Gwangju & South Jeolla International Magazine
COVID-19 Teaches a ProNature Lesson to Humanity Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine I June 2020 #220 COVID-19 Teaches a Pro-Nature Lesson to Humanity
June 2020 #220
Gwangju & South Jeolla International Magazine
June 2020, Issue No. 220 Published: June 1, 2020 Cover Photo
Clear skies above Gwangju’s Mt. Mudeung and Chosun University (Photo by Kim Yunkyoung)
THE EDITORIAL TEAM Publisher Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Production Editor Layout Editor Photographers Communications Proofreaders
Online Editor Research
Dr. Shin Gyonggu Dr. David E. Shaffer William Urbanski Isaiah Winters Melline Galani Kim Yunkyoung, Oh Eun Ah Jeong Jiyeon Timothy Berg, Gilda Wilson, Jonathan Moffett, Ynell Mondragon, Joseph Nunez, Stephen Redeker, Di Foster, David Foster Melline Galani Lee Younny
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 © 2020 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
Special thanks to Gwangju City and all of our sponsors.
As we usher in June, we find ourselves living in a world very different from the one that we were used to, the one that we all inhabited just a few short months ago. We can no longer go to the ballpark to watch a baseball game, or send our children off to school, or safely mingle in crowded places. The coronavirus has changed all that, and indeed, we are not sure if our world will ever be the same again. But what we do know is that if we are vigilant and follow the Korean Centers for Disease Control’s guidelines – social distancing, wearing masks, disinfecting – we can interject a degree of control on our destiny. The past few months may have painted us a bleak picture, but if we take the necessary precautions, we shall see a brighter tomorrow. In all this recent uncertainty, one thing has remained consistent: The monthly issuance of an all-new edition of the Gwangju News, filled with informative as well as interesting content selected with our readers in mind. In fact, that “brighter tomorrow” mentioned above is already appearing. Read our cover feature to see how our recent scaling back in human activities has promoted the health of our planet. Who is this year’s Gwangju Prize for Human Rights awardee? Bedjo Untung – read our feature about his harrowing experiences and his hailed achievements. What does a puppet parade have to do with May 18: Read about the Mother of Puppets, Um Jeong-ae. And where is the most unexpected place to find an amusement park? Read about the salt mines of Romania. This issue of the Gwangju News takes you back to Asia Theater’s “trot wars” (Lost in Gwangju). We provide an itinerary for an autumn trip to Jeju Island (Around Korea). From there, it’s on to the island of Bali and its many temples. What is life like for a Korean working is a Singaporean seniors’ center? Find out in Gwangju Abroad. Did you know that this leap year also has a “leap month”? Find out what this means in our Blast from the Past. Discover how COVID-19 is affecting Australians, and discover how it is effecting expat language school owners and teachers (Language Teaching). Our “how-to” articles include how to stay fit while you stay at home, how to make cubed radish kimchi, how to conveniently order out without Korean, and how to speak airport Korean. And this issue has oh so much more: heritage Koreans from Uzbekistan, drive-by birthdays, poetry, prose, a book review… We hope that this issue of the Gwangju News will contribute to making in your world a brighter tomorrow.
David E. Shaffer Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News
June 2020
For volunteering and article submission inquiries, please contact the editor at gwangjunews@gic.or.kr.
From the Editor
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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 GwangjuNews gwangjunews
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Photo of the Month “Always feels good to see the infinte ocean� Sacheonjin Beach in Gangneung
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June 2020
ARTS & CULTURE
The Photographer
Yunkyoung (Hillel) Kim is a priest in the Anglican Church and also a portrait photographer. More of his pictures can be
found at www.instagram.com/hillelkim.
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CONTENTS June 2020
Issue # 220
MONTHLY NEWS 04. Gwangju City News 56. Community Board
COMMUNITY 48. Expat Living: Proud of Being Korean
BLAST FROM THE PAST 08. Leap Month in a Leap Year
FOOD & DRINKS 35. Recipe: Kkakdugi – Cubed Radish Kimchi 42. Service Review: Convenient Food Ordering with Help Me Emo!
FEATURES 12. COVID-19 Teaches a Pro-Nature Lesson to Humanity 14. Bedjo Untung – 2020 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Awardee 18. Underground Romania – Salt Mines 21. The Mother of Puppets – Ms. Um Jeong-ae TRAVEL 07. Around Gwangju: Wisteria Blossoms 24. Lost in Gwangju: The Asia Theater, Once a Battleground in the “Trot War,” Is No More 28. COVID-19 – An Australian Perspective 30. Bali: Island of a Thousand Temples 32.Around Korea: Awesome Autumn in Jeju GWANGJU ABROAD 36. Life as a Foreign Intern in Singapore SPORTS 43. How to Stay Fit at Home
EDUCATION 27. Everyday Korean: Episode 30 – 공향 (Airport) 45. Language Teaching: Private Academies Coping with COVID-19 OPINION 50. Drive-by Birthdays: Now I’ve Heard It All ARTS & CULTURE 02. Photo of the Month 11. Crossword Puzzle 38. Photo Essay: Flowers and Fragrance 52. Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 53. Gwangju Writes – Poetry: Where Have All the Tulips Gone? 54. Gwangju Writes – Prose: There and Here
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June 2020
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Gwangju City News
MONTHLY NEWS
Reprinted with permission from Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall Photographs courtesy of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall
Gwangju City Pays Respects to the May 18 Fallen
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June 2020
O
n May 11, about 80 city officials, city councilors, and heads of affiliated organizations, including Mayor Lee Yong Sup participated in cemetery visits. “In the wake of the designation of May 18 as a local holiday, we will enhance the will and spirit of the souls of all the fallen heroes who died protecting democracy in their hometown.” The Gwangju Metropolitan City delegation visited the May 18 National Cemetery and the original 5.18 Cemetery in Mangwol-dong ahead of the anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement. More than 80 people participated in the joint visit with Mayor Lee Yong Sup, including Gwangju City Council Chairman Kim Dong-chan, city officials, city council members, heads of construction companies, industrial complexes, investment and funding organizations, the chairman of the May 18 Memorial Foundation, and other May 18 organizations (bereaved families, the wounded, and those formerly imprisoned). The memorial service was conducted at the May 18th National Cemetery in front of the Memorial Monument
with flowers and incense burning, salutes, and a silent tribute. Then, the delegation visited the second cemetery to pay tribute to the May 18 patriots and democratic martyrs buried there. In particular on that day, to comfort the souls of the deceased, chrysanthemum flowers were placed on all the graves at the May 18 National Cemetery and 5.18 Cemetery in Mangwol-dong. Mayor Lee Yong Sup stated, “When May arrives in Gwangju, the pain of countless citizens holding their tears in their hearts grows,” adding, “I hope that all Gwangju citizens will stop their daily routines for a day on May 18, which was designated as a local public holiday, and remember the pain and the sacrifice of our city’s martyrs.” “Today, the full committee of the May 18 Democratic Movement Fact-Finding Committee gathers as well as the former Jeonil Building 245, which will be reopened after four years and four months,” the mayor added. “We will do our best to make this 40th anniversary a gathering of the citizens’ will and determination to find out the truth about May 18 and then nationalizing and globalizing it.”
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T
he first May 18 special exhibition was held in Seoul under the title “When That Day in May Returns.” The opening ceremony was held on May 12 with displays of materials from 1980, including the World Heritage May 18 archival record. On May 19, a special exhibition was opened on Jeju Island under the theme “May 18th Nationalization and Globalization Movement.” At the opening, Mayor Lee Yong Sup said, “It is an important opportunity to take a step closer to the truth of May 18.”
The special exhibition was co-hosted by state agencies including the National Archives and the Korean Museum of History, and regional organizations such as the 5.18 Archives, the May 18 Memorial Foundation, and the 5.18 Research Institute of Chonnam National University.
June 2020
On May 12 at the Seoul Museum of History, a ceremony for the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement was held under the title of “When That Day in May Returns,” which was attended by Gwangju’s
Mayor Lee Yong Sup, Director of the National Archives Lee So-yeon, Director of the Korean History Museum Joo Jin-oh, Seoul Superintendent of Education Jo Heeyeon, Superintendent of Gwangju City Jang Hui-guk, Chairman of the Center for Korean Studies Ahn Byeongwook, and President of the National Institute of Korean Studies Byung-wook Ahn.
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Another special exhibition which was held for the first time by state agencies to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement opened in Seoul. This exhibition is of an event that spans the entire country from Gwanghwa-mun to Jeju, while Gwangju Metropolitan City is promoting the nationalization and globalization of the May 18 Movement in celebration of its 40th anniversary, aiming to be a great help in identifying the truth behind the incident in May of 1980.
MONTHLY NEWS
Remembrances of May 18 Bring Tears to Citizenry from Seoul to Jeju
6 by citizens, and various physical materials that had been exhibited only at the 5.18 Archives, were displayed for the first time in Seoul. The materials are being displayed in the exhibition halls, corridors, and yards on the 1st and 3rd floors of the Korean History Museum; admission is free. The special exhibition in Jeju marking the 40th anniversary of May 18 was opened on April 19 at the Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation, and a special opening ceremony was held at the May 18 Archives on the 27th.
MONTHLY NEWS
The special exhibitions are meant to serve as an opportunity to accurately disclose the truth of the May 18 Democratic Movement, as 40 years have passed since then, but still many people do not know the truth or accept distorted information.
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June 2020
Mayor Lee speaks at the opening of the Special Exhibition Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of May 18.
The exhibition included records of the May 18 Democratization Movement, which became a listing in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme in 2011, as well as materials displayed in the permanent exhibition room of the May 18 Archives and other originals that have been collected over time. The exhibition was divided into four areas: • Government records kept by the National Archives. • Situation logs, passbooks, military uniforms, and boots of martial law troops, and crowd-control batons supplied by the Ministry of National Defense and Gwangju Dong-gu Office. • Japanese printmaker Taiko Tomiyama’s May 18 work produced in 1980. • Documents and materials made by citizens at the time. Documents (diaries, report books, statements, etc.) that are UNESCO World Heritage list items produced
Joo Jin-oh, Director of the Korean History Museum, said, “May 18 is part of the history of Gwangju and the history of the Republic of Korea, and its spirit must be acknowledged around the world. Through this Seoul exhibition, I
hope that the tears of the citizens of Gwangju at the time could be shared so that the history of Gwangju can be properly recognized.” Mayor Lee Yong Sup said, “May 18 is not just part of the history of Gwangju but a proud history that people all over the world should inherit and develop together. It is a milestone in democracy, human rights, and peace.” He emphasized, “This special exhibition is co-hosted by the National Archives of Korea and the Korean History Museum and is an important opportunity for the nationalization and globalization of May 18.” “History has potency when it is remembered and recorded correctly,” he continued. “I hope it will serve as an opportunity for Seoul citizens to take a step closer to the truth of May 18 through the records of those who experienced, witnessed, and tried to tell the truth of May forty years ago, and the records of martial law forces and the government that suppressed them.”
Around Gwangju 7
Wisteria Blossoms Where to Find Them in Gwangju Written and photographed by Viktoryia Shylkouskaya
F
lowers bloom in Korea from March to October. While the most popular of the spring flowers are the pink and white cherry blossoms that can be seen lining boulevards throughout the city and in parks, they are not the only spring blossoms to be on the lookout for. Gwangju has plenty of other non-mainstream places to find the little buds that burst forth, welcoming the warmer breezes and sunshine.
Wisteria is not native to South Korea and came from China and Japan. Good news – you do not have to go to Japan to see it. The stunning wisteria blossoms can be found here in Gwangju at Gwangju Jungang Elementary School (광주 중앙초등학교), which is located downtown. This is one of my favorite hidden spots in Gwangju for finding flowers!
TRAVEL TRAVEL
Wisteria (등나무) Wisteria is a long-lived vining plant with cascades of bluish-purple flowers that look spectacular hanging from a pergola or archway in spring and early summer. Historically, wisteria symbolizes long-life and immortality. Wisteria can live up to 100 years or even longer. Amazingly, there is a 200-year-old wisteria tree in Japan today! Wisteria is notable not only for its attractive and fragrant flowers but also for its vigorous growth. The vine may grow three meters or more in one year and can climb trees and shrubs as high as 20 meters above the ground.
When visiting the spot, you will be almost overwhelmed by the fresh scent. Wisteria’s fragrance is floral and much like that of lilac, but a little sweeter with a touch of creamy honey vanilla and a wispy note of jasmine in the background. There is also an additional something in the fragrance that might be equated to cinnamon. It is certainly a scent that keeps you coming back for more to try to grasp it. The calm surroundings found behind the school is the perfect place to enjoy the purple blossoms. You will definitely be stunned by the beauty of the numerous wisteria flower clusters lying on top of one another that you can see there. Make the most of spring in Gwangju; get out to see the dazzling display that Mother Nature provides. She certainly does not disappoint in Korea.
광주 동구 제봉로 167, 광주중앙초등학교
The Author
June 2020
Viktoryia Shylkouskaya is a 25-year-old Belarusian currently residing in Gwangju. She moved to South Korea in 2016 without any knowledge of the country or language. What she thought would only be one year has since turned into many more. She can be found on Instagram: @shylk.vick.
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When they bloom: Wisteria usually blooms towards the end of April and into May, depending on weather conditions. This year, they were in full bloom starting April 24. Where they bloom: Gwangju Jungang Elementary School, 6-2 Gung-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju
8 LBlast from the Past
blast from the past
Leap Month in a Leap Year
If you take a look at your 2020 made-in-Korea calendar, you will see that this year is a leap year. And if you look closely, you will likely also discover that most of the month of June falls within a “leap month” this year – a 29-day additional 4th lunar month falling between May 23 and June 20. Accordingly, this month’s “Blast from the Past” article features much of an article originally appearing in the October 2006 issue of the Gwangju News, “The Way Koreans Are Obsessed with a Leap Month,” written by Prof. Shin Sang-soon (1922–2011) and now amply supplemented with additional material. — Ed.
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June 2020
T
he solar calendar has a leap year; every fourth year, February has 29 days, as it does this year, instead of its standard 28. It is usually the custom for a man to ask a woman to marry him, but in a leap year, and especially on February 29, it is the custom that a woman can ask a man to marry her, according to Irish and British tradition. In the Western world, babies born on February 29 have been considered to be creative, having a “sixth sense”; being born on a leap day was considered lucky. This suggests that the solar leap year, especially February 29, is looked forward to by many a woman. In this sense, the leap year in Western culture can be regarded as an auspicious time. Korea has used the lunar calendar for a long, long time. It was only from the time of the 1894 Gabo Reforms that Korea started using the solar calendar. The lunar calendar “year” was one of twelve cyclically recurring terms indicated by two Chinese characters that were a combination of the 10 heavenly stems and the 12 earthly branches, which combined linearly into 60 combinations [see Gwangju News, January 2020, pp. 8–10 for details].
