanting holy mantras and paying offerings to the goddess Saraswati, asking for blessings for the good of everyone in the hall. After the puja, prasad (food as a religious offering) was distributed among all the participants, followed by short speeches about Saraswati Puja from people of different backgrounds. They shared their stories about the way they celebrated the festival in their hometowns. While the audience reminisced with their own stories of the celebration, musical performances took the stage, filling the

atmosphere with sounds from a harmonium, including streams of melodies and appreciative applause. The performances were in different languages, but everyone celebrated with the sense that each was a part of the festival. The event finally ended with lunch.

As for my own experience, I (Saraj Adhikari) was over the moon when I was informed that the Hindu community was planning to celebrate Saraswati Puja this year. Back in my home country of Nepal, the day is considered very auspicious. Many people believe that good will come if you start anything on this day. When I delve through my memories of Saraswati Puja, I remember my mother waking me up, making me take a bath in the morning cold, and rushing to the pushpanjali (holy prayers). I see young girls and boys wearing yellow sari and punjabi (traditional attire), holding hands, and singing and dancing in celebration. My heart warmed to the taste of the prasad offered in the GIC hall, especially the khichuri, mixed vegetables, fruits, and sweets.

At the end of the day, I could see everyone with happy faces despite their diverse cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and nationalities. It is not our differences that divide us, but our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. On the day of Saraswati Puja, we were able to keep those differences

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

2019�3��.indd aphed by Gianna33 Francesca Catolico

March 2019

Respected members of the GIC and the UCC showing their respects towards the goddess Saraswati.

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34

Together we shine!

Photographs courtesy of Hindu Community in Gwangju ▲ A Rabindranath Tagore song by Chonnam National University graduate student Nipa Roy of Bangladesh.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

away and celebrate under a single roof. We all know that once you are in a foreign land, you have to try to be like the locals to survive. However, the people of Gwangju have shown that they respect who we are by participating in the festival. Reliving our own cultural festivals in a foreign land creates the most joyous feeling. It not only teaches us the meaning of love, peace, and harmony but also shows us that diverse cultures bring a collective strength that can benefit all humanity. Thus, the Hindu community of Gwangju is thankful to the GIC for helping us promote our cultural identity. Also, we are grateful to the UCC and First Nepal for making things possible. I am sure the day will live on in our memories forever.

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The Authors

Suraj and Janam are proud Nepalese citizens living in Korea since 2015, pursuing their higher education – activists and writers who always raise their voices Janam Maharjan Suraj Adhikari against discrimination and conflicts prevailing in our society. We are interested in learning new cultures and making new friends. Please feel free to contact us on Facebook and Instagram @dazzling_ suraj17 and @janammaharjan.

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:15

35

Mayan Dance Salsa

A Salsa Dance Studio that Sizzles at Night Written and photographed by Gianna Francesca Catolico

SPORTS & ACTIVITIES

Some Latin dancers enjoying a small party on a Friday night.

“I learned salsa when I was 25. Since then, I became more interested in salsa and even had some performances in

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Conceptualized in Angola, kizomba is known for its slow and sensual steps and rhythm. Salsa is a fusion of mambo, Afro-Cuban dance, cha-cha, and other Latin dance forms.

Unlike salsa, bachata does not have many turn patterns and is popular for its wake-like movements.

“Bachata is more popular among couples,” Park explained.

“Younger Koreans prefer bachata because it’s sexy and beautiful. If they prefer a slower and more emotional dance, there is kizomba or bachata. If they want passion while dancing, and more active [steps], salsa is there.”

She walked us around her studio, a spacious room with

March 2019

It’s never too late to learn a new hobby or profession.

At the age of 25, Park Soo-young, the studio’s dance instructor, began learning salsa. In the daytime, she manages a guesthouse in Yangrim-dong and, once the sun sets, struts in her heels and sways her body with zestful Latin-American rhythm.

the United States, Singapore, and China,” Park, now 37, told me. After harnessing her salsa skills, she further expanded her Latin dance prowess and is now teaching bachata and kizomba to over 50 students in her studio.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

M

ayan Salsa Dance Studio, located in downtown Gwangju, has opened its flaming gates to dancers and aspiring dancers alike since 2002, yet I only discovered its existence recently. Amid the overwhelming popularity and burgeoning influence of Western and Korean pop dances, this modest yet nocturnal studio thrives as the hub of Latin groove in the City of Light.

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36

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

▲ Aside from trophies and event posters, photos of Park Soo-young’s students and guest dance instructors are proudly displayed in her studio.

comfy furniture, graffiti, a dressing area, and a mini counter for beer and other alcoholic beverages. Displayed on her wall was a bulletin board adorned with snaps of beaming students and guest mentors, trophies that Park had won during her younger days, and posters of her previous and forthcoming gigs. These piqued my interest, and I began quizzing her about them.

“Last month, I invited the famous Mexican duo Willy and Danya to be guest instructors in one of my salsa classes,” Park explained. She makes it a practice to bring a foreign dance instructor once every two or three months.

In November last year, a Berlin-based German-Korean dancer organized a two-day kizomba workshop in her studio. Park is now prepping for the Mayan Salsa Dance Studio’s anniversary party, an event that will gather all Latin dancers in Gwangju and nearby cities.

Although her years in the limelight are far from over, Park envisions a fresh roster of enthusiastic and passionate

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dancers in Latin dance. Today, she trains her protégés to become professional dancers and compete in local and international events. Each class spans up to four hours per week for two months. Likewise, during weekends or special occasions, she entertains almost a hundred partygoers.