So, the same combination of year names, for example, gapja (갑자), recurs every 60 years. This is why the allimportant 60th birthday is called hwangap (환갑, “the return of the beginning”). In a long history like that of Korea’s, indication of the year by one of only sixty terms makes for much confusion. So, in recording historical events, the reigning king’s name was attached to the cyclical year name (e.g., Sejong-gapja, 세종갑자, “the year gapja during the reign of King Sejong”). As an aside, Japan also started using the solar calendar from the time of the 1868 Meiji Restoration. Obsession with a Leap Month Rather than having an extra day every so many years, the Korean lunar calendar (which is actually a lunisolar calendar) has an extra month added every so many years. The lunar leap month (yuntal, 윤달) has a special meaning for Koreans. Even though it has now been over a century since Korea adopted the solar calendar, the lunar calendar still occupies an important position in Korean life, especially in agriculture and fishery. The 24 seasonal divisions (jeolgi, 절기) of the lunar calendar are thought
9 of as the proper times for ploughing, seeding, drawing water into rice paddies, weeding, harvesting, and so forth on land and for closely watching the rise and fall of the tide at sea, all necessary for good harvests.
Korea’s ancestors believed that the heavenly and earthly gods controlled a myriad of phenomena occurring on the earth for the entire twelve months of the lunar-calendar year. As the leap month was not considered to be an ordinary month, it was believed that many normally restricted activities could escape the wrath of the gods when done in a leap month. In this way, people felt released from the ordinary prohibitions of their farming and fishing communities. As there was thought to be an absence of impurity and misfortune from a leap month, this was deemed to be a good time to carry out activities such as house repair, moving, marriage, childbirth, gravesite moving and maintenance, and the making of funeral clothes. The following account is from the Dongguk-sesigi (동국 세시기, Record of Seasonal Customs of the Eastern Country), written by the Confucian scholar Ha Seokmo around 1850 and depicting traditional customs and folklore.
Be that as it may, there is one remedy for the fears that still surround the lunar leap month in regards to childbirth and marriage. That is doing away with the lunar calendar and its superstitions, and sticking to the solar calendar! But remember, the old ways die hard! Leap Month Taboos Old ways do indeed die hard, especially in fishing communities. Though many prohibitions during regular months were acceptable during a leap month, there remained some taboos that were not. With time, the following have disappeared from the folklore of much of the peninsula, but remained best preserved on Jeju Island. • Sifting grain towards the door of the porch will ruin the household.
June 2020
The Tang Saju (당사주, Divination of Tang China), a book adopted from China, contained no mention of a leap month, but somehow the passage stating that “the good is apt to be accompanied by the evil and the evil by the
An expectant mother tries to avoid delivery during a leap month for fear that the child will seldom be able to celebrate their birthday anniversary – because “only god knows” when the same leap month will come round. So, expectant mothers may undergo Caesarian operations before a leap month. Couples also shun away from a leap month marriage date for fear of few wedding anniversaries to observe. On the other hand, things like house moving, reburial of ancestral graves, and the making of garments for the dead (su-ui, 수의) were recommended. The making the death garments while the parents were still alive was to be done during the leap month because death garments are also interpreted as “longevity clothes” (from the Chinese characters for the word) guaranteeing the parents’ long life when made during a leap month.
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“According to custom, it is good to marry and make funeral clothing during a leap month. Nothing is prohibited. Every leap month, women from the capital city of Seoul come to pray and leave money on the stone pagoda at Bong-eun Temple near Gwangju [now part of Seoul’s Gangnam District], a practice that continues until the end of the month. As it is said that by doing this, one can enter Paradise, the elderly from everywhere rush to the temple. Other temples in Seoul and the provinces have the same custom.”
good” crept into Korean leap-month thought and now Koreans generally avoid marriage and childbirth during a lunar leap month. Because of this unfounded idea, there occur many tragi-comedies in present day Korea, such as avoidance of child delivery or marriage during a leap month.
blast from the past
The lunar leap month, or intercalary month, occurs 3 times in 8 years and 7 times in 19 years to keep the lunar calendar in rough agreement with the seasons, coordinating the seasonal difference between the solar and lunar calendars that arises from the earth’s revolution around the sun (365.24 days) and the moon’s rotation (29.53 days from one new moon to the next). The fraction of 0.24 of a day adds up to make almost a full day in four years, hence, one extra day in February, and the fraction of 0.53 of a day in the lunar rotation results in the alternating occurrence of 29-day and 30day lunar months, which are still indicated on many Korean calendars.
10 The guardian deity Munjeon-sin resided in front of the door of the house. Therefore, sifting grain in that direction was considered as being the same as driving the deity from the house.
• Raising a fence in the back of a house in which one has been living for a long time will result in a loss. The fence-building taboo did not apply to a newly built house, but if a long-standing house were to have a fence built in the back, it was thought that the wealth and prosperity of the family would be lost.
blast from the past
• The gate of the house should not face in an arbitrary
direction. The direction of the gate of a house was to be chosen with great care. If the direction of the entrance was not chosen in accordance with the year, month, day, and time of birth of the house owner, the gate god would not protect the owner from disease or bring prosperity to the household.
• Filling in a well would turn a person mute.
The water spirit, Yonggung, was thought to dwell in wells. If a still-functioning well were to be filled in, it was believed that this would anger the spirit so much that the one who filled in the well would become mute.
• Fires should not be made with fruit tree kindling.
Kindling fires with wood gathered from fruit trees was thought to cause the fruit trees in the vicinity to no longer bear fruit – and for misfortune to befall the government!
• Receiving scissors without paying for them brings
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June 2020
misfortune. The scissors’ function of “cutting things in two” was construed as bringing misfortune. Acquiring brooms without payment in some form, likewise, was though to bring misfortune to the household because brooms “sweep things away.”
• A newly built bridge should not be first crossed by a
young person. It was believed that if a young person was the first to cross a newly constructed bridge, the water spirit would cast a curse on the child, causing death within three years.
• Sewing should not be done when the village is in
mourning. Sewing was equated with making one’s own funeral garb. It was believed that the spirit of the house would report the misconduct to Yeomna-daewang, the king and judge of death and the dead, causing harm to befall the offender. It is easy to cast off leap month-related beliefs in Korea as a thing of the past; however, in doing so, how would one explain that in recent years Korea’s cremation facilities
▲ This year has a leap month that began on May 23.
are fully booked during a leap month, with many of the bookings being for the cremation of buried corpses? And in addition, in order to lure customers during a leap month, wedding facilities offering up to 50 percent discounts can still be found. Yes, old ways certainly do die hard.
Original article by Shin Sang-soon. Supplemented by David Shaffer.
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CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Look for the answers to this crossword puzzle to appear in July in Gwangju News Online (www.gwangjunewsgic.com)
Created by Jon Dunbar
DOWN 1 Plead 2 ___ Jima 3 Pleased exclamation 4 Restaurant ___ Cook 5 Opposite of us 6 Opposite of under, to a poet 7 Goes with belly or chop 9 Bullfighter’s call 10 M-W alternative 11 Docs 19 Government-owned bank 21 Arrival time 22 Wash thoroughly
ARTS & CULTURE
8 “___ the Greek”
23 Cheesy chili con ___ 24 Southeastern industrial city 26 Ancient confederacy replaced by Baekje 27 Objects
ACROSS
36 “Neither a borrower ___ a lender be”
5 Big Bang member
38 Washington location
8 Popular e-learning app
39 Jeolla region
12 Seoul’s “womans” university
41 French friend
13 Queen Hwang-ok or author Gyun
42 Kia pickup truck model
14 LCD alternative
44 Belarus capital
15 Hired muscle
46 Flying saucer
16 Make a mistake
48 GIC intern So-young
17 2002 slogan “Be the ___!”
49 “Worst episode ___”
18 Dae-jung or Kardashian
52 Weepy punk subgenre
20 ___ Hana Bank
54 Bathroom floor material
22 Similar to a firecracker
58 Metropolis
25 India’s ___ Nadu
59 Opposite of pro
29 ___-de-sac
60 Diabolical
30 East Asian nation
61 Less than twice
34 ___ glance (2 words)
62 Use a shovel
35 “In media ___”
63 Folk tale writer
31 Yoko ___ 32 Howard or Perlman 33 Historic period 39 Korean bar 40 Combat sport 43 Ironman Race county 45 Gwangju ___ FC 47 Korea joined this in 1996 48 63 across’ character Gil-dong 49 Goes with friendly or warrior 50 Actor Diesel 51 And so on 53 Chinese fashion label Comme ___ 55 Goes with poison or league 56 Asian-American actress Lucy 57 Deer cousin
June 2020
37 “For ___ a jolly good fellow”
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1 Uprising priest Cho
28 Type of laser eye surgery
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COVID-19 Teaches a Pro-Nature Lesson to Humanity Written by Cami Ismanova
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June 2020
FEATURE
T
he novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, has created an ongoing pandemic that has been affecting almost all of us in a variety of ways. It has been reported in 187 countries and territories around the world, leaving hundreds of thousands people unemployed and stuck in quarantines for an uncertain period of time. While some countries are handling it well, others have not been so lucky. At the beginning of April 2020, approximately 3.9 billion people worldwide were under some kind of lockdown amid concerns of COVID19’s spread. One does not have to be an economist to imagine what kind of economic recessions countries will face based on the recent figures. Although economies are partially shut down, consequently limiting industrial manufacturing, production, and touristic transportation, some environmentally positive news has been circulating on the internet and in the media. Among them are a drop in carbon dioxide emissions due to limited transportation use, the clearing of canal waters in Venice, the Himalayan peaks in India becoming visible, the healing of the ozone layer, and more. It seems like nature is recovering and even thriving, whereas humanity is forced to remain indoors. It is hard to see a silver lining in situations like the current pandemic, but the fact that nature is regenerating itself is indeed a silver lining. The turquoise waters of Venice, replenished with colorful marine life in a currently tourist-free city, and the majestic Himalayan peaks are sights worth seeing, without a doubt! But for how long will they remain in this condition? The day will come when the world will resume its usual busy life and the never-ending race to increase GDP by producing more and more. In the era of slogans
▲ Crystal-blue waters in Venice. (twitter.com/barnyz)
▲ Chinese air quality before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. (NASA Satellite)
like “the consumer is always right” and liberal economic concepts such as “the more a country produces, the richer it is,” there is a high probability that we will quickly go back to the way we were. And the way we were was not a sustainable normal. If it were, we would not face ozone-layer depletion, widespread pollution, freshwater withdrawals, land conversion, increasing magnitudes of natural disasters, and rapidly disappearing species in flora and fauna. Moreover, human activities like deforestation, the booming meat business, and animal hunting increase the risk that viruses originating in the animal population might jump from animals to humans as a result of closer contacts in the future. Therefore, I would like to share with you a couple of notable policies implemented by different countries in order to prevent the looming climate crisis. One of them is in the process of partial implementation, while the other is in the stage of active realization. The first agenda is called “Sustainable Amsterdam,” supervised by the administration of Amsterdam. “Sustainable Amsterdam” is a good example of relevant responses to climate issues
▲ The Himalayan Peaks are now visible due to the lockdown amid COVID-19 in India. (wikipedia.org)
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▲ The launch of Car2Go in Dam Square, Amsterdam. (Alphons Nieuwenhuis)
that have been stressed by scientists over and over. Briefly, it is a grandiose plan to make Amsterdam electric, and by that I mean to shift all types of vehicles from diesel-based to electric engines by offering companies low-interestrate loans. Recently, the administration of Amsterdam has announced that it is preparing to transition from a classical liberal economy to a “doughnut economy,” which is a more eco-centered type of economy.
a set of new innovative solutions was presented to the public in 2019. South Korea will rely on its advanced technological potential to address expected increases in plastic waste production. According to the statistics provided by Kim Young-yul, the representative director of BASF Company Ltd. (a participant in the workshop), by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean. As one of the possible solutions, he mentions the “circular economy.” In contrast to a “linear economy,” which mainly focuses on “take-make-waste,” a “circular economy” offers to use and then reuse, and maybe reuse again if possible.
The second major initiative is an ongoing “10 Billion Trees Initiative” by the Pakistani government. This green agenda was initially started to deal with frequent floods, prevent deforestation in the long term, and contribute to balancing out the climate of the world. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Pakistan has been under lockdown. To help out its unemployed laborers in this time of crisis, Pakistan partially reactivated the “10 Billion Trees Initiative” and hired thousands of workers to carry on with the agenda while wearing masks and following rules of social distancing. It is evident that the government is planting the trees mostly in rural, low-income areas so these people will benefit from the project the most. It is impressive how the government of Pakistan is managing to keep its people safe and employed, while contributing to the recovery of our planet.
A South American proverb says, “We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrowed it from our children.” And unless you are Elon Musk planning to take off to Mars or somewhere farther in the near future, you should always keep in mind that you are part of a global society that is responsible for taking a stand and leading humanity towards a greener future.
The Author
Cami Ismanova is a student at Chonnam National University majoring in economics. She enjoys listening to jazz, reading popular science, writing, and traveling around (when it is safe...). Cami wishes everyone to stay healthy. Instagram: @camidisman.
June 2020
Building an economically developed city without compromising its environment is a key goal of the center. At the latest ICEC “Plastic Waste Management” workshop,
As Harvard scientist Avi Loeb concluded in his interview with the BBC, “The human species will likely destroy itself long before the sun kills everyone on earth.” The ongoing pandemic is like a splash of icy water on the face of humankind. But if we could continue to see a significant drop in the percentage of greenhouse gas emissions in countries that most significantly pollute, like China, India, the USA, and others, improvements in air and water quality like the world has seen over just the last few months are some of the benefits humanity can expect to reap. There is hope, but there are no excuses left. It is no longer “us” versus “them.” COVID-19 evidently does not have any borders, and neither does climate change. www.gwangjunewsgic.com
The last, but not least, green initiative is the International Climate and Environment Center (ICEC) funded by our very own Gwangju Metropolitan City government. The organization plans to change Gwangju into a “lowcarbon green city” via regular policy research and the “green education” of its citizens. The center consists of a triumvirate of Management and Cooperation, Policy and Research, and Education Project teams. All three teams work hard to collect data, identify environmental issues, and respond accordingly. The ICEC leads field activities such as the adaptation of cities to climate change; research on energy, air, and climate quality; and cooperating with citizens to create a balanced, environmentally friendly green city.