Every Tuesday and Sunday, Park teaches kizomba, while every Wednesday and Friday she sways her body to salsa music. All Mondays are slated for bachata classes.

In addition, Park has also expanded her dance tutorial classes outside the gates of her studio. Every Thursday evening, she teaches salsa to eight students in Mokpo.

Some of Park’s students have joined the classes for reasons other than participating in Latin dance competitions.

When asked about the reasons behind enrolling in salsa and bachata, Park Ha-jung said she enjoys Latin dance as an after-work hobby. “I think that students searched for

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:20

37 salsa classes through Naver or Daum. But for me, I was introduced by my friend. My friend told me, ‘Don’t you want a new hobby? Why don’t you enroll in salsa dance? It’s fun and there’s a party every weekend,’” the 30-year-old teacher said.

Another reason why she chose bachata is because it’s the in-thing among Latin dances. She added, “These days, the trend is to learn bachata. That’s what I heard from other Latin dancers.”

On the other hand, Ji Youn, 25, began her weekly salsa grind last year and recently enrolled in bachata classes. Aside from performing in elegant Latin dance festivals, the dance classes have helped her make new friends. She explained, “I lived in Madagascar for over 20 years and returned to Korea last year. Ever since I started dancing, I’ve made a lot of Korean and foreign friends.”

At the end of our chitchat, Park Soo-young and her loyal students expressed their vision for the Mayan Salsa Dance Studio: to entice more dancers, especially foreigners, to enlist in her classes this year.

“Some foreigners come to the studio and ask, ‘What is this?’ and ‘Can I join?’ Many are curious about

the music,” Park Ha-jung chuckled. “It is loud in the evening... We hope more foreigners can come and join us.”

MAYAN SALSA DANCE STUDIO / 마얀 살사댄스 Address: 광주 동구 황금동 84번지 3층 Hwanggeum-dong 84beon-ji (3rd Floor) Dong-gu, Gwangju Phone: 010-2104-8899 Hours: 8 p.m. onwards Operating Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday Fee: Beginner Salsa (70,000 won/ Foreigners 40,000 won monthly) Beginner Bachata (40,000 won monthly) Beginner Kizomba (40,000 won monthly) Wednesday and Friday dance party (7,000 won monthly) THE AUTHOR

Gianna Francesca Catolico is an intern at the May 18 Memorial Foundation from the Philippines. She recently finished her Masters in Human Rights and Democratization from Mahidol University in Thailand. She has been sojourning around Asia over the past three years.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

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2019-02-26 �� 2:36:26

38 Where to Eat

Authentic Thai at Sansook Kitchen Written and photographed by Sarah Pittman

F

FOOD & DRINKS

irst, I’d like to say thank you to those who reached out to me on Instagram to share their favorite places in Gwangju. All of your tips have been so helpful!

This month, I went to Sansook Kitchen based on the recommendation of an Instagram acquaintance. Sansook Kitchen is an authentic Thai kitchen near the 1913 Songjeong Station Market and Gwangju Songjeong Station. I had a difficult time finding it because their Facebook directions stopped at the nearby subway stop.

I was able to find their address eventually, printed on a business card posted to their Facebook page.

I arrived at Sansook Kitchen in between the lunch and dinner rush, so the restaurant was quite quiet.

The restaurant felt dim and shuttered since all of the second story windows were covered with the same wood paneling that was used in the stairwell. Within

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

When I found the restaurant, I noticed that they had a

mini-market on the first floor selling all sorts of Thai goods. Any home chefs who want to try their hand at cooking Thai food, or Thai expats looking for some flavors of home, may want to check out their store. The stairway leading up to the second level where the restaurant is situated is covered in dark wood paneling. It reminded me quite a lot of a kitschy tropical bar from back home, with deep, warm wood all around.

The beef salad was very filling.

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39

An interesting sign in Thai.

The interior coffee shop, where you can buy Thai coffee.

Pad thai – The arrangement on the plate was quite nice.

which was flavored like maple syrup. Had the dish been hot and spicy, the maple may have been a good match, but at room temperature and without strong spices or sweet flavors to balance against, it was isolated and out of place.

I ordered a spicy beef salad and the pad thai. The salad came to the table first, and I’d honestly hesitate to describe it as a salad. There was a copious amount of spicy, sliced beef on the plate and some julienned cucumber. While there were vegetables on the plate, Westerners looking for a familiar salad may be surprised. Go in expecting more meat than veggies. The spices on the meat were delicious, though the beef itself was dry. There were a lot of peppercorns on the salad, and the cucumbers were a wonderfully refreshing note to counter the spice in my mouth. For this reason, I would have preferred more veggies in the salad. Eating the salad left me wanting more of the cucumbers.

Overall, this restaurant didn’t necessarily wow me, but I’m happy that I did give it a chance. I’d still recommend that you give this local restaurant a try for yourself at peak hours when its dishes should be fresh. I’m a little sad that I didn’t have a better experience, but I’m always happy to get tips for places to try.

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광주 광산구 광산로 19, (송정동) 2 층

Phone: 062-944-1370, 010-8356-1370 Open Hours: Daily 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

The Author

Sarah Pittman is an English teacher with a degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton. She discovered her love for photography while working at Disneyland and has been honing her craft with practice and YouTube videos every since.