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▲ The “10 Billion Trees Initiative” by the Pakistani Government. (Junaid Ali)
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Bedjo Untung
2020 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Awardee
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
Bedjo Untung testifying before the International People’s Tribunal at The Hague.
The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights is an award given by the May 18 Memorial Foundation to an individual, group, or institution – domestic or international – for their work in furthering human rights, democracy, and peace. The award has been given annually since 2000 to commemorate the Gwangju Democratization Movement of May 1980. It has been announced that this year’s award goes to Bedjo Untung of Indonesia. While planning his May 18 visit to Gwangju to receive the award, the Gwangju News was fortunate to have the opportunity to do this interview with Mr. Bedjo. (Due to the pandemic, Mr. Bedjo’s visit to Gwangju has been set back to October, the occasion of the World Human Rights Cities Forum.) — Ed. Gwangju News (GN): Congratulations, Mr. Bedjo, on being the 2020 recipient of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. Though I am sure this is not your first accolade, how does receiving this prize for human rights make you feel? Mr. Bedjo Untung: Of course, I am happy to receive the 2020 Gwangju 5.18 Award for Democracy and Human Rights. In fact, I do not feel worthy of this award because the research, truth-telling, and recording of victims killed and detained, and their mass graves, are the work of victims and volunteers. Without the support of the
victims, this great work would not have been successful. So, this award is an award for all victims of human rights violations, especially the victims of 1965–1966. Therefore, this award is dedicated to the victims and volunteers of the YPKP 65 [1965 Murder Victims Research Foundation] who have worked hard to search for and record mass graves throughout Indonesia. For me, this award is a form of recognition from the international community, especially the people of Gwangju, for the YPKP 65’s efforts to obtain justice
15 for victims of the Indonesian tragedy of 1965. It is my hope that this award from the Gwangju 5.18 Memorial Foundation will inspire and motivate nations throughout the world, especially in Asia, Korea, and Indonesia.
At the time, my father was also arrested, detained, and finally exiled to Buru Island for 14 years for supporting President Sukarno. My uncle was killed and buried in an unknown place. Suharto’s military regime, in an effort to overthrow President Sukarno and strengthen Suharto’s military rule, carried out acts of destruction to root out all forces that supported President Sukarno and members of the Indonesian Communist Party. According to Suharto’s right-hand man, 500,000–3,000,000 people were killed in the 1965–1966 genocide. It was the most brutal massacre in the 20th century, following World War II.
Based on the historical background of the 1965–1966 tragedy, which is still dark and full of mystery, the YPKP 65 was born to expose the lies made by Suharto’s fascist dictatorial regime so that the dark, painful, crimes against humanity that killed millions of innocent people would be clearly revealed. Let the younger generation, the next generation, learn the true history so as not to repeat the same crimes in the future. GN: What do you consider to be the greatest accomplishments of the YPKP 65? Bedjo Untung: I cannot say this is a major achievement of the YPKP 65 because the achievement desired by the victims is the restoration of the good names of victims and the immediate legal proceedings against human rights criminals. However, since the fall of the Suharto dictatorial regime, there has been some important progress: (a) the 1999 law concerning human rights and the 2000 law concerning the ad hoc human rights court, which requires the state to provide protection and respect for victims of human rights violations and justice for victims; (b) also, the 2006 law and its revision in 2014 concerning protection of witnesses and victims in which victims of gross human rights violations are entitled to protection and to medical and psychosocial
June 2020
GN: You are one of the founders of the 1965 Murder Victims Research Foundation (or YPKP 65). Please tell us what the mission of this foundation is and about the 1965–1966 events in Indonesian history that have led to the creation of the foundation.
The military used the fabricated story of the killing of generals as a pretext for mass murders. It is not surprising that Bertrand Russell, a liberal figure from England, in 1966 said that “in four months, five times as many people died in Indonesia as in Vietnam in twelve years.”
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I was tortured, forced to be naked, and then received electrical shocks to force a confession from me for things that I did not do. I was put in a narrow cell. Every night many prisoners were tortured until they were covered in blood, and they were not given proper food. I suffered from malnutrition due to lack of food and could not walk. I was moved to a larger prison, Salemba Prison in Jakarta, and later, I was moved to a forced labor camp in Tangerang, 26 kilometers from Jakarta. We were forced to work from 5 a.m. until sunset. Due to lack of food, we prisoners had to find our own food by consuming any animals found in the forced labor area, including lizards, snakes, mice, snails, crickets, insects, caterpillars, and leaves that grew in the camp. I was detained for nine years from 1970 until my release in 1979.
In the early hours of the morning of October 1, 1965, the abduction and arrest of six high-ranking officers took place by President Sukarno’s elite guard with the intention of protecting President Sukarno from the threat of a coup by the Council of Generals. Military authorities then spread hate propaganda and false news claiming that the arrested generals were killed in the early hours of October 1 by the PKI and their bodies mutilated by members of a women’s organization that fought for the emancipation of women. This ignited the emotions of the masses to carry out retaliatory killings of those accused of being communists.
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GN: You were jailed for the entire decade of the 1970s in Indonesia. Can you tell us what lead to this imprisonment and what conditions you had to deal with during that time? Bedjo Untung: When the 1965 tragedy occurred, I was 17 years old and a third-year student in the High Teacher Education School. At the time, I was arrested for being a member of the IPPI (Indonesian Student Youth Association), an independent student organization, not affiliated with any political party, focusing its activities on arts, culture, sports, and joint learning. But the Suharto regime considered it as an affiliated leftist organization of the Indonesian Communist Party (IPPI). The IPPI was indeed a student organization that supported President Sukarno’s government policies to build a just and prosperous Indonesia, create social welfare for all people, and respect human rights and democratic values as well.
Bedjo Untung: The YPKP 65’s vision and mission is to reveal the truth, uphold justice, strengthen human rights and democracy, and fight for justice for victims of human rights violations, especially victims of the 1965 tragedy. The humanitarian tragedy of 1965–1966 began with a planned coup by a group of right-wing army generals against President Sukarno to coincide with the celebration of Indonesia’s Armed Forces Day on October 5, 1965. The threat of a coup by the Council of Generals was met with opposition from a group of progressiveminded officers who formed the Revolutionary Council.
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▲ Bedjo Untung in a rally urging the punishment of Suharto for the 1965 genocide.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
services from the state; and (c) a very special achievement of the struggle by the victims, the YPKP 65 activists, and civil society in Indonesia has been the announcement of the findings of the investigation team on the 1965–1966 tragedy that the violence was a crime against humanity and recommended that the attorney general of Indonesia immediately conduct an investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice. GN: I have heard that you traveled to The Hague in 2015 to testify at the International People’s Tribunal. Would you tell us what testimony you made and what the outcome of that tribunal has been? Bedjo Untung: In front of the panel of judges of the International People’s Tribunal at The Hague, who heard the case of the Indonesian government’s alleged involvement in the crimes of the 1965–1966 tragedy, I testified based on what I had experienced as a student who was detained, tortured, and forced into hard labor in a prison camp for nine years without legal proceedings. I also reported on the YPKP 65’s discovery of 116 mass grave locations as well as places of detention and torture carried out by the military. That was in 2015; the locations
of 356 mass graves have now been discovered. I also reported of the excavation of one of the mass graves and the collection of victims’ testimonies. An important result of the tribunal was proof of involvement of the military chain of command in the 1965–1966 tragedy. The tribunal finally recommended that the government of the Republic of Indonesia should express its apologies to the victims of the human rights violations and immediately hold a human rights court to bring the human rights criminals to justice to avoid recurrence of the same type of crimes in the future. GN: How has the human rights situation in Indonesia changed since the three decades of authoritarian rule by Suharto (1967–1998)? What do you foresee for the future of human rights in Indonesia? Bedjo Untung: The fall of the Suharto dictatorship was greeted with euphoria by the people, as it was thought to have ended the repressive Suharto era. New legislation in favor of civil society began to be formed. An important advance when Abdurrahman (Gus Dur) became president was the freedom to embrace religion and faith. Gus Dur even apologized to the victims of the 1965 human rights
17 tragedy. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act of 2004 was also established. However, after the replacement of President Abdurrahman by Megawati, Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and Joko Widodo, human rights enforcement became almost stagnant. The keywords are “political will” and “the ability to execute it.” The legal umbrella, the law, already exists; it is only courage that is required. The investigation of human rights crimes by the National Human Rights Commission is to be carried out by the attorney general. Human rights activists, researchers, and historians have provided sufficient evidence and facts about the existence of crimes against humanity committed by the state.
The difference is that, in Korea after the 5.18 Gwangju Movement, national leadership emerged that upheld the values of human rights and democracy, and continued to promote never again returning to authoritarian rule. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, none of the human rights criminals have appeared in court; even now many generals involved at the time of Suharto’s dictatorship are still holding strategic positions in the palace circle. In Indonesia, none of the human rights violations of the 1965–1966 genocide have been legally resolved. GN: Is there anything else you would like to say to the citizens of Gwangju and the people of South Korea? Bedjo Untung: At this opportunity, on behalf of the 1965 victims, volunteers, and the YPKP 65 Foundation, I would like to express my gratitude for the solidarity and support of the people of Gwangju and South Korea so that we can continue our research and truth-telling as well as continue the struggle for justice for human rights victims, to whom I dedicate this award.
GN: The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights was formed to commemorate the May 18 Gwangju Uprising, a pro-democracy struggle in our city. Can you draw any parallels or striking differences between this struggle and those that you have been involved in? Bedjo Untung: South Korea and Indonesia have a similar historical background. South Korea had the dictatorships of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan, while Indonesia had General Suharto, who ruled authoritatively for three decades. I can say that the Korean people, especially the residents of Gwangju, who have fought bravely and sacrificed their lives against the dictatorial regime of Chun Doo-hwan, are also our best friends. We together have the same passion and spirit to fight against dictatorial
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The younger generation has begun to open its eyes to the true history that has been covered up by the dictatorship of Suharto. Even though we are aware of how difficult it may be to uphold human rights and democracy in the future, we remain optimistic because the legal instruments for law enforcement are in place. There is still a glimmer of hope that the condition of human rights will be better in the future.
regimes and build a nation that respects human rights and democracy.
Interviewed by David Shaffer. Photographs courtesy of Bedjo Untung.
Memorial at the mass graves in Widuri, Central Java, for victims of the 1965–1966 genocide.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
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Underground Romania Salt Mines
FEATURE
Written by Melline Galani
Praid: Underground Church. (Photo by Dukat Laszlo)
W
ars were fought over it, borders of empires were pushed toward it, world maps were drawn according to it, and the Romans also came for it… salt.
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June 2020
The largest deposit that Romania has is salt. For Greeks, Jews, Arabs, and Romanians, salt is also a symbol of hospitality and friendship, with the added value of a brotherly bond. In Romania, for instance, guests are often greeted with salt and bread. Salt is also considered a primary element because the amniotic fluid in which embryos are immersed is salty, like the sea from which life on the planet appeared. Romania used to have dozens of large salt mines, as well as many other places where deposits were taken from the surface. However, many of these have collapsed, forming salt lakes on the surface near which treatment bases have been developed. Presently, only seven are being used for extracting salt, while ten have been transformed into underground amusement parks. Nowadays, many tourists from home and abroad visit Romania’s salt mines, not only for the amusement they provide, but also for therapy. The constant air temperature in a salt mine is rather low and ranges from 10–16 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity has minimal variation with values of 78–82 percent at the entrance of the mine and average values of 73–80 percent in different
rooms. The concentration of allergens is zero, and there are no pathogens or germs, resulting in extremely fresh air. Salt therapy (halotherapy) is an alternative treatment practiced dating back to ancient times, which even today ensures the best results. Inhalation of saline aerosols has curative properties, a natural adjuvant for various chronic health issues such as asthma, bronchitis, coughing, respiratory infection, respiratory failure, pulmonary emphysema, pharyngeal polyps, rhinitis, chronic tonsillitis, and sinusitis. A visit to a salt mine can be helpful not only for people with low immunity and neurological problems such as paralysis or muscular dystrophy but also for people who are prone to allergies. Saline treatments can also aid those with allergic dermatitis, osteoarthritis, spondylosis, or other chronic joint diseases. For efficient treatment of respiratory problems, one should spend two to four hours daily, for at least ten days, in a salt mine. When my daughter was four years old, she had a weak immune system due to repeated colds, so we went to Praid Salt Mine for two weeks and did the inhalation of saline aerosols treatment. Her condition and immune system improved considerably afterward, so the therapy really worked for us. Though I visited many salt mines back home, I have chosen the two that I love most to write about in more detail: Praid Salt Mine and Turda Salt Mine.
19 Turda Salt Mine Turda Salt Mine is located near a town of the same name in the northeast of Romania and is one of the oldest salt mines in the world. It was dug during medieval times for salt exploitation, with the first documented reference of the mine dating all the way back to 1271. From the 13th century until 1932, the mine was active. Between 1932 and 1992 it was closed, and when it was reopened, it was for tourists and people with medical problems, as the air in the salt mine is recognized as being the best remedy for those with respiratory problems. In 2010, it was reopened after extensive modernization that cost around 5,800,000 euros (approximately 6,500,000 US dollars). It took two years to complete, becoming the most ecological salt mine in Romania, with no pollution source around it and a unique shape aboveground.
Today, Turda Salt Mine is a genuine history museum for salt exploitation. The excellent condition of the mining compartments and equipment used for salt transportation, as well as the care with which the mine was prepared for touristic use, have turned it into a place fusing both history and legend. The high number of tourists going there from many parts of the world is but a confirmation of its historical and touristic value.
Nowadays, salt is being mined 400 meters deeper than the treatment area. Also, on the exit route, there is a panorama
Turda Salt Mine: Underground lake (overhead view).
June 2020
Praid Salt Mine Praid Salt Mine (Parajdi Sóbánya in Hungarian) is located in the eastern Transylvanian county of Harghita (home to one of the biggest Hungarian minority populations in Romania), in a village of the same name (Praid). Praid Salt Mine is popular both among people seeking treatment for various respiratory ailments and among tourists looking to relax and spend some quality time with friends and family for a few hours.
In the mine, you can also visit a museum on the history of salt mining in Romania. A variety of documents, tools, and work items dating from the 18th century are on display. The documents mention that the mine dates back to the Roman Empire, especially since bricks with the inscription “Legio Quinta Macedonica” (the Fifth Macedonian Legion2 ) have been found. www.gwangjunewsgic.com
The visiting hours are from Monday to Sunday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (last entrance is at 4 p.m.). The entry fee is 9 US dollars per day per person, but pensioners, children, and students benefit from discounts (there are also weekly packages available at discounted prices). For more information, visit: https://salinaturda.eu/ (English version available).