March 2019

The pad thai was not like any I’d ever had before, and not in a good way. The prawn, served with its head attached, was very good, and it had a lot of very well-cooked and surprisingly flavorful bean sprouts. Unfortunately, the pad thai came out at room temperature, not hot or even really warm. It was very oily, and didn’t impress with its flavor in general. It was neither too spicy nor too sweet. In fact, it was hard to get any strong flavor from the pad thai at all. The one flavor that did come through was in the tofu,

SANSOOK KITCHEN 타이푸드

Address: 7 Jangdong-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju. (2nd floor)

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

the restaurant itself, there seemed to be a coffee shop as well as a separate kitchen where the meals were prepared.

Both the restaurant and the coffee shop were staffed by a mother–daughter duo who were very kind.

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:29

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

FOOD & & DRINKS DRINKS FOOD

40 Korean Food

INGREDIENTS (4 servings) ½ duck (cut into chunks) ½ cup of mirin (rice wine) 1 big onion (sliced) 1 ginger root (chopped) 5 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons of doen-jang (soybean paste) 3½ tablespoons of gochu-garu (red pepper flakes) ¼ teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper 1 stalk of green onion (sliced diagonally) 2 red chili peppers (sliced diagonally) 3 green chili peppers (sliced diagonally) 10 perilla leaves (each cut into 4 pieces) 4 tablespoons of roasted perilla seed powder 1 tablespoon of anchovy stock 4 shiitake mushrooms (chopped) 1 teaspoon of plum syrup ½ teaspoon of salt

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PREPARATION

1. Rinse and drain the duck pieces. Add four cups of water to a pot,

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

and let it sit for ten minutes. Rinse again and in the same pot add the water, rice wine, and ginger, and bring to a boil for ten minutes. Remove the duck pieces, and wash and rinse with cold water thoroughly. Then drain.

Add five cups of water into the pot together with the doen-jang, gochu-garu, and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the duck pieces, sliced onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil again, then turn heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove the lid, add two tablespoons of perilla powder, and bring to a boil.

Add the green onion, red chilies, green chilies, and perilla leaves.

(Reserve some for garnishing.) Stir to combine, and simmer for two minutes.

Add in the rest of the perilla seed powder, salt, anchovy stock, and plum syrup. Stir to combine.

Dish out, garnish with green onion, red chili, green chili, and chopped perilla leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice.

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41

Ori-Tang Spicy Duck Soup Written by Joe Wabe

M

arch is the start of spring in Korea. We leave behind the freezing weather and embrace warmer and more colorful days. But with this change also comes the flu season. It’s something most of us will have to deal with, as catching a cold or even the flu are sometimes unavoidable. Before living in Korea, one of my favorite remedies for a quick recovery from any of these spring viruses was (and still is) chicken soup.

First, it helps keep you hydrated since you need plenty of fluids on a day when you’re sick. Second, the steam from chicken soup helps relieve a congested nose and throat. And finally, chicken also contains a natural amino acid that’s good for bronchitis and respiratory infections. Duck soup is known for having the same effects as chicken soup, and in my opinion it’s more soothing and has more flavor complexity.

But aside from the health benefits, this soup is one of the top favorites for expats in Gwangju since it’s a specialty of South Jeolla Province with special areas designated just for these restaurants.

Yudong Alley in Buk-gu has registered more than 20 restaurants that are fully dedicated to this dish.

The Author

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March 2019

Joe Wabe is an established photographer and Gwangju local business entrepreneur. He has been contributing to the GIC and the Gwangju News for more than eight years.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

The recipe varies from region to region as well as in spiciness. My recipe has been influenced from this area, and it’s a beauty that I always keep for those dark, rainy days when I feel the need for a warm, aromatic dish that can bring me “above the clouds.” Best of all, it’s easy and fun to make.

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:30

42 Korea TESOL

“Teacher, Why Must I Learn English?”

Written by Dr. David E. Shaffer

March 2019

Everybody’s Doing It! Though it may not be a good idea to blindly follow every trend that comes along, the trend toward increased English use has a lengthy and sustained history. More and more, it is becoming the lingua franca worldwide – the language of choice among interlocutors who do not speak the same mother tongue, the language of commerce, the language of academic research, the language of the Internet and of travelers. The world is quickly becoming a global village that is speaking English. Factoid: One-fourth of all the countries of the world have English as an official language and English as the medium of instruction. To make this resonate with students, it may be helpful to point out that their parents know more English and have more need for English than their grandparents did, and that, likewise, today’s students will have more need for English than their parents have.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

EDUCATION

W

hy must I learn English? – Finding an English teacher in Korea who has not been asked this question by a student would probably be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. And finding a parent who has not been asked the same question would likely be just as difficult. I was recently approached with this question by a teacher-administrator who was asked by an elementary school teacher about how to respond to such a question. Of course, a reply of “Because you have to” really doesn’t answer the question, and it surely doesn’t generate in the inquiring student any motivation to learn the language. Here are some good reasons for learning English that will hopefully increase your students’ desire to learn.

See the World!

Korea and the world are becoming increasingly transnationally mobile. More people are traveling to more places more often – for business and pleasure, and anything in between. Since the only other country in the world where Korean is widely spoken is a country where South Koreans cannot travel to, knowing a second language becomes a requisite. As shown above, English is the best alternative-language choice for a wide variety

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of destinations. Again, this can be illustrated to English learners by pointing out that Korean parents today travel internationally much more than their parents did, and today’s students are much more likely to travel internationally as adults than their parents. As an anecdote (that dates me a bit), when I got married, my wife, a Korean, couldn’t even get a regular passport to travel abroad to visit my parents because she was not a Korean diplomat or major businessman. But I digress…

The point is that Koreans are traveling more and more and, therefore, will be needing English more and more.