Access to the mine is available by bus through a 1,500-meter-long tunnel and then descending 300 steep steps, making it a real underground city at about 120 meters below the surface. The mine offers a wide variety of convenient and fun services and facilities, such as WiFi, playgrounds for children, a church, a 3D cinema, a coffee shop, and a restaurant, among other things. The average annual temperature in the underground area is 16 degrees Celsius, so dress warm. There is also an underground adventure park where children and adults alike can walk down trails of various difficulty. Also, in the mine, there is an inflatable playground for children as well as workshops tailored for them where they can work on their creativity. There is also an underground wine cellar where tourists can taste and buy different types of wine and Romanian liquors.
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At 120 meters below the surface, there are several parts to the mine, arranged with different purposes in mind: There is an 80-seat amphitheater for concerts and musical auditions, a golf course, an underground lake with paddle boats for hire, a treatment base and a medical office, a church, a sports area (for bowling, soccer, table tennis), and a Ferris wheel. Considering all the available attractions, it is easy to see why Business Insider placed the mine at the top of their list of “coolest underground places in the world.”1
Large-scale extraction of salt began at Praid in 1762 when Transylvania formed part of the Habsburg Empire. It was supervised by the imperial mining officer Johann Frendl, and in 1787, the mines became the property of the Habsburg government in Vienna. Extraction continued during the nineteenth century, but new technology employed from the late 1940s enabled production to be increased substantially. From the 1960s, following the example of the mine in Wieliczka, Poland, the therapeutic qualities of the atmosphere in the mine were recognized. Therefore, facilities were provided for people with respiratory conditions to spend several hours a day underground, during which they could take part in varied activities and, if necessary, receive treatment.
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Turda Salt Mine.
from where visitors can see how salt mining used to be carried out. Praid Salt Mine also welcomes guests to the largest outdoor saltwater pool in Romania. It was opened in the summer of 2014 and covers 5,200 square meters, out of which around 2,000 make up the pool. The salinity of the swimming pool is high, around 220 milligrams of salt per liter of water, and is recommended for the treatment of rheumatic disorders. The best part of the saltwater pools is that you do not need to know how to swim because you will float no matter what. But pay attention not to get water into your eyes because it stings badly. For more information, visit the Facebook page: Parajdi Sóbánya - Salina Praid - Salt mine Praid. If you happen to be in Romania for traveling or any other purpose, a salt mine is a must-see for both its uniqueness and amusement. And since we have many spread all across the country, it is not difficult to choose one. ▲ Praid Salt Mine. (Adrian Moise, Unsplash)
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
Footnotes 1
https://www.businessinsider.com/world-underground- attractions-2014-2 2 Legio Quinta Macedonica (the Fifth Macedonian Legion) was a Roman legion. In the year 101, the legion moved to Dacia (today’s Romania) to fight in Emperor Trajan’s campaign against King Decebalus. (https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Legio_V_Macedonica)
The author
Melline Galani is a Romanian enthusiast, born and raised in the capital city of Bucharest, who is currently living in Gwangju. She likes new challenges, learning interesting things, and is incurably optimistic. Instagram: @melligalanis.
▼ Praid Salt Mine: Underground wine cellar.
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FEATURE
The Mother of Puppets Ms. Um Jeong-ae Interviewed by by Jennis Kang Ms. Um making a big paper puppet in memory of May 18.
When I came back to Seoul later that year, the people of Seoul didn’t know what had really happened in Gwangju. They didn’t believe me when I told them what I’d read in the newspaper because the military government had suppressed all the news about the May 18 uprising. We were kept in the dark for years. Gwangju had been isolated from the rest of the people of Korea for decades. I felt really sorry for Gwangju citizens, and I wished I could give something as a consolation and to share their sorrows.
June 2020
Jennis Kang: Hi, Ms. Um. I’m glad to see you here again. Can I ask what brought you to Gwangju to do volunteer work? Um Jeong-ae: Hello, I’m happy to be in Gwangju again. Actually, for decades, I’ve felt that I owe something to the citizens of Gwangju. When the Gwangju Uprising broke
out, I was abroad. One day, one of my coworkers showed me an article in a newspaper and said, “This tragic news is about your country. I’m really sorry.” When I read the newspaper article, I couldn’t believe it. The photos in the paper were so shocking and horrific that I even thought this had to be fake news. The heartbreaking news and the photos were indelibly imprinted on my mind. I was so sad.
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I
was sitting in a cafe waiting for a friend, when I noticed a woman in a black fedora walking past the window. She looked familiar to me; I tried to remember where I’d met her. I suddenly realized she was my Facebook friend, Ms. Um Jung-ae, known as the “Mother of Puppets.” “What’s going on?” I thought, “She should be in the States!” I popped out to say hello, as I was a big fan of hers. Our first chance encounter was last spring, and this spring, she came to Gwangju again to undertake a big project. So, to introduce Ms. Um, the Mother of Puppets, to the readers of the Gwangju News, I arranged with Ms. Um the following interview.
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www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
FEATURE
Kang: As a Gwangju citizen, I appreciate your kindness. I heard that you’ve come to Gwangju to do a project to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising. Would you tell me about it? Um: Yes, this year was the 40th anniversary of May 18. So, some of the artists of Gwangju, the youth of the YMCA, and the Mothers of May Victims (the victims included many young people in their teens and twenties, so their mothers are still alive) are making big paper puppets in memory of May 18 victims and to preserve their spirit of democracy. Actually, we planned to parade down the historic Geumnam-ro wearing these puppets. But because of the COVID-19 situation, the ceremony was canceled. But fortunately, it has been rescheduled for May 16. Kang: I’m glad to hear that the parade of puppets will still be taking place. I heard that people call you the “Mother of Puppets.” How did that come about? Um: I ran a business in Seoul when I was in my forties, and I sponsored a few artists at that time. One of those artists made paper puppets. Sometimes I dropped by her place and learned how to make puppets from her. Actually, I’d once put on a puppet show with my friends when I was an undergraduate. Going further back, I loved to talk with my dolls as a child, since I was often alone, as my mother was a working mom. Kang: So that means your life with puppets started quite a long time ago. But we don’t usually call people who love puppets the “Mother of Puppets.” There must be more to your story of puppets than that. Um: Yes, one day a friend of mine asked me to lend some space for young women to stay. They were adopted as Korean children to live in other countries, and they were visiting their motherland in search of their birth mothers. I had a space for them to stay. They were five girls from Europe and the U.S. Their stories had been in the newspapers. Luckily, four of them found their birth mothers. But one girl from the States was adopted so young that she had no memories of her birth mother. When the girl was going back to the states, I felt so sorry for her. So, I made her some paper dolls and told her, “Don’t forget there’s someone in your motherland who ▼ Ms. Um and young artists of Gwangju provide a workshop giving families of May 18 victims an opportunity to make puppets of their lost relatives.
▲ Larger-than-life-sized puppets ready for the parade.
wishes your well.” I think that it was from that time that people began to call me the “Mother of Puppets.” Kang: Wow, what a sad but heartwarming story! You said that you’d lived in Seoul, but now you live in the States. Would you tell me how you came to move to the United States? Um: When the adopted girl went back to the U.S. with my dolls, people around her – especially one who worked at a museum – asked her how she’d gotten the dolls. They loved the dolls with Korean facial features. She told her story to the art director, and the fascinated director contacted me to exhibit my dolls in his museum. At the time, my business had just been struck by the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. So, it was easy to fly to the States, where I ended up exhibiting my dolls at several museums. There I met some puppet actors that I associated with and my husband, too. Kang: I love the saying “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” Your story reminds me of that saying. So, you changed your life from that of a business person to an activist. I heard you’ve been working as a green and human rights activist with your large paper puppets. I saw a photo of the big puppet parade for the Sewol ferry victims in Minneapolis. I think that these puppets have the power to allow people to deal with serious issues in a non-confrontational manner. And for yourself, what do you think a puppet is?
23 Um: I think making puppets is like doing Zen for me. That Zen is letting us feel free from distraction or weariness. By attaching little pieces of glued paper over and over and over to each other, making paper puppets leads me into a world of vacancy. I feel free from endless thought. It provides me with the opportunity to take an objective view of myself. And I think the puppets I make are another me. Playing and talking with the puppets makes us meet ourselves and reconcile the two, I think. Kang: So that’s why you call it “paper Zen.” I hope many people can have the “paper Zen” experience with you while you’re staying in Gwangju. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I hope you feel at home during your stay in Gwangju.
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Kang: [After the May 16 puppet parade] The parade, with its huge national flag and giant puppets, was amazing as it wound through the streets of Gwangju. What was the most impressive moment for you during this two-month puppet project? Um: There are many: the young artists of Gwangju, students, fathers and children, husbands and wives, who all volunteered their time to make the puppets. But the most impressive was a call after the parade from a mother of May, who lost her husband in the May 18 Uprising. She said that I gave her a chance to walk with her husband again. She felt like her husband came alive during the parade. I hope it helped her relieve some of her pain. Kang: Thank you, Ms. Um. You gave us the opportunity to look back and overcome our painful sadness through the making of puppets and the parade. The parade reminds us that we are still on the way to fully healing from May 18. Photographs by Choo Hyun Kyung, Jennis Kang, and David Shaffer.
June 2020
Jennis Kang is a freelance English tutor and once-in-a-decade interpreter. She worked for the Asia Culture Center during its opening season. She likes to grow greens and walk her dog. And sometimes she reads; Roald Dahl’s works are her favorites.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
The interviewer
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Lost in Gwangju
The Asia Theater, Once a Battleground in the “Trot War,” Is No More Written and photographed by Isaiah Winters
TRAVEL
N
ow reduced to little more than a stack of exposed beams and buttresses, the old Asia Theater (아세아 극장) in Yu-dong doesn’t impress; however, after having done a little online sleuthing, I hope to bring the condemned theater back to life for one final show. Basically, the single-screen cinema dates back to 1966 and included a shopping mall on the first
June 2020
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www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Built in 1966, the Asia Theater was enormous for the time.
floor, a wedding hall on the second, and, at some point, a “cabaret” dance hall somewhere within. At its peak, the venue screened two films regularly, hosted popular singers every few months, and married people off in style.[1] As it turns out, it was also a battleground in one of the greatest music rivalries in Korean history – what I call the great “Trot War.”
25 The Belligerents The Asia Theater was unique in that it had an unusually high ceiling that allowed it to double as a concert hall. Among the biggest acts to perform there was the Busanborn “emperor of trot” Na Hoon-a, whose music career debuted the same year as the theater. The son of a sailor, trot’s “emperor” is probably best remembered for dropping trou on live TV back in 2008 to prove to the press that a yakuza member did not in fact castrate him for having a dalliance with one of said gangster’s favorite actresses.[2] To set the stage for our great “Trot War,” let’s put Na in the red corner.
Unfortunately, Kim would darken Nam’s door once again in 1980, setting fire to the performer’s hometown residence in Mokpo and incinerating the only pictures the singer had of his late grandparents. Although clearly mentally unstable, Kim was nevertheless capable. A former member of the Special Forces, Kim was the kind of soldier who was sent on covert missions into North Korea, so he must have been a pretty tough guy. Apparently, threatening entertainers for money was one of his regular hustles as a civilian, as he would eventually do this to at least three famous performers. Despite all this, Nam, a devout Christian, seemed to forgive Kim in later interviews.[6] The Aftermath As trot music gave way to newer genres like pop, the great “Trot War” seemed to fizzle out. Both Na Hoon-a and Nam Jin went on to have long, successful careers and are still active today; whether or not their rivalry came from any real animosity between them is doubtful. It was
June 2020
In 1973, the spat reached a fever pitch when Na was attacked on stage while singing “Solitude of a Teahouse.” Wielding a broken cider bottle, the attacker managed to gash Na’s left cheek so badly that over 70 stiches were required to close the wound. A maelstrom of press speculation ensued, including accusations that rival performer Nam put the attacker up to the assault. The assailant, Kim Ung-cheol, claimed to know Nam during the subsequent police interrogation, but police were doubtful and placed Kim under arrest.
Kim had indeed met Nam before, but the encounter was anything but cordial. Recalling the incident, Nam said he woke up one day to the sight of Kim at his home holding a weapon and asking for money not to attack his rival Na. Although Nam later admitted to being afraid at that moment, he’d also recently served in the Vietnam War and so wasn’t the kind of guy to back down to extortionists. Ultimately, he refused, berated Kim, and that was the end of it. It turns out that Kim’s threat wasn’t idle, as he would indeed go on to attack Na a few days later. In response to the fracas, the prosecutor’s office in Seoul interviewed Nam but soon cleared him of any wrongdoing.
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The Battles Apart from the two performers’ cutthroat musical competition, their fans were also known to brawl and hurl insults at each other based on the opposing singer’s appearance. To the tan, bold-featured Na and his supporters, rival fans would shout “Cattle thief, get out!” (소도둑놈 저리가라!)[4] Apparently, Na earned the nickname “cattle thief ” by looking like the more nefarious of the two singers, like a hardened rustler. In retaliation, Na’s supporters launched verbal salvos of their own targeting Nam’s visage. Considered the paler, softer, more porcine-looking soloist, Nam got stuck with the curt sobriquet dwaeji (돼지, pig). Not lacking in imagination, Nam’s detractors fleshed this insult out into a chant akin to “Stop that slit-throated pig squeal!” (돼지 멱따는 소리 그만해라!)[5]
▲ The “cattle thief ” Na Hoon-a (left) grins all the way to the bank with his “pig” rival Nam Jin (right). [Source: topstarnews]
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Mokpo native Nam Jin is another famous trot singer who performed at the Asia Theater during its crescendo. Debuting just a year earlier, Nam, the well-off son of a national assembly member who also owned the Mokpo Ilbo, had a flashier Elvis vibe compared to the “emperor’s” low-key masculine vibe. In our battle of the port city crooners, we’ll put Nam in the electric blue corner. Nam and Na’s intense rivalry would begin in the late 1960s, span the 1970s,[3] and then forever linger in the annals of music infamy once things died out. When the great “Trot War” was at its apex, bedlam between fan factions, a deranged bottle attack, and a case of arson made it arguably the most interesting conflict in Korean music history, though set to the worst music.