English Is the Ticket to a Top-Class Job This is not a revelation. It is widely known that for the fresh university graduate to land an entry-level job in one of Korea’s top-flight companies, a top-level English test score is required. Even though English may not be a requirement of the job that one is applying for, a high TOEIC score is often needed for a job-hunter to even advance to the interview step of the job hunt. Though an English test score may not be the best indicator of one’s compatibility for a job, it is a fact of Korean life that future job-seekers need to be aware of now, while they still have time to prepare themselves for top-level English exam scores that could land them top-notch jobs. If English learners are not already aware of the importance of English test scores for desirable job opportunities, it is incumbent on the teacher to make them aware.

There are, however, many jobs for which the use of English is required, and the amount of English that one must use in these jobs is ever increasing. One of the reasons for this is that Korea-based firms are increasing their international connections. With the rapid advances in technology, there will be many new occupations created within a decade that we cannot even conceptualize today, and many of these will require advanced English skills.

Teachers! Let your students know; make them aware.

Discuss it in class. Do a fortunetelling activity.

Learning English Makes You Smarter!

If none of the above reasons seem to satisfy your students

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43

WHERE ENGLISH IS SPOKEN

80-100% 60-80% 40-60% 20-40% 0.1-20% Not available

or have the motivational effect that you are looking for, tell them that learning English will make them smarter, and that the earlier they start, the greater the effect!

Learning a new language means learning a whole new and complex set of rules, vocabulary, and patterns. The brain works through this complexity, giving meaning to words and structures, and boosting cognitive skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving.

So, here are some responses to add to your arsenal of answers for the next time you are confronted by a student with the question “Why must I learn English?”

2019�3��.indd 43

GWANGJU-JEONNAM KOTESOL REGIONAL CONFERENCE

Are We There Yet? – Revisiting, Reflecting on, and Re-imaging Our ELT Goals

Date: March 9 (Saturday) Place: Gwangju National University of Education • Plenary: Where is “There”? and Are We There Yet?

By Michael Griffin (The EFL Workshop & Chung-Ang University, Seoul) • Concurrent Sessions, Poster Sessions, Displays For full event details: Website: koreatesol.org/gwangju Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL Map credit: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

March 2019

Possibly the most effective way to frame this information about how knowing more than a single language boosts brain power is to frame it for students as “Learning English will improve your grades in other subjects, too!”

Since language learning heightens cognitive skills, studies have shown that this translates into higher standardized test scores in subject areas such as math and in reading comprehension.

David E. Shaffer is vice-president of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of Korea TESOL (KOTESOL). On behalf of the chapter, he invites you to participate in their upcoming March conference and their teacher development workshops at their monthly meetings (always on a Saturday). For many years, Dr. Shaffer has been a professor of English Language at Chosun University. He is a long-time member of KOTESOL and a holder of various KOTESOL positions; at present he is national president.

Dr. Shaffer credits KOTESOL for much of his professional development in English language teaching, scholarship, and leadership. He encourages you to get involved. He is board chair at the GIC and also editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

The more you use your brain, the better it functions.

Working in two or more languages, rather than in just one, requires more variety in recall, which in turn improves memory. Research has shown that knowing more than one language sharpens the mind. In one study, multilingual subjects showed better observational skills and recall of their surroundings. Other studies have shown that multilingual adults have sharper minds for longer.

The mean age for the onset of dementia in monolinguals was a full four years sooner than for multilingual adults.

According to still other studies, multilingual speakers are better multi-taskers and better decision-makers.

The Author

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44 44 Photo Essay

TOPIK Guide (topikguide.com) is the most comprehensive website devoted to the TOPIK exam. It’s been helping Korean language learners pass the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) for more than seven years. On this website, you can get all the TOPIK updates, grammar and vocabulary material, and study tips.

Everyday Korean Episode 15: 배낭여행 (Backpacking)

EDUCATION

Written by Harsh Kumar Mishra Illustration by Han Lee

아나:

Ana:

선배는 자유시간을 어떻게 보내시나요?

[Seon-bae-neun jayu-si-ganeul eotteo-ke bonae-sinayo?]

How do you like to spend your free time, “Senior”?

정민:

나는 여행을 좋아해서 여기저기 돌아다녀.

아나:

저도 여행을 좋아하지만 너무 게을러서 어디도 가지 않아요.

Grammar

[Jeo-do yeo-haengeul joa-haji-man neomu ge-eulleo-seo eodi-do gaji anayo.]

I like traveling a lot too, but I’m too lazy to go anywhere.

in a polite and gentle way.

Ex: 한국어를 하나요?

[Naneun yeo-haeng-ha-neun ge neomu joa-seo yeogi-jeogi

dora-danyeo.]

Jeong-min: I like to go on trips a lot, so I wander here and there.

Ana:

정민:

웃기네. 게으름쟁이가 어떻게 여행을 좋아해?

[Ut-kine. Ge-eureum-jaengi-ga eo-tteoke yeo-haengeul

joa-hae?]

Jeong-min: That’s funny. How can a lazybones like to travel?

아나:

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March 2019

Ana:

게으름쟁이도 꿈을 꿀 수 있죠.

[Ge-eureum-jaengi-do kku-meul kkul su ich-chyo.]

A lazybones can dream too, can’t she?

정민:

(웃음소리) 꿈으로 여행하지 말고 배낭여행이나 가 봐.

아나:

배낭여행요?

[Kku-meuro yeo-haeng-haji mal-go baenang-yeohaeng-ina

ga bwa.]

Jeong-min: (Laughter) Don’t just travel in your dreams.

Go try some backpacking.

Ana:

정민:

[Bae-nang-yeohaeng-yo? ] Backpacking?

Ana:

Do you speak Korean?

~지만: Use this with action/quality verbs to express the meaning “but.”

Ex: 한국 음식은 맵지만 맛있어요.

Korean food is spicy but tasty.

Vocabulary 보내다 여기저기 돌아다니다 게으르다 게으름쟁이 배낭 배낭여행 꿈꾸다

네, 좋아요.

[Ne, jo-ayo.]

Yeah, sounds good.

to spend (time) here and there to wander to be lazy a lazybones backpack a backpacking trip to dream

#Korean slang/Fad words 1.

2.

응! 나는 다음 달에 하노이로 가는데 너도 갈래?

[eung! na da-eum dare hanoi-ro ga-neun-de,

neo-do gal-lae?]

Jeong-min: Yeah! I’m going to Hanoi next month. Want to come along?

아나:

~나요: Use this with action verbs to ask something

3.

혼행: a trip taken alone; a solo tour 포미족: It sounds like the English “for me,” but it’s actually made from the first letters of these following words: For Health, One, Recreation, More convenient, Expensive. The term is used when talking about a person who likes to pamper him/herself. 스테이케이션: This is based on the English slang word “staycation,” meaning a vacation spent going to places nearby one’s home or sometimes even staying at home.

Visit the TOPIK Guide website or our YouTube channel to improve your Korean and reach your goal on the TOPIK test.

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2019-02-26 �� 2:36:32

Book Review 45

“I Still Don’t Know How to Be a Normal Person” Review of Convenience Store Woman Written by Kristy Dolson

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Despite her bestseller status in Japan, this is Murata’s first book to be translated into English. The story is told in the first person from Furukura’s perspective and, through Murata’s precise writing style, delivers a deadpan narrative that is full of poignant and profound observations.

Originally published in 2016 in Japan and then translated for international release in 2018, Murata has given voice to the minority of people who shun society and experience fulfillment in a unique way. I hope we can have the pleasure of seeing more Murata books in translation in the future.

The Author

Photo by Cheyenne Taylor

Kristy Dolson lived in South Korea for five years before taking a year off to travel, read, and spend time with her family in Canada and Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Education and now lives in Yeosu, where she splits her time between teaching at the new Jeollanamdo International Education Institute and reading as much as she can.

March 2019

This whole book resonated with me. I found it utterly charming and intensely readable for many reasons. First of all, as a proud alumnus of Tim Hortons (think Canadian Dunkin’ Donuts) with three years of service, I could really empathize with Keiko’s dedication to her “dead end” workplace and society’s misunderstanding and contempt for her decision to remain there for so long. Secondly, I could absolutely understand Furukura’s social inquiries

“At last,” I rejoiced while reading, “a woman who views the world in a logical, efficient way, who rejects traditional conventions and doesn’t end up married, institutionalized, or murdered!” I love how she defies the norm – consistently, logically, and unashamedly – and refuses to bow to pressure exerted by her family, friends, and co-workers. She simply identifies her goal and sticks to her efficient routine in order to achieve it. In a world of ambitious go-getters driven by biological need, it is nice to see a person stripped of ambition, simply trying to survive in this crazy world.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

On display in an Edinburgh book shop, the short novel caught my eye because of its bright yellow and pink cover.

Taking place in a modern Japanese city where, much like in Korea, convenience stores can be found everywhere, quirky 36-year-old Furukura exists only for her parttime job. She understood her misfit status from a young age, so she withdrew from her classmates to observe and learn to copy the mannerisms and speech of the people around her in order to survive. However, this strategy failed to completely lift her outcast status, as her parents and teachers were forever trying to “cure” her. That is, until she stumbled upon a newly opened convenience store hiring part-time workers. In the comforting stability and predictability of the convenience store world, Furukura took solace as a useful member of society – for 18 years.

and conclusions! She and I share a lack of ambition to form any kind of romantic relationship – especially marriage – and have children. Thirdly, and most importantly, it was extremely refreshing to read about a female protagonist who observes the behaviors of others and is beyond caring what society thinks of her.

ARTS & CULTURE

I

t may surprise you to know, readers, that I consider myself to be something of a social outcast. I have spent the majority of my life as a misfit in regards to the reigning social norms and expectations. Moving to Korea, where being a foreign language instructor confers the social outcast status as par for the course, certainly has not improved my situation. But this misfit status is a big part of why I take such delight in books. And I take particular delight when I come across characters with whom I can connect over our shared misfit status. Keiko Furukura, the protagonist of Sayaka Murata’s novel Convenience Store Woman, is one such delightful misfit.

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:33

46

Morning in the Market

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

ARTS & CULTURE

Written and photographed by Sarah Pittman

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A sweet shop owner and her dog posed for a photo.

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47

▲ A cat sunbathing in an alley between to ancient buildings.

T

The Author

Sarah Pittman is an English teacher with a degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton.

She discovered her love for photography while working at Disneyland and has been honing her craft with practice and YouTube videos every since.

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March 2019

◀ A quiet morning at 1913 Songjeong Station Market.

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here’s something about the quietness of a market in the morning that reminds me of walking down Main Street in Disneyland before the park opens for the guests. Everything feels so peaceful before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.

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48

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

▲ A beautiful hand-painted mural decorating one of the many market buildings on the street.

Two cute puppies in a shop that perked up when I took their photo. ▶

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49

▲ The alternative waiting area for the KTX transit. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to get much use since the train station is across the street.

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March 2019

▲ A juxtaposition of old and new. The new apartment buildings that have sprung up over the last year cast shadows over the market.