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June 2020
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more likely a manufactured feud egged on by the media and record labels, which is common across the music industry worldwide. In this regard, both singers and their promoters came out on top by war’s end. Whatever fate befell Kim Ung-cheol is a bit of a mystery, though Nam once mentioned in an interview that after prison, Kim went on to marry a lady from church and become a father. The only clear loser of the great “Trot War” appears to be the Asia Theater, which is currently undergoing demolition along with the rest of its surroundings in Yudong. Despite its zenith hosting entertainers like Na and Nam, not to mention other big names like Ha Chun-hwa and the “Bunny Girls,” once the nearby bus terminals moved to where the Gwangcheon Terminal is today, with major wedding halls following suit, the Asia Theater’s wedding hall business took a dive. The deathblow seems to have come around the year 2000 when Gwangju got its first multiplex theater, Enter Cinema, which set up shop just a few blocks away. (See issue #212 of the Gwangju News for more on that.) By the time I arrived in Gwangju ten years later, the Asia Theater had long been gutted for a renovation effort that never materialized. A lien was placed on the property and then nothing much happened in the area until evictions began in the last year ahead of redevelopment. Now it sits hidden behind sheet metal, tarp, and scaffolding awaiting the wrecking crew. It’s a sad curtain call for one of the entertainment bedrocks of bygone Gwangju and battlegrounds in the great “Trot War.”
▲ The Asia Theater’s scale is impressive even in skeletal form.
Sources Lee, G. (2008, July 25). [영화가 흐르던 자리] <5> 아세아극장, 광주드림 [Gwangju Dream]. http://www.gjdream.com/v2/news/ view.html?uid=388094&news_type=207&page=2&paper_ day=20080725&code_M=2&list_type=2 [2] Kim, J., & Lee, J. (2008, January 25). South Korea holds breath as singer drops trousers. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/ us-korea-singer-pants/south-korea-holds-breath-as-singer-dropstrousers-idUSSEO9854720080125 [3] Ko, D. (2016, April 28). Divorcing singer reappears after 8-year hiatus. The Korea Times. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/ people/2016/04/178_203620.html [4] Hong, J. (no date). 나훈아, ‘말년의 아픔’ 안고 가기 … ‘두문불출’ 언제까지 이어질까, 익산중앙뉴스 [Iksan Central News].http://www. iksanja-news.co.kr/quick/show.asp?idx=5813 [5] 으캬캬캬캬. (2018, July 29). 나훈아 vs 남진, 70년대 최고 라이벌. Brunch. https://brunch.co.kr/@johnnybluessy/9 [6] Kim, D. (2019, March 8). 역경의 열매] 남진 (17) ‘나훈아 피습’ 배후로 지목당해 검찰 조사받아. 국민일보 [Kookmin Daily]. http://news. kmib.co.kr/article/view. asp?arcid=0924066041&code=23111513 [1]
The Author
Originally from Southern California, Isaiah Winters is a Gwangju-based urban explorer who enjoys writing about the City of Light’s lesser-known 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.
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Everyday Korean Episode 30 공항 (Airport) By Harsh Kumar Mishra
Grammar ~는/ㄴ/은데(요): Use this ending to express your
~을/ㄹ게(요): This is used with a first person subject to express “I/We will …”. Ex: 내가 먼저 갈게요. I will go first.
Vocabulary 승객 항공편 탑승 게이트 이륙하다 지연되다 검색대 환전 이따가 목적지
passenger flight boarding gate to take off to be delayed security checkpoint money/currency exchange a little later destination
Dialogue Expressions Incheon Airport to land (an aircraft) yet arrival time to get off duty-free shop to drop by screening bagagge again to take/pack boarding pass/air ticket passport to enter a country
Daisy:
정민:
언니, 일어나요. 인천공항에 착륙했어요. [Eon-ni, ireo-nayo. In-cheon-gong-hang-e chang-nyuk-haes-seoyo.] Eonni (lit. “Big Sister”), wake up. We’ve landed at Incheon Airport.
벌써? 아직 도착시간도 안됐는데.
[Beol-sseo? A-jik do-chak-shi-gan-do an-dwae-nneun-de.] Jeongmin: Already? But it’s not even arrival time yet.
데지: Daisy:
정민:
네, 저는 내려서 면세점 좀 들를게요. [Ne, Jeo-neun nae-ryeo-seo myeon-se-jeom jom deul-leul-kkeyo.] Yeah. I’ll drop by the duty-free shop first after getting off.
그래. 나 먼저 입국 심사를 받으러 갈게.
[Geu-rae. Na meon-jeo ip-kkuk shim-sa-reul ba-deu-reo gal-kke.] Jeongmin: Okay. I’ll go through immigration first.
데지:
그럼 수하물 찾는 곳에서 다시 만날까요? [Geu-reom su-ha-mul chan-neun gose-seo da-shi man-nal-kkayo?]
Daisy:
Then, shall we meet again at the baggage claim area?
정민:
좋아. 탑승권과 여권을 챙겼지? [Jo-a. Tap-seung-gwon-gwa yeo-kkwo-neul chaeng-gyeot-ji?]
Jeongmin: Sure. Do you have your boarding pass and passport ready?
데지: Daisy:
네, 이따가 봐요. [Ne, It-ta-ga bwa-yo.] Yeah. See you later.
June 2020
TOPIK GUIDE (topikguide.com) is the most comprehensive website devoted to the TOPIK exam. It has been helping Korean language learners pass the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) for more than eight years. On our website, you can get all the TOPIK updates, grammar and vocabulary material, and study tips.
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인천공항 착륙하다 아직 도착시간 내리다 면세점 들르다 심사 수하물 다시 챙기다 탑승권 여권 입국
데지:
EDUCATION
surprise after discovering something unexpected. It can also be used in some situations to express the speaker’s disagreement with what was said previously. Ex: : A: 저녁 먹으러 가요. Let’s go for dinner. B: 5시인데요. But it’s 5 o’clock.
28 From Abroad
COVID-19:
An Australian Perspective
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
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Written by David Foster
I
n the In 2015, after being invited to be a visiting professor at Chonnam National University, my wife and I spent the summer in Gwangju. This was when the MERS virus was starting to come under control. Although initially wary about going to South Korea during a virus outbreak, we decided to go ahead. This gave us a great opportunity to see how a country handles an epidemic (given that we had never experienced such a thing before). We must say how impressed we were. All over Gwangju, there were information tents with staff providing guidance about what to do and distributing free hand sanitizer and tissues. The whole community seemed to engage with the problem. It was handled so well that the scheduled Universiade Games, with thousands of athletes arriving from all over the world, were able to go ahead as planned. This year, we all face an even more widespread virus, indeed a pandemic. While I only know a little about what South Korea is doing to control this outbreak, I thought that it would be of interest to readers of the Gwangju News to learn what the situation is like in other parts of the world. This is what is happening in Australia where we live. Perhaps the one thing that you may have heard in the media was that initially there was panic buying of toilet paper! For some reason, this was the first public reaction, despite that it is manufactured here in Australia and there was no real possibility of a shortage. Handling this, and panic buying of a few other items, at least got the government moving. The strategy adopted has been to mix legislated controls with public persuasion.
Given that we are a nation of seven states and territories, each with different legislative powers to those of the national government, the first step was to establish a special â&#x20AC;&#x153;national cabinetâ&#x20AC;? made up of the leaders of each state and the national government. We did not want to have individual parts of the country doing their own thing. In this interconnected world, one of the first actions was to manage our borders by implementing a ban on nationals leaving the country (to stop the possibility of bringing back the virus when they returned), followed closely by the cancellation of flights from China. The latter was gradually extended to arrivals from all countries. At the present time, only Australian citizens can arrive (although there are very few flights anyway), and they are forcibly quarantined in a hotel for 14 days. This latter control was initiated following one of the biggest mistakes, when arrivals on cruise ships were simply allowed to disembark and meld into the community. We now know that approximately half the known cases of COVID-19 can be traced back to this poor decision. While international travel was being curtailed, the national cabinetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention was also focused on limiting the way residents mixed with each other to avoid community transmission. Initially, instead of using regulations to change behavior, the strategy was to persuade the population to do the right thing and stay at home. Only those with employment in essential services were advised to go to work. Employers in other sectors were asked to create the opportunity for their staff to work from home. This has been taken up almost universally, creating one of the greatest changes in the way people work since World War II. Everyone has been encouraged to stay at home
29 and only venture out to shop, exercise, provide care to others, and for medical reasons.
The impact on the way we all live has been amazing. Communication via telephone and video conferencing has spread from the work environment to the personal space. Rather than the usual visit, families and friends are now using technology to maintain connections. We are ordering much more of our basic requirements (food, etc.) online, and are even having consultations with our doctors via video link. It shows that as a community, we are resilient and able to adapt to our changed circumstances. The interesting question is whether this will become the new norm, even after the pandemic has been controlled.
These are certainly challenging times for all nations. When this is all over, we will be able to review the actions we all took and establish what we did right and what we could have done better. Given that (as of May 17) Australia has only had 99 deaths and 7,056 confirmed cases following 1,042,000 tests, we are in a very good position. We seem to have “flattened the curve”! Where we go from here will depend on how long we need to maintain these measures and how our community accepts them in the longer term.
The Author
June 2020
David Foster is a retired professor of management who has worked in various universities around Australia and as a visiting professor in Germany, France, Vietnam, and South Korea. The latter included three appointments at Chonnam National University in Gwangju, where he taught leadership and management in the MBA program. He and his wife loved their experiences in South Korea, especially the strong connection that they have made with the Gwangju International Center.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Like most countries, Australia is fighting the virus on two fronts. Firstly, there is the health issue. Secondly, there is the economic impact of the measures to manage
this health challenge. Within a very short period of time, thousands of businesses closed down and over one million people lost their jobs. These are mainly in services where close contact is required, an extremely important part of a modern economy. Workers in cafes, travel agencies, airline companies, gymnasiums, and so many other leisure-oriented services were the first to lose their jobs. In an attempt to ensure that the Australian economy survives the pandemic, the national government has provided all sorts of financial support for businesses and the unemployed. This involves mind-boggling amounts of money that will certainly take generations to pay off.
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The community has been constantly reminded that this action is the only way to “flatten the curve.” It has been explained that this means slowing the growth in the number of people catching the virus. We were shown what would happen if we did not do this and the virus spread rapidly through the community. It would mean that our health system could not cope with the numbers, people would not get access to ventilators, and there would be huge numbers of deaths, not because of the virus itself but because those with it could not be treated in a health system that is overwhelmed. Hearing this and seeing what was happening in Italy, Spain, and the United States has convinced most people to comply. Unfortunately, there were some who flaunted these requests, particularly on popular beaches. This led the government to introduce more regulations involving closing beaches and limiting outside activity to groups of only two people (except if they are a family that lives together). In addition, all restaurants, bars, gymnasiums, cinemas, swimming pools, and schools were forced to close. Gradually, we have moved from persuasion to regulation but not to total “lockdown.”
30 From Abroad
Bali
Island of a Thousand Temples Spectacular Waterfalls,
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Golden Sandy Beaches, and
Written by Cami Ismanova
Wide Rice Terraces
Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia.
O
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
ne Bali Island is located in the heart of the Indonesian archipelago, surrounded by the warm Indian Ocean to the south and the turquoise Bali Sea to the north. It consists of several small towns and beach resort areas around the island. It looks small on a map, but it is gigantic in reality. There are many touristic places to stay at, like Kuta and Ubud. Although they are a bit too crowded, they are better connected to the must-visit landmarks of Bali. On the other hand, if you prefer to spend your vacation by staying somewhere quieter, Sanur would be a suitable option. When it comes to transportation, I strongly recommend renting a scooter while visiting the island because there is frequent traffic congestion. You might need to provide your international driving license to get yourself one. While there, you will see and join thousands of people, both locals and tourists, driving scooters of their own. It is also more convenient to move from one destination to another by scooter than by car, but it is obviously not a good option for a family trip with kids. The majority of the population in Indonesia is Muslim, but the Balinese people in particular follow the Hindu
religion, so you will find thousands of Hindu temples around the island. In fact, each and every Balinese family will have one either in their houses or somewhere close by. The wealthier the family is, the bigger and more beautiful the temple. Bali is full of famous temples like Uluwatu Temple, where you can watch traditional Balinese Kecak dances, which tell the story of the Hindu gods, and enjoy the sunset. Another interesting experience is paying a visit to the “Cat Poo Chino” coffee plantation. You could say it is like a cappuccino. There are various types of coffee and tea to sample and buy. The most popular one is “kopi luwak.” “Kopi” means “coffee” and “luwak” is translated from Indonesian as “Asian palm civet,” a cat-like animal that originated on Sumatra Island. Civets are known to roam freely on plantations, as they come to select the best coffee cherries, mostly Arabica beans. Their digestive process allows them to improve the flavor of the beans through fermentation. These coffee beans are later excreted, collected by farmers, cleaned countless times, roasted, and finally ground up. Kopi luwak is a delicacy and the second most expensive coffee in the region. The prices reach up to $700 per kilogram and $80 per cup (both in USD). If you book a tour via Airbnb, you will get a tour around the plantation with an English-speaking
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Astonishing beauty of the ocean at Nusa Penida Island.
staffer on the plantation offering a detailed presentation and a tasting session of more than 30 types of tea! You can purchase the teas you like later at their shop.
Bali is an amazing place to spend a vacation, but it requires thorough preparation. Book your tours in advance via different platforms. There are a lot of locally guided tours in English. I found it to be the most convenient way to travel in Bali. But if you want to explore on your own, then the idea to rent a scooter would better suit your needs.
I hope that you can visit Bali once the world has succeeded in dealing with the ongoing pandemic and that you are able to do it in an eco-friendly manner. Stay safe and healthy, Gwangju!
The Author
The Gwangju News has been serving the community since 2001 by delivering news and information to the international communities of Gwangju. Send the Gwangju News to your family and friends back home, and let them know about Gwangju! Annual Subcription Rates: • Asia and Australia: 40,000 won (US $40) • Europe: 50,000 won (US $50) • America, Africa: 60,000 won (US $60) Payment can be made through bank transfer, cash, or Paypal. Bank Transfer: Kwangju Bank (사)광주국제교류센터: 134-107-000999 Paypal: gic@gic.or.kr Inquiry: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr or 062-226-2733
June 2020
Cami Ismanova is a student at Chonnam National University majoring in economics. She enjoys listening to jazz, reading popular science, writing, and traveling around. She is a devoted lover of ocean waves and cheese tteokbokki. Instagram: @camidisman.
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Bali is incredibly beautiful in terms of nature, services are fairly good, and prices are very affordable. You can enjoy a meal for less than $3, and the average price for a tour starts from just $15.