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:39

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March 2019

ARTS & CULTURE

50 50

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2019-02-26 �� 2:36:42

51

Photo of the Month

By Chris Higgins

T

his is a photo of Daehye Falls (대혜폭포) in February during Lunar New Year.

The falls are located in Geumosan Provincial Park (금오산도립공원), which is a mountain located very close to the city of Gumi. The falls, as well as a cave and a temple, can be reached by a relatively easy hike or by cable car.

The Author

Chris Higgins grew up in a small village in Nova Scotia, Canada. Seeking a change in his life, he ventured to South Korea in 2001 to teach ESL for a year or two; and now, 18 years later, he is still here. Photography has always been an interest of Chris’, and he especially enjoys landscape, nature, and travel photography. He enjoys exploring new areas of South Korea as well as traveling to other countries.

March 2019

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Do you have any photos that you would like to show to Gwangju (and the world)? The Gwangju News features a photo of the month to create more opportunities to promote photographers based in the Jeollanam-do region and to show off our beautiful province from different areas and angles.

Submissions can be emailed to the editor at gwangjunews@gic.or.kr or posted in the “Photography in the South” Facebook group throughout the preceding month.

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:44

52 Gwangju Writes

The Footpath ARTS & CULTURE

Written by Saul Latham

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

I

rise at eleven. Outside it’s snowing. Another day and night on the bike, killing it on the roads, getting hungry children their chicken. Meanwhile, mum’s in pain all day and night back home in Manila. What can I do? Go faster, make more deliveries; it’s hard work, especially after a fortnight’s work with no day off. But every corner, every intersection, every climb of stairs, is a chance to help mum; every udon box, pizza, and piece of trash-talk from my coworkers is a chance to free myself from it all.

Besides, I love this work: the speed, the road, the breeze, and the fleeting meetings with characters of all sorts.

Every minute of every day and night is an opportunity.

Today, she’s working and again makes my regular. Milk spins as she turns the throttle of the steam wand. She’s beautiful. She has long hair and a strong nose. She’s diligent, gracious, and like a good barista, gets that I want the espresso out quickly; it’s not even a ppalli-ppalli thing – it’s just an understanding of the coffee addict. Easy, isn’t it, to become impatient with impatient people without knowing the pressing nature of their nerves, the stress in their memory, and the time they’ve wasted blaming others? Patience is too often worn with conceit. Jong-un is patient. But she understands the jive of the impatient; she’s no Sunday driver on life’s highway.

Life’s a journey, they say; I say life’s a delivery.

Above me, Jong-un’s namesake is on the KBS news stream taking a tour on the Hudson River, posing in front of the Statue of Liberty with his sister Yo-jong, President Trump, and Dennis Rodman. Rodman has his arm over Yo-jong’s shoulder, and Trump looks like he’s had too many cups of coffee. For the whole four minutes, I’m thinking about asking Jong-un for her number. But I’m too shy, and after a chat rushed by coffee and nerves, I overthink my steps out the door.

Before work starts, I hit the cafe across the road at noon.

For weeks, I’ve been nervously visiting this cafe, not for the coffee but to see the girl who works here. Last week, I asked for her name. She reacted with surprise, “Kim Jongun.”

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2019-02-26 �� 2:36:46

53 At work, the boys are straight into the banter, throwing loaded commentary my way and laughing at their own jokes. I do my best impression of an amused person and throw a leg over my scooter, like the outlaw I am.

The ignition turns and the motor kicks; earphones go in – “Take on Me,” one of mum’s favorites. An oldie but a goodie. My pink pussycat helmet goes on. I kink my wrist and am off.

First, I take pizzas to noisy middle schoolers. Then, I pick up a laptop from a grateful grandpa. I get four fried chicken jobs in a row before I take food and drinks to a motel in the business district. I knock over and over on the door, waiting for two minutes, which on my clock seems like two hours. Eventually a young, woozy, halfdressed businessman opens the door. I’m angry and in a hurry and I love it. I get back on the scooter and pull the throttle all the way. Now it’s evening – dark and cold with winter rain.

The speedy breeze distorts in my ears and blows hair behind me. I weave in and out of the traffic, trucks, buses, and pedestrians. I’m a master of this art. I’m a master of my own fate. I’m a go-getter. I’m an ass-kicker, a punk. I fang through an intersection bloodied by red lights and weave around a muddy building site. The bike roars like a dragon down through a pedestrian underpass. My mind’s riding in the future, calculating every obstacle and every turn. The present doesn’t exist. I think about the past, about home, about mum, and about Kim Jong-un by her steam wand.

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I’m lying in bed, lying in my head – trying to stop it all.

In damp clothes and shoes, I’m wrapped in my blanket.

It’s too cold and too silent. I hear three solid knocks on my door.

The Author

Saul, or 둘리 (Dooly), as he likes to be known, is a writer from Tasmania, Australia. After finishing this short story on his phone, he ate a New York-style cheesecake with a delicious caramel cream flavored tea.

March 2019

I’m sent home in a police car from the station. Tomorrow they’ll be back. I want a smoke but I don’t smoke, and I’m too afraid to go into the shop. The usually sour security guard at my apartment waves with a wide smile, like he’s had the best day of his life. I avoid him and the lift, and take the stairs.