Annual Membership Fee: General: 40,000 won; Student: 20,000 won; Group: 20,000 won (min. 10 persons). Inquiry: member@gic.or.kr / 062-226-2733
FOOD & DRINKS TRAVEL
The gem of Bali is a small island called Nusa Penida. Transparent, crystal-clear waters and golden beaches will enchant your heart forever. A variety of fun water activities on offer include sunbathing, scuba diving, snorkeling, and surfing. My favorite places are Angel’s Billabong and Broken Beach. As a true fan of the ocean, I appreciated the most beautiful turquoise color of the water. It was like the scene at the beginning of the Disney cartoon “Moana.” I advise that you go for a locally guided tour around the hot spots. Usually, it only requires a daytrip, but even if you spend a few days there, it is definitely worth the visit!
The Gwangju International Center (GIC) is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to promote cultural understanding and to build a better community among Koreans and international residents. By being a member, you can help support our mission and make things happen! Join us today and receive exciting benefits! • One-year free subscription and delivery of the Gwangju News magazine. • Free use of the GIC library. • Free interpretation and counseling services from the GIC. • Discounts on programs and events held by the GIC. • Up-to-date information on GIC events through our email newsletter.
32
Around Korea
Awesome Autumn in Jeju Written and photographed by Maiya Kabyltayeva “Since life is short and the world is wide, the sooner you start exploring it, the better.” — Simon Raven
M
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
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y name is Maiya and I currently stay in South Korea to study for a master’s degree. In 2017, when I came to South Korea for the first time, I totally fell in love with this country. I liked absolutely everything here, from Korean culture to Korean food, even despite the fact that the latter has a very specific taste and may not suit everyone. But as for me, I liked it from my childhood and can enjoy it any day. When going abroad, probably everyone has their own “must-do” and “must-try” lists. So, the same applies to me. I had a lot of dreams related to Korea. My list included eating real Korean ramen, fresh kimbap, flavored samgyeopsal, and, of course, visiting well-known Jeju Island. As you all know, Jeju Island is the most popular and largest island in South Korea. My first trip there was last year, and that trip was very spontaneous. One of my friends suggested that I go with her just one week before the trip. My friend started searching for information about Jeju, which we previously had seen in a lot of Korean shows and dramas. As you may know, autumn is the cheapest season of the year for traveling to Jeju; also, it was the end of the semester, so our trip fit in very well. Even though it gets cold there in autumn, the island is generally still very beautiful and, as a bonus, it is the tangerine season! Besides, for me it was the best way to end midterm week. Usually, you can buy a roundtrip ticket for $50 or even $20, so we bought a ticket and took a 50-minute flight – no more. It was the shortest plane trip that I have ever taken. By the way, we got our tickets for about $20, and as you know, finding cheap ways to travel for students is crucial. It was our first trip to Jeju. How surprised and astonished we were by everything. In retrospect, when I went to Jeju the second time, I did not really notice such details and felt somewhat jealous looking at tourists who were visiting not only Jeju but Korea for the first time and were even surprised by the toilet buttons and the non-existence of rubbish bins on the streets. As for accommodation, after a short time surfing the internet, we booked two hotels on the island. The first
hotel was located in Seogwipo. It was a really nice hotel and the service was next level. The most important thing was that it was near the tangerine gardens and the sea. The second hotel was located in the center of Jeju City; we chose this hotel because we were not renting a car, so it was important for us to stay near the airport. In short, Jeju is a magical island. There is nothing that special about it, but the atmosphere feels like you are in another world. It is a totally different Korea, which reminds visitors of neither Busan nor Seoul. There is something soulful about the place, and at the same time, it is comfortable, cozy, and beautiful. Everything there makes you want to fall in love with the island and come back again. Moreover, there are so many delicious foods in Jeju, such as barbequed black pork and tasty fruit like tangerines and hallabong (한라봉, seedless mandarin oranges). The highest and most famous mountain in
33 experience for me. The next place that we visited was Sanbang Mountain, which, though not very high, has an interesting and distinguishable shape. It is about an hour west of Seogwipo by bus, and the bus stops conveniently right in front of the mountain. If you go there, it allows you to capture a nice view of the open sea. There is only a temple at the top of the track, and when we went there it was closed. In my opinion, the climb to the temple and cave was not worth our time. Nature-lovers find this to be a peaceful and relaxing place, though. You can spend hours without seeing anyone. If that is your thing, then go and feel the nature.
South Korea, Halla Mountain, is also in Jeju. The only thing that needs improvement there is transportation. You have to rent a car for some real fun.
When choosing Jeju as a destination for your trip, you must include at least two or three cafés to see, as they are just unreal there. Here, I would like to say that there is one special but simple drink that I used to see often TRAVEL TRAVEL
The first place we visited after arriving on Jeju Island was a tangerine garden. We chose the Seogwipo district because there are huge tangerine gardens there that are not so crowded and that allow you to enjoy picking the mouthwatering tangerines that are specialties of Jeju Island. On the tangerine farm, you can pick locally grown fresh tangerines and take them home after the tangerine picking experience is over or send them to any address in Korea. By the way, tangerine picking is available also on the island during winter. It was an unusual but interesting
June 2020
As for cafés in Jeju, I would like to talk about one particular place that we visited. I found an extraordinary café named Yellow Café, and as you might have guessed,
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in Korean dramas when I was a teenager: banana milk. Maybe you will ask, “What is so special about this milk?” I can say there is no secret; this milk is just very tasty, fatfree, convenient, and best of all, not sugary, so you can just stick in a straw and enjoy. I tried it once and loved it so much that banana milk became my favorite drink; I used to have it every day.
34
As it turned out, this is not just a café, because if you go even further inside, you can find a small gift shop with various souvenirs and stylish things for sale. We next found an unusual photo zone, where you can take cool photos in front of a background with the inscription “Hello, Jeju.” In yet another photo zone, you can type your name on a keyboard and wait – your name will appear on the screen, but hurry up, as you have only 15 seconds to take a photo. I think active SNS users probably catch my drift. With so many photo zones and banana milk options
to choose from, if you have a chance to visit Jeju someday, I highly recommend Yellow Café’s cozy atmosphere. Once again, I would like to express my admiration for Korean society. After all, only Koreans can make a cultlike trend out of ordinary things like banana milk. Here I described some unique places that we visited in Jeju, though these are not all the places we visited. There are so many reasons to return. I recommend everyone visit this magical island – I promise you will not regret it. After all, every journey leaves in our memory only good memories and indelible impressions.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
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this café is dedicated to banana milk. Despite all our plans to visit popular sites and historical places, we went to this café instead. Yellow Café is also located in the Seogwipo area. I liked its interior; the concept is unusual. As banana milk is taken as the basis of the interior’s design, you can see a huge banana milk illustration at the entrance. The café has an open-space lounge zone with many guest tables, then some mini cabins similar to the shape of banana milk cartons. We chose the latter zone to comfortably hang out. By the way, regarding the café menu, there is a large selection of banana-flavored drinks. All drinks look very appetizing, and I wanted to try them all. Surprisingly, the price of the drinks is not as expensive as we expected, and most importantly, the taste was delicious.
The Author
Maiya Kabyltayeva is from Kazakhstan and has liked learning foreign languages since childhood. She thinks everyone has a dream in life, and hers was to start learning Korean in 2015 and come to South Korea. Now an MA student at Chonnam National University, she enjoys traveling in her spare time and the independence and confidence it inspires. Instagram: @maiyusha777.
Recipe 35
Kkakdugi Cubed Radish Kimchi Written by Joe Wabe
I
n Korea, there are more than 180 varieties of kimchi that are officially recognized, and kkakdugi (깍두기) stands firm as a top favorite of Koreans. Super easy to make, sweet, spicy, and crunchy in texture, this form of radish kimchi has remained for centuries one of the people’s choice.
Ingredients • 1 big Korean radish (or any variety of daikon • • • • • •
Kkakdugi (깍두기) is also known as a perfect companion for some of the most traditional Korean stews such as galbi-tang (갈비탕) and samgye-tang (삼계탕) because its taste can balance these stews’ overwhelming bite. Since we are just around the corner from samgye-tang season, this is a fun and easy way to get you started into the kimchi-making spirit.
Preparation Cut the radish into small or medium-sized cubes, depending on your choice of texture, and put them into a container. Add the rock salt and mix it well, letting it sit at room temperature for one hour. In a different container, chop the green onion (or garlic) and mix it with the rest of the ingredients to make it into a thick paste. After an hour has passed, rinse the radish well to remove all the salt, then add it to the container with the paste, and mix it all very well until everything becomes very wet and well mixed (both the radish and paste). Let it sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours and then refrigerate.
The Author
June 2020
Joe Wabe is a Gwangju expat, who has been contributing to the GIC and the Gwangju News for more than 10 years with his work in photography and writing.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Kimchi has been cataloged as one of the healthiest foods in the world for its high concentration of dietary fiber, vitamins, low calories, and healthy bacteria. Radish kimchi can be made in a variety of ways, here is but one easy way to make your own kkakdugi.
• •
FOOD & DRINKS
radish) 4 stalks of green onion (or garlic) 4 tablespoons of rock salt 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar 4 tablespoons of red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon of minced garlic 1 tablespoon of salty fermented shrimp (saeu-jeot) 1 tablespoon of anchovy fish sauce 1 tablespoon of plum syrup
According to history, this form of kimchi was created by a princess, the daughter of King Jeongjo (r. 1776– 1800). During a celebratory gathering of the royal court, the princess, who was also the wife of a high-raking government officer, brought by mistake the dish that she had made and presented it to the king. It is said that he was very impressed with such a creative course and decided to name it kkakdugi (깍두기), a short form for kkakduk-sseolgi (깍둑썰기), which translates as “cutting food into cubes,” since the dish had no name originally.
36
Gwangju Abroad
Gwangju International Internship Program Life as a Foreign Intern in Singapore Written and photographed by Kang Boungju
GWANGJU ABROAD
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ast year, the Gwangju International Center (GIC) provided global opportunities for Korean youth to participate in an international internship program. The organizations that took part in the program had their areas of interest in culture, business, social welfare, and human rights, among others. I was lucky enough to be selected, together with another two Koreans, and went for twelve weeks (August–November 2019) to Singapore. Singapore is an island country located between Indonesia and the Malaysian Peninsula. As everyone is aware, it is a place where both English and Chinese are spoken. I can also speak some Chinese, as I studied in China when I was a college student. My main goal in joining the GIC’s internship program was to gain experience in working abroad at a welfare center and to meet people from diverse cultures and backgrounds while developing my language skills. Though my English is poor, I thought my Chinese skills would be helpful enough, so I left for Singapore.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
At the Fei Yue Senior Activity Centre (Senja) where I worked, there were also people who would speak English, Malay, and Mandarin Chinese, as well as Cantonese and a Chinese Fujian dialect called Hokkien. The Fei Yue Senior Activity Centre is a daycare center for adults,
a not-for-profit established in 1991 with the mission “to affect life transformation through the provision of quality social services.” It promotes social development for all ages, seeking to bring the spirit of volunteerism to the community, and advocates for strong family ties in society. Its target audience is the needy in Singapore through diverse services and programs. The programs offered at the Senior Activity Centre aim to improve the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of senior citizens and to prevent social isolation. I worked together with the manager, student interns dispatched from schools, and several volunteers. The volunteers came every day, and I felt it was amazing to see them helping others in their free time. All my tasks were related to the seniors. Some of these tasks were on a daily basis, such as attendance checks, health checks, and bingo games, while others were individualized activities such as intergenerational interactions, medical classes, and body maintenance (haircuts). I used to play games of bingo with senior members every day. Whenever I played bingo, I said the numbers in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, and they really liked this. I also made my own activity by creating a Korean
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GWANGJU ABROAD
class for those who wanted to learn my own language. I taught at the center where I worked every Friday for about an hour, and I was proud to see them studying my mother tongue. Later, I received requests from other Fei Yue centers to teach Korean language and culture, so I taught at two places every week. Everyone was interested in Korea and Korean culture, so it was fun. The best part of my internship was that I had an amazing time with the seniors at the centers, making a lot of friends despite the age gap. I was able to learn about diversity through people from various cultural backgrounds, and I was proud that I could teach my native language.
Although I have left Singapore, the love and gratitude I received while there will always remain in my heart. I went to experience life as an intern in a foreign country, but I returned having more friends and somehow healed. I want to go to Singapore for my summer vacation this year to meet my elders and friends, but due to the current coronavirus situation, I am not sure if this will be possible or not. Until then, only the good memories remain.
The Author
June 2020
Kang Boungju works at LMS on the international sales team. He has a cheerful personality and loves watching baseball games and soccer matches. His heart is still in Singapore.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Singapore was so convenient to get around in, so on weekends, I did a lot of traveling, exploring this citystate. Sometimes I felt uncomfortable having to use various languages, but in the end, it helped me learn them. I learned not only English but also a little bit of Malay and Tamil!
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020 38
Photo Essay 39
Photographs by Oh Eun Ah
June 2020
Springtime and early summer is unquestionably the most colorful time of the year with the freshest of fragrances in the air and a prismatic array of flowers to meet the eye. “April showers bring May flowers,” as the saying goes. By extension, this age-old proverb tells us that a period of discomfort will be followed by a period of happiness. In this present period of coronavirus discomfort, let us take solace in knowing that there are better days ahead – just as following the harshness of the winter, the spring brings the comforting colors and fragrance of flowers.
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Flowers and Fragrance
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June 2020
ARTS & CULTURE
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ARTS & CULTURE
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
42 Service Review
Convenient Food Ordering with Help Me Emo!