Ten-thirty arrives and I go to see her at the cafe, but it’s closed. Inside I can see the furniture thrown in a corner and that the ceiling has been dismantled. Outside, the signage is being broken into pieces and thrown into a dusty skip bin. The place has shut down. I buy a mix dispenser coffee, take a sip, and then throw it against a chemist window. Then I run home.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

I come out onto the road near the hospital and accelerate onto the footpath. Then, my life is changed forever. A woman takes two steps out from the side door of the hospital. All of a sudden, the present is everything. But I have no control over it. The breaks can’t stop my bike from sliding, and I know I’m going to hit her. I hit her. I ride the bump and fall off the scooter, tumbling along for meters before smacking my head against the glass of a busy Starbucks cafe. Inside, people stand up, gasp, and point.

Outside, people are filming the scene. A bad smelling man comes to my aid. I ask to see the lady I’ve run over, but I’m not allowed. People are standing around her with pale faces and looking at me with disgust. It seems like everyone’s wearing black. There’s yelling, beeping, chatter, and rain.

Three hours later, I’m awake at five. I get cigarettes and go to the park across the road. Then I walk laps around the pond. I can’t stop moving. I can’t stop thinking about three things – one dominates my mind. It’s not the accident from last night. It’s not mum. I can’t stop thinking about Kim Jong-un.

2019-02-26 �� 2:36:46

54 Opinion

Behind South Korea’s Vibrant Democracy Today Written and photographed by Praveen Kumar Yadav

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

OPINION

S

outh Korea’s democracy today shares equally great contributions from different parts of the country and people from different walks of life. The country’s pro-democratic spirit is still alive among the people. This is evident from the fact that the people succeeded in impeaching former president Park Geun-hye through the Candlelight Revolution of 2016. As I have stated elsewhere, “The revolution brought out over 16 million people to the streets – almost a third of the country’s population.”[1]

first democratic presidential election on June 29, 1987.

This was indeed a splendid achievement for modern Korea. To reach such an achievement, Korean democracy had undergone major upheavals almost every ten years.

The people’s aspiration for change surged, but dictators had continuously crushed it. This did not only reveal the immorality and cruelty of dictatorial regimes, but also led the people to realize that they should unite against the dictatorship.

This success can be attributed to the relentless efforts of organizations and members of different niches of civil society who have devoted themselves to promoting democratic values.

One such incident was the May 18 Democratic Uprising. For ten days, between May 18 and 27, 1980, citizens of Gwangju and Jeollanam-do fought for democracy and risked their lives against the military regime led by Chun Doo-hwan while making demands to “abolish emergency martial law” and “root out Yushin” (the authoritarian constitution).

More than 166 people died during the Gwangju Uprising.

The number of victims rises to 352 when considering the 110 more who died later of injuries and the 76 who are still unaccounted for. The May 18 Memorial Foundation is working for justice, reconciliation, and the preservation of the memory of the Gwangju popular uprising.

What is behind this lively democratic spirit? I asked this to myself and read several books related to Korean democracy to discern the answer. In my research, I came across many aspects that make Korean democracy what it is today. One of the most remarkable things that I found, based on my reading and work experience with the May 18 Memorial Foundation based in Gwangju, is the vibrancy of civil society. To be more specific, foundations in South Korea play a significant role in maintaining the democratic spirit and serve as the representatives of a healthy civil society.

Last November, I attended a meeting in Seoul for democracy activists and members of five key foundations: the Korea Democracy Foundation (Seoul), the Busan Democratic Movement Memorial Association (Busan), the May 18 Memorial Foundation (Gwangju), the Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation (Jeju), and the No Gun Ri International Peace Foundation (No Gun Ri). The recently established organization BuMa Democracy Memorial Foundation (Busan and Masan) also took part in the conference as an observer and took inspiration from the other foundations’ activities.

The history of South Korea shows that the June Uprising of 1987 ultimately defeated dictatorship, leading to the

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The Gwangju Uprising prompted the pro-democratic forces to extend the fight nationwide and bring justice to those responsible for the massacre. The democratic wave was propelled by the death and torture of Park Jong-cheol, a student activist from Seoul National University. On January 14, 1987, he was tortured to death during a police interrogation. Police claimed Park died suddenly, which enraged citizens and became a trigger for the June Uprising.

Along with the members of the above foundations, I visited the room where Park was tortured by police in 1987. The site has been preserved and maintained by the Korea Democracy Foundation in Seoul.

The enragement during the June Uprising of 1987 was similar to that of the 1960 incident following the discovery of the body of Kim Ju-yeol in Masan. Kim, a high school

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55

The room previously occupied by Park Jong-cheol, a student activist from Seoul National University, in 1987.

student, had disappeared during a riot in Masan. This sparked protests across the country leading to the April 19 Revolution of 1960. In that revolution, more than 180 students and citizens lost their lives. The archives and memories of the movement are maintained by the Busan Democratic Movement Memorial Association.

Likewise, in July 1950 during the Korean War, the U.S. military killed 200–300 people in the village of No Gun Ri, according to an estimate made by the No Gun Ri Peace Foundation in 2011. However, the 2005 government committee certified the names of 163 dead and missing, with 55 others wounded.[2] The foundation operates a memorial park at the massacre site.

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The Author

The author, a human rights researcher from Nepal, works for the Gwangju-based May 18 Memorial Foundation in South Korea.

He maintains his writings and blogs at www. iprav33n.com

March 2019

The works of civil society groups and associations are significant for these historical movements, as they promote and maintain the democratic spirit among the citizenry.

These efforts also educate the younger generations about the hardships and struggles for Korean democracy.

Sources [1] Yadav, P. K. (2018, November 16). To remember, we must learn.