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
SERVICE REVIEW
W
hen I first arrived in Korea, I was very codependent on the variety of Western foods available back home and the ability to pick up the phone and order at will. However, though I was aware there would be a language barrier, I was unprepared for how scared I would be trying to order food at the counter, let alone via the telephone. For some people, this may not sound like such a big hurdle, but I am painfully shy and not too proficient at learning languages. As the years passed, I would either cook from home or acquire take-out on the way home from worwk. Working in a kindergarten hagwon from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. left me fatigued and hungry. I often wanted to leave work as quickly as I could without stopping in a store or restaurant. Last year, I discovered, via Facebook, a small service company called Help Me Emo that claimed to help foreigners who were unable to speak Korean place a food delivery order. I was hesitant at first because I thought that the process could not possibly be as easy as the poster was claiming, but luckily I was mistaken. Nowadays, I find myself using Help Me Emo often, and I believe that this firm is the most convenient way for foreigners to order from the comfort of their own homes. Help Me Emo connects with its customers via the Korean social media platform KaKaoTalk. When you add Help Me Emo as one of your friends, they will supply you with a complimentary order as a welcome to their services. During my first time, I found that I was unsure of where to order pasta in my new neighborhood. Help Me Emo was accommodating and supplied me with a variety of choices that delivered pasta, along with screenshots of their menus. Once I decided on my meal, I relayed the request to the company, and they then proceeded to place the order for me. They asked for my address, which I knew in Hangul. However, if you are not practiced in Hangul, they simply request a screenshot of a previous electric bill and use that information to pinpoint your location. My first meal was complementary and arrived within the timeframe specified by Help Me Emo. From that point forward, the cost was 2,500 won per order. In my mind, this was a small price to pay for convenience. There are two ways to pay for their services: One is a bank transfer and the other is using a link to pay with a debit or credit card. I attempted to use the link provided to pay, but for some reason my card was rejected, so I chose to pay
Reviewed by Katy Clements via money transfer. However, going to your ATM to simply transfer such a small fee could get a little exhausting. Soon after my first few orders, the company made me aware that if I transfer 10,000 won, then I would have four prepaid orders and a bonus order, which is five in all. Typically, that is how I pay for the service; however, it is important to note that you must pay for the prepaid plan in advance or you will not get a bonus order, you will simply have paid for a meal and then have three prepaid meals remaining. Additionally, they have added a new way to earn free orders. Once a week, you can post an advertisement on Facebook, and if you make your post public, you will get a free order. Though this is a convenient service, there are a few drawbacks that I have found. One is that you can learn to rely too much on the service and your diet can begin to dwindle. Second is that you can become too comfortable with not learning Korean. Since I am not feeling the urgency to step outside my comfort zone, I have not been practicing my Korean. However, if you can find balance in your life and be mindful of these things, Help Me Emo could be a convenience. For example, if I am hosting a party and need to order in a hurry, Help Me Emo will be there to make sure things go smoothly. I am glad I discovered this service, and I want to encourage you to reach out to this company if you find this information interesting. I highly recommend Help Me Emo! Add them on KaKaoTalk to get started today.
Help Me Emo! : help me emo (with spaces) : helpmeemo
The reviewer
Katy Clements lives in Mokpo with her husband. She has a degree in criminology and sociology.
Sports 43
How to Stay Fit at Home Written by Chris Schneider
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hese days, all of us might lack some proper physical activity. Here is some advice to stay fit using only limited equipment at home.
Basic Principles
My personal belief is that muscle growth can be ensured in two ways: muscle failure and muscle fatigue. While the first saves a lot of time, always aiming to train until failure might be hard on one’s psyche. Muscle failure may sound negative, but it actually sends signals to your nervous system to build enough muscle mass to prevent another failure. Muscle fatigue, on the other hand, feels more comfortable but takes more time to achieve. To provide alternatives, you will find systems based on both principles below.
Workout System 1: High-Intensity Training (HIT)
Another training system that is very useful for home training is the so-called PITT-Myokalypse system by Karsten Pfützenreuter – a German bodybuilder and personal trainer. He specifically designed this system for athletes over 40 and so-called “hard gainers” – people who have a hard time gaining muscle mass. Unless you contribute to his Patreon account, access to the system is only granted via countless vlogs on YouTube. From what I could get out of those videos, the system is based on extremely high reps, low weight, and a high frequency. Every training session should last for about an hour and
June 2020
The system itself is quite simple: short and intense. HIT’s most important goal is to achieve muscle failure. In short, this means to perform an exercise until you fail in the middle of a repetition (rep). HIT workouts consist of only one to two sets per exercise and only one to two exercises per muscle group. For example, a home workout routine targeting chest, triceps, and shoulders could be done by two chest exercises such as push-ups and prowler pushups, dumbbell shoulder presses, and/or pike push-ups and dips. The larger the muscle, the less problematic it
PITT – Myokalypse
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High-intensity training allows you to build significant muscle mass by simply training for 45 minutes twice a week. The system was developed by bodybuilder Mike Mentzer and was proven effective by other bodybuilders such as Dorian Yates as well as by scientific research conducted by Prof. Dr. Dr. Jürgen Gießing. Due to the latter’s insights, the system is also adaptable to general fitness and athletes of other disciplines.
Further, it is advisable to train every muscle with this system only once a week in order to prevent injury and overtraining. If you feel your workout is not intense enough, you could instead do the same exercise again after a rest lasting under ten seconds, perform half reps – breaking your exercise into two parts and perform each to exhaustion – or quickly jump into a related exercise to failure (e.g., jumping from pull-ups to chin-ups or pushups to chest flys). Forty-five minutes, including warm-up, should be just fine – do not overtrain. Equipment-wise, it is recommended to have weights or silicon bands for curls and access to a pull-up bar. To some degree, the lack of such can be solved by using a broomstick and two stools or chairs. Personally, I use a set of dumbbells up to 15 kilograms, a playground, silicon resistance bands, and two stools from Daiso. HIT’s largest disadvantage besides the necessity for at least some equipment is the mindset. Not everyone wants to go all out during their workout, which is absolutely fine. Those not intending to train to muscle failure simply will not get along well with HIT. For those of the latter mindset, there is another system that might suit you just fine.
SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
For this article – and most of my personal fitness activities over the last few years – knowledge of three commonly known fitness personas will be helpful: Prof. Dr. Dr. Jürgen Gießing, a German researcher on high-intensity training for about three decades; Karsten Pfützenreuter, former bodybuilder and personal trainer who has developed several training systems up until the present; and Athlean-X, arguably YouTube’s most famous content creator for fitness in regard to proper execution of exercises.
is to do two exercises. Another important part of HIT is to do your exercises slowly and correctly. Although there are myriad different approaches, the seven-second rule is quite common. The movement, which takes actual effort of pushing or pulling – movements up from the ground via push-ups or down to the ground via pull-ups should last two seconds followed by holding your position for another second; then you should go down for four . Again, there are different conceptions about the rep range, but for the sake of simplicity eight to twelve reps should be fine.
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SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
should be done three to five times a week. Try to make it a full-body workout while doing only one exercise for each muscle group – although it is unlikely to actually get the whole workout done within one session. The muscles that could not be trained will simply follow first in your next session. As mentioned before, the system is based on high reps and low weight, which makes it perfect for home training. Try to reach 60 to 100 reps doing controlled movements and stop at the moment of maximum and minimum contraction (e.g., when your arms are fully extended or at chest level during bench press. When your muscles fatigue, stop for exactly three breaths, then continue. Two breaks are expected, so after the following fatigue, simply stop and move on to the next exercise. Pfützenreuter often replaces the common phrase “no pain, no gain” with “no pump, no gain,” and this is exactly the threshold for when to take on heavier weights. When you do not feel the fatigue anymore, step up your game. As for the weights, use really low weights (e.g., I am using five kilograms for dumbbell curls and three kilograms for shoulder exercises).
What Kind of Equipment Should I Use?
As mentioned above, it depends highly on your budget, fitness level, and desired training style. Most things can be improvised, and especially leg, chest, and tricep exercises do not need much equipment. In general, consider buying a resistance band, since it allows you to perform many more exercises.
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June 2020
Combining the Two Principles
Generally, it is possible to combine both systems, but I would recommend trying one first and seeing how well it goes for you. Again – do not overtrain! Personally, I follow a HIT routine and use PITT-Myokalypse as an addition whenever I feel that a muscle group has not been targeted enough. Then I will integrate the specific PITT-Myokalypse exercise in the following workout in a way that does not target that specific muscle group (e.g., training biceps or lats on a chest-and-triceps day).
The Author
Chris is a German language teacher and branch leader at the Goethe-Institut in Gwangju. Besides fitness and martial arts, he likes to cook, travel, and read the works of people much greater than himself.
Example Routines HIT: Routine One (Push and Legs) Regular push-ups targeting your chest Prowler push-ups for your lower chest Pseudo planche push-ups for your upper chest Pike push-ups or dumbbell shoulder presses for your shoulders Dips and/or tricep extensions with resistance bands for your triceps Squats for your glutes and hamstrings HIT: Routine Two (Pull and Abs) Pull-ups for your back Chin-ups for your back Australian pull-ups for your back Shrugs with a backpack for your traps Bicep curls for your biceps Hammer curls for your brachialis Any kind of sit-up that covers your whole abdominal region. *Aim for muscle failure within 8 to 15 reps in just one set. Perform once a week. PITT-Myokalypse Shrugs or face pulls Any kind of pull-down exercise Any kind of row exercise Any chest fly or press exercise Two to three shoulder exercises – one for every shoulder region Sit-ups Curls Hammer curls Tricep exercise (tricep extension, skullcrushers) Squats and or lunges Leg raises Additional exercises * Aim for feeling fatigue; perform three to five times a week with only one set each time; aim for 60–100 reps; up to two breaks lasting up to three breaths are allowed within each exercise; perform for no more than one hour; start with the exercises you left unfinished previously. Further Information For more information and/or different workouts, I can recommend the following: Darebee: Lots of free workouts, programs, and information about fitness and nutrition. Athlean-X: YouTube channel highlighting correct movements for lots of excercises.
Language Teaching 45
Private Academies Coping with COVID-19 Compiled by Dr. David E. Shaffer
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A Hagwon Owner’s Perspective
Then, the Shincheonji religious sect outbreak occurred, and panic exploded. My staff and I were in contact all weekend about what to do. There was no communication
I took a small salary in January. I did not pay myself anything in February or March. I watched my surplus drain to pay my teachers, rents, insurances, and other bills. The anxiety I experienced because of all those messages was intense. I urgently wanted someone to tell me what to do – to tell me, not ask me. I did not want it to be my choice to make. But the powers that be just pressured me: “We recommend you close.” “If you stay open and don’t follow all procedures, we will fine you or shut you down, but we can’t tell you exactly what procedures you’re expected to follow.” Many of my competitors were staying open. We talked about how we were being talked at from both ends, but no one could tell up from down. My family unexpectedly lost my mother-in-law in mid-March. Then the government delayed school for another two weeks. I lost it. The funeral had just ended. I screamed. I cried. I thought about packing it all in and declaring bankruptcy. I was not eligible for any of the loan packages available at the time. Either my business had not been open long enough, I did not have the right visa, or I
June 2020
As a hagwon owner, I was quick to notice that COVID was beginning to affect my business back in January. Parents called me to express their concerns, and we reacted immediately by taking extra precautions: sanitizing all desks and materials between classes, requiring hand washing with soap and water immediately upon arrival, requiring anyone with a cough to wear a mask, and asking anyone vomiting or feverish to stay home. Honestly, most of it felt like common sense.
While closed, I kept my teachers working by recording online lessons and checking in with everyone. The start of public schools was delayed a week, but over 40 percent of the parents wanted us to reopen. We received daily messages from either the Office of Education, the Centers for Disease Control, or the hagwon association recommending that we close, but it was not a requirement. They did this so that if I chose to close, I was still responsible for paying my staff 70 percent of their regular salaries despite the hagwon having no revenue.
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Kat Sten is the owner of PEAK English Academy in Mokpo, about an hour south of Gwangju. She has been teaching in Korea for about eight years and has operated her academy since 2017. Here is her story.
from the local Office of Education. We made the call to shut down Sunday night and announced it then to the parents of our students. The Office of Education gave the recommendation to shut down at 1 p.m. Monday, an hour before classes usually start. There appeared to be zero sense of urgency around a decision that affects hundreds of businesses across the city.
EDUCATION
he coronavirus pandemic has encircled the globe, adversely affecting the lives of the entirety of its population. How it affects its residents, however, differs in many ways. For many expats involved in English language teaching in Korea, this has meant a sudden move from traditional classroom instruction to virtual, online teaching. A quick tutorial in educational technology appeared sufficient for language teaching to continue. But in the case of private language schools in the area, coping with the virus has presented different situations for different people that also require different responses. What follows are the accounts of three different members of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of KOTESOL and their encounters with the coronavirus situation: a private English academy (hagwon) owner-operator, a hagwon English teacher, and an English learning center ownerteacher.
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EDUCATION EDUCATION
did not have sufficient collateral. I received a call directly from City Hall the Sunday before we were set to reopen. This was the first and only phone call I have received directly as a business owner. They recommended I shut down, and on the heels of the loss of my mother-in-law and everything going on, I just decided I did not want to fight anymore; we kept our doors closed. The Ministry of Education finally announced that public school classes would go online, but it felt too late and too short notice. We had already been offering online instruction since the end of February, and it was not very popular with the parents. It was really hard to put our schedule together because it typically revolves around the public school calendar. With online classes, there were so many unanswered questions. We called City Hall and the Office of Education several times before April 6, the date we had set to resume in-the-classroom teaching. City Hall told us we had to keep a visitor log and take everyone’s temperature, and to keep doing all the things that we were already doing. The Office of Education said, and I quote, “There are no rules. Call back on April 6, and maybe we will have some then.” I asked if we could know on April 5th. The reply was that they do not work weekends. I laughed. I did not realize that not working weekends was an option amidst this epidemic.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Recently, I finally got approved for a loan. I cannot tell you how relieved I was. I do not have to default on any payments for the month. Even if it takes until September or longer to find out what our “new normal” will look like, we will get there. The reality is that businesses will not bounce back until schools reopen. We are all suffering. My neighborhood shops, my students’ parents’ restaurants, hair salons, and coffee shops. Knowing that we are all in this together makes me want to support my ▲
June 2020
It really bothers me when people online trash-talk businesses for being open by saying, “I wish they would just follow the rules.” We business owners begged for some clear-cut rules to follow!
The entrance to Kat’s language academy, Peak English.
community even more. Following safe social distancing protocols, of course.
Adjusting to Teaching in This Time of Crisis
Lynne has been teaching English as a foreign language in Korea for seventeen years. After teaching at a university for many years, she began teaching at a private academy in Gwangju this year. Here is her story.
The biggest adjustment we truly had to make at our school because of COVID-19 was starting our new academic year one week later than normal. Since we are part of a private institute, we have not been teaching online at all. Our school was closed for only that one additional week of spring break for the students. The native-speaker teachers continued work throughout, with full pay. We are not allowed at work without wearing a face mask. Teachers, students, and bus drivers, as well as any and all administration members, are now required to wear a mask at all times. We had to get used to a new teaching style: getting our teaching across without sounding muffled all the time, and listening and discerning the students’ responses through the filter of a mask. At the beginning, it was also sometimes difficult to get a mask, but our school was a great help in this aspect as well. Government officials come for sudden inspections to ensure that this most basic rule is kept at all times. We teachers check our temperature ourselves, twice a day at school. We record our temperature in a spreadsheet provided for this purpose. We need to report any recent meetings with anyone who has been tested for the new coronavirus. Withholding information can lead to imprisonment and a substantial fine. A few teachers have been in self-isolation concerning this very issue. They have had dealings with friends who informed them soon afterwards that a boyfriend or a family member had been tested for the virus. Even though in each case the person in question had been cleared of having this virus, the school asked the teachers to stay in self-isolation for at least one week, for obvious reasons. Following each of these regulations ensures the safety of our work environment, for our students, and for everyone involved. Even though we have to follow more rules during this time of crisis, we teachers are experiencing a level of job security and normality that one would hope for under the circumstances.