Retrieved from The Kathmandu Post website: http://kathmandupost. ekantipur.com/news/2018-11-16/to-remember-we-must-first-learn. html [2] Wikipedia. (2019, February 16). No Gun Ri massacre. Retrieved from the Wikipedia website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Gun_Ri_ massacre [3] HKdigital2. (2017, March 14). US expert on Korean Peninsula wins Jeju April 3 Peace Prize. Retrieved from The Korea Herald website: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170314000751 [4] Heo, H. (2018, April 2). [Special Feature Series: April 3 Jeju Uprising, Part IV] The silence of the blank white memorial stone. Retrieved from the Hankyoreh website: http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_ edition/e_national/838835.html [5] Heo, H. (2018, March 25). [Special Feature Series: April 3 Jeju Uprising, Part I] April 3 Massacre on the Olle Trail. Retrieved from the Hankyoreh website: http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_ national/837520.html

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Similarly, a series of uprisings and a counterinsurgency occurred between 1948 and 1954 on Jeju Island,[3] known as the April 3 Uprising. According to Heo Ho-joon, the uprising began “while the island was under American military rule, which lasted from 1945-1948, and continued even after the establishment of a civilian government in 1948,”[4] lasting until 1954 when the Korean War ended.

It is estimated that the uprising killed between 25,000 and over 30,000 people, representing 10 percent of Jeju Island’s population at the time.[5] The Jeju 4.3 Foundation is striving for justice and reconciliation for the victims.

Most importantly, such a democratic spirit strengthens democracy in an effective and peaceful manner. Although the aforementioned associations carry out different activities, they have a common goal: to work for the justice and reconciliation of the victims and to maintain a democratic spirit. On top of this, these associations not only share their experiences with each other but also acknowledge and recognize one another’s contributions to Korean society.

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56

Community Board

Have something you want to share with the community?

The Gwangju News Community Board provides a space for the community to announce club activities and special events. Please contact gwangjunews@gic.or.kr for more information.

UNESCO KONA VOLUNTEERS KONA Storybook Center (KSC) is a registered small public library supported by UNESCO KONA Volunteers (UKV). UKV is a registered organization that helps disadvantaged children learn English independently through storybooks and story-maps. We guide families and children to develop a love of reading storybooks in English. We also give guidance to volunteers in using storybooks. We are looking for long-term volunteers who desire to enrich their lives. We are asking volunteers to commit to helping at least once a month.

For more information, please visit http://cafe.daum. net/konavolunteers or our Facebook pages for KONA Storybook Center and UNESCO KONA Volunteers. Also, you can contact Kim Young-im at 062-434-9887 or email konacenter@gmail.com.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

March 2019

VOLUNTEER TEACHERS NEEDED for the Gwangju UCC (Universal Cultural Center). English teachers in the Gwangju area for 2019 with any level of experience are welcome to participate. UCC has a Facebook profile if you would like to see what kind of other services are available. To participate in the international cultural exchange programs, you may email peter.j.gallo@gmail. com or phone or text 010-9490-4258.

GWANGJU FILIPINO ENGLISH TEACHERS (GFET) Every 3rd Tuesday of the month 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., GIC, Room 3 (2nd floor) We are a group of Filipino English teachers in Gwangju who conduct regular lectures and accent training to help fellow English teachers to become better educators.

GWANGJU INTER FC The Gwangju International Soccer Team (Gwangju Inter FC) plays regularly every weekend. If you are interested in playing, email seehand@naver.com, phone or text 0107126-1207, or search “Gwangju Inter FC” on Facebook.

POEMS WANTED! Professor Marcy Tanter teaches American, English, and Korean literature at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. To mark the 40th anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising and to help spread knowledge of the event beyond Korea, she is editing an anthology of poems written by Koreans and translated into English; she is

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working with the GIC on this project. She has found about 20 poems online, but she is seeking more. If you know of any poems that should be included, please contact her. If you are a poet whose work has been translated or if you have poems you would like to have translated, please get in touch. Her email is tanter@tarleton.edu.

SUNDAY YOGA WITH EMILY Every Sunday (unless otherwise stated on the Facebook page) from March 10 From 11 a.m. to 12 noon GIC Hall, 1st floor Facebook: Gwangju Yoga with Emily Appropriate for all levels. Classes are taught in English.

Donation is encouraged.

GWANGJU KNITTING CLUB Every Thursday (unless otherwise stated on the Facebook page) From 7:00 p.m.

Ember Cocktail Bar Dongmyeong-dong 154-230, 2nd floor Facebook: Gwangju Knitting Club Bring your own supplies!

A CALL TO UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS: WE URGE YOU TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT CRIMINAL DAMAGE If you are the victim of a crime and report the damage to the police, you can obtain a waiver of inadmissibility to overcome your unlawful status from the Immigration Office.

Are You the Victim of a Crime?

1. Call 112 / Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency Foreign Affairs Section: 062-609-2176, 6092201 2. Visit a nearby police station (Public Service Center, etc.) in person: You can be accompanied by someone of your choice or can designate a third party to report the incident.

3. Visit our website: www.safe182.go.kr

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Attorney Attorney Park’s Park’s Law Law Firm Firm We're ready to serve your best interests in legal disputes.

We provide affordable consultation & representation.

▶ Areas of Specialty contracts, torts, family law, immigration, labor ▶ Civil & Criminal Attorney Park, Duckhee

former judge, GIC board member Services available in Korean, English & Chinese

Tel: 062) 222-0011

#402 Simsan Bldg, 342-13 Jisan-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju Location: next to Gwangju District Court

Fax: 062)222-0013 duckheepark@hanmail.net

through Kakao Talk Plus Friend “AskGwangju.” Add us now! :)

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Mon. – Sat. Lunch hours

10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

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