47 Operating an English Learning Center
Jessica Magnusson is the owneroperator of a small English learning center in Gwangju, as well as being a professor at Gwangju National University of Education. She has been operating the learning center for three years and teaching at the university level for over a decade. Here is her story.
The Ministry of Education has been strongly urging, but not legally forcing, hagwon and kyoseupso owners to close their schools from the end of February. Parents have also been encouraged to not send their children to hagwons and kyoseupsos through alert messages and also through the news. My school has been closed from February 23 due to COVID-19. In the early days of the virus in Korea, infections occurring in hagwons or among students and teachers made national news. Adding to the pressure were the constant alert messages from the government, many of them related to private education.
Photographs courtesy of Kat Sten, Jessica Magnusson, and Lynne.
GWANGJU-JEONNAM KOTESOL UPCOMING EVENTS Check the chapter’s webpages and Facebook group periodically for updates on chapter events and online activities. For full event details: Website: http://koreatesol.org/gwangju Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL
The editor
David Shaffer has been a resident of Gwangju and professor at Chosun University for many years. He has been with KOTESOL since its early days and is a past president of the organization. At present, as vicepresident of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of KOTESOL, he invites you to participate in the teacher development workshops at their regular meetings (presently online). Dr. Shaffer is currently the chairman of the board at the Gwangju International Center as well as editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News.
June 2020
Since Pine Tree English has been supplemental income and not my main source of income, I have been able to choose to stay closed for the past three months. The coronavirus itself and pressure from the Ministry of Education have made me excessively nervous. I have been so worried about “getting in trouble.” I have, however,
There you have it: three different stories from three different expats with their three different teaching experiences in this challenging time of coping with COVID-19. Lynne is continuing face-to-face classes at her school as the school continues to practice the guidelines set forth by the government. Kat’s hagwon reopened on April 6 and saw a gradual return of its students. An unexpected side effect for the school has been that, with the online-only instruction at public schools during the same period, her school has experienced a highly increased rate of new students. Analyzing the public school situation, Jessica has set June 1 as the date that her learning center will reopen. We hope that all goes well for them and for everyone in a private academy-related situation in Korea as the nation adapts to the “new normal” in coping with COVID-19.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
It would have been possible for me to open up my learning center at any time while adhering to strict guidelines, such as taking and recording student temperatures daily, disinfecting between classes, and making sure that students washed their hands upon entering the school. I was supplied with sanitizer from the Gwangju Seobu Office of Education. I would have had no problem following these guidelines. However, it would be very hard to implement social distancing due to the space limitation of my school. Many school owners have had to operate at only around 50 percent capacity due to the social distancing regulations. My plan is to open up again when all elementary, middle, and high school students return to their schools. I am eagerly awaiting the opening of these schools.
Epilogue
EDUCATION
I rent a space for a small English school in the marketplace building of an apartment complex in west Gwangju. The school, Pine Tree English, is about six pyeong [20 sq. m.] in size. It is not big enough to be legally called a hagwon. It falls in the category of kyoseupso (교습소), which is a one-person operation where the teacher takes on all of the administrate duties and is only allowed to teach one subject. I have been doing this part-time in the evenings since 2017.
used this time to re-evaluate my curriculum and develop additional computer skills. The COVID-19 situation has improved greatly in Korea, and I am eagerly looking forward to finally re-opening my English learning center.
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Expat Living
Proud of Being Korean
COMMUNITY
Written by Elina Park
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www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
eing a Korean from Uzbekistan who speaks Russian sounds complicated, does it not? Every time I meet new people, they get pretty surprised and cannot understand how this can be. Consequently, I have to explain the history of my family and other people like me who were born and raised in Uzbekistan. So, now I have become a master at telling, in just three minutes, the whole history of how my ancestors got to the Soviet Union and how my family moved to Uzbekistan. You can read about it below. I am a third-generation Korean born in Uzbekistan; the first generation came to Uzbek lands in 1937 due to forced deportation from the Russian Far East to Kazakh and Uzbek in the USSR. Since in the USSR there was only one commonly accepted language, Russian, all other languages were forbidden; my grandparents and parents had no choice except to learn Russian. As a result, my parents have already forgotten the Korean language. My generation and those born after me do not know Korean and so most of the time they speak Russian instead. In 1991, Uzbekistan gained independence, and Uzbek became an official language. However, Koreans found it hard enough to adapt to the Russian language, and many of us cannot speak Uzbek, myself included. According to my grandmother, our ancestors were sent to Soviet lands during the Korean-Japanese war and then, due to the new war between Russia and Japan, Koreans were sent to Central Asia. Since my childhood,
my grandmother told me to remember that I am Korean and that I should know our history and culture. Unfortunately, she never had an opportunity to visit our ancestors’ land, but I made her dream come true. After living in Tashkent for about 19 years, I came to Korea and obtained my bachelor’s degree as a scholarship student at Chonnam National University majoring in business administration, and currently I am living and working in Gwangju. However, this was not my first time to come to South Korea. My parents and I traveled to Seoul for a week when I was about 10 years old. My first reaction was “Wow, there are so many people that look like me! All of them seemed like my relatives!” We just traveled around Seoul, visiting Seoul Grand Park Zoo, Aqua World, and the 63 Building while eating great food and taking night walks. I kept that week deep in my heart because the place felt like a home for me, and I promised myself that I would come back again. As a kid, I really loved tteokbokki (떡볶이) and Korean chicken, which were the foods I later missed the most. Still, as a grown-up I am still in love with tteokbokki and enjoy crispy, fried chicken with garlic sauce. Approximately fifteen years ago, many people did not know that there were Koreans in Central Asia. Even when I came to study in 2016, a lot of people did not know about Koryeo-saram (고려사람). They considered me Uzbek and could not understand why I spoke to other
49 Uzbeks in English or Korean. However, as time went by, many people got to know about us and that there is a lot of aid from the Korean government to overseas Koreans. Next, I will go over a few such programs assisting overseas ethnic Koreans like me. First of all, for Uzbek-Koreans, there are generally three types of visas that we can receive by proving our Korean ancestry.
in this program as participants and volunteers as well. All of them were really happy to have participated in this camp, which was fully supported. For some participants, it was their first chance to visit Korea. Amazing programs like these help overseas Koreans to visit the country of their ancestors and keep the culture and history in their hearts and minds. I was always proud of being Korean, and I am also happy that I was born and grew up in such a warm and hospitable country as Uzbekistan. One summer, about two years ago, I met three university students who were doing interviews in one of the small villages in Uzbekistan where many Korean elders are still residing. They were working on school research and gathering information about how Koreans came to Uzbekistan. I keep in my heart and mind all the memories of our ancestors that my grandmother left me – memories I hope to pass on to the next generation. I really want people to learn more about us and keep us in the pages of our national history. Photographs courtesy of Elina Park.
2017 OKFriends Home Coming Youth Camp photo was taken from http://www.youth.go.kr/.
The Author
June 2020
Elina Park is an ethnic Korean who was born and raised in Uzbekistan. Recently, she received her bachelor’s degree in business administration at Chonnam National University. Currently, she is a GIC intern at the CNU Language Education Center. Instagram: @elibuuuuu.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
There is also the Overseas Korean Foundation (OKF), which is similar to the KGSP (Korean Government Scholarship Program) and was created to support overseas Korean studying in local universities for undergraduate and graduate programs. This scholarship includes airfare (roundtrip), a monthly allowance of 900,000 won, a settlement allowance, medical insurance, language training expenses, and tuition. Moreover, there is a program called the OKFriends Homecoming Teens and Youth Camp, which gives heritage Korean teens and youth from around the world a chance to meet each other in Korea and develop a sense of pride in their Korean heritage by experiencing the society, history, and culture of their homeland. Many of my friends also participated
▲ The Uzbekistan team at International Day at CNU.
COMMUNITY
C-3-1(8) Visa: This is a short-term general visa that can be received easily by all overseas Koreans, usually for travel and family visits with residency lasting up to 90 days. H-2 Visa: This is a work and travel visa for overseas Koreans who were Korean at the time of birth and have a Certificate of Family Registry. It comes with up to two years of residency, which can be extended. F-4 Visa: This visa is known as a visa for overseas Koreans that gives the right to live and work officially in South Korea and can be extended multiple times. However, for Uzbek-Koreans, this visa can be given to people with an education higher than high school or people who received special courses for obtaining professional skills in some specific areas like baking or hairstyling and also passing the related exam. It is also available to overseas Koreans who are 60 or older.
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50
Opinion
Drive-By Birthdays: Now I’ve Heard It All Written by William Urbanski
Of all the frivolous, unnecessary nonsense going on in the world, this takes the cake.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
OPINION
W
hen I recently read the North American headlines that mentioned “drive-bys” and “children” in the same sentence, I was bracing myself for yet another story about a community ensnarled by gang violence. The reality was much, much worse. Although thankfully there have been no reported cases of this phenomenon in Korea quite yet, it seems that an unfortunate by-product of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in North America has been the ludicrous, energy-profligate, and blatantly ridiculous practice of “drive-by birthdays.” While I have seen and heard a lot of things in my day that make me question the collective IQs of entire nations, this one breaks new ground. Any individual who has participated in a drive-by birthday should take a close and honest look at his or her decisionmaking process because this whole practice is seriously wack. The drive-by birthday is a solution to the non-problem of children who otherwise would not get to have birthday parties because of the common-sense rules in place to contain the spread of COVID-19. Since inviting a bunch of germ-covered kids over to the birthday boy’s or girl’s house to run amok and sneeze on each other until it is time for them to shove chocolate cake in their faces with their bare hands is not an option, and since the parents of said birthday boy or girl cannot just, you know, cancel the party, they devised a “solution” whereby parents slowly drive by the house while their obnoxious kids scream happy birthday at the top of their lungs and hold up signs from the back seat. It seems that drive-by birthdays are some parents’ way of declaring to the world that they will not let a global pandemic that has killed thousands stop them from throwing a birthday party. Well, here is the problem with that line of reasoning: Anyone with a functioning brain between their ears should let the coronavirus stop them from doing all sorts of stuff. The Herculean logistical effort required to coordinate one of these poor excuses for a parade would be appropriate
for someone generally going through a tough time, like a child with a terminal disease. But the kids in question are neither particularly special nor noteworthy, nor celebrating huge milestones – it is just another birthday. Obviously, the coronavirus is not stopping any family from acknowledging the day a kid was born. It is just the outward, showy party aspect that has to be indefinitely postponed – and that is what the bad parents just cannot seem to let go of. Birthdays have two parts: the recognition of the date of one’s birth and the cultural tradition of getting together with a bunch of people. The former lends itself to a quiet and dignified get-together of close family. The latter – the “birthday bash” – is superfluous. And, much like Christmas, which has its origins in some baby being born two millennia ago, birthdays have become obfuscated with virtually compulsory and excessive shopping, and as people get older, with regrettable nights in the club. Fairness vs. Generosity Purportedly, the motivation for going through with this emerging and foolish practice has its roots in a subconscious statistical comparison of costs and benefits: The inconvenience of organizing a drive-by party is less than the pain it would cause the parents to listen to their screamy, spoiled kid whine about missing a birthday. So this “grand bargain,” as it were, alludes to the great tragedy of this whole situation: that it is a missed teaching opportunity. Any child who must have a party cancelled will probably make the outlandish claim that “it’s not fair.” Well, by definition, cancelling a non-mandatory gathering of a bunch of kids in an enclosed place, among a plethora of event cancellations around the globe in place to prevent the spread of a communicable disease, is extremely fair. So, the proper course of action would be to sit down with the birthday child and explain exactly what is going on and how not having a birthday is actually a good and compassionate precaution to take – end of story. It would also be a good opportunity to explain
51 that while people are under a social obligation to be fair (for better or worse), they are under no obligation to be generous, which is what birthday parties are all about: compulsive generosity. Suggesting that people must be generous (i.e., that kids must provide birthday gifts) is ridiculous. If there are two people and one sandwich, each person getting half is fair. If one person thinks that on his birthday, he is entitled to the whole sandwich, then that person was not raised properly.
A Message Through Time We have been talking a lot about the bad precedent driveby birthdays set for kids, but let us think for a moment about the ridiculous messages we are sending into the future because, make no mistake, anthropologists five hundred years from now will look back on this in bewildered amusement. They will, without question, and rightfully so, relentlessly and mercilessly mock any parent who caved in to their child’s temper tantrums and organized one of these shindigs. The archeologists and anthropologists of the year 2520 will be forced to conclude that what we, as a society, deemed to be supremely important in life was to bust our humps working jobs we do not like so that we can waste time, money, and gas putting on ridiculous parades for our spoiled kids. It is understandable that children will get upset because they cannot have a birthday party, but given the current circumstances, I say, let them eat cake. Graphics by William Urbanski.
The Author
June 2020
William Urbanski, managing editor of the Gwangju News, has an MA in international relations and cultural diplomacy. He is married to a wonderful Korean woman, always pays cash, and keeps all his receipts. Instagram: @will_il_gatto.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Plato and the Virtuous Society Now, admittedly, I am paraphrasing a bit here, but Plato postulated that the ultimate goal of democracy, and the purpose of society in general, is not to let a bunch of kids play Pin the Tail on the Donkey and hit a piñata once a year. It is to cultivate virtuous citizens: those that understand virtues and adhere to them, thereby making society as a whole better. Entitlement is not a virtue, and by implicitly teaching kids that it is okay to bend basic safety rules to party down, we should really wonder what values we are instilling in them. Now, all this might be a little over the heads of little Johnny or Jenny who is crying the blues about a cancelled birthday, so let us leave it at this: No kid has a moral right to a birthday party. While it is easy (and fun) to point the finger at children, let’s not forget that 99.99 percent of kids are too busy playing in the mud and/or lack the executive function to orchestrate any sort of party, especially one requiring a procession of vehicles. This inconvenient truth points to the explicit involvement of the parents, which is the other thing
drive-by birthdays are about anyway. Parents organize these things so that they can record them, make a terrible video, upload it onto Facebook, count how many likes they get, then pat themselves on the back for what a good job they have been doing.
OPINION
Sweet 16 Back in the early 2000s, there was an amazing show on MTV called My Super Sweet 16, which profiled snotty rich girls as their parents bent over backwards and dropped serious coin trying to throw them the ultimate birthday bash. Every conceivable stereotype of a haughtytaughty, spoiled, ungrateful, all-around dumpster fire of a soon-to-be-sixteen-year-old brat played out on the screen. While amusing, some of the episodes were hard to watch, such as when these little princesses whined and literally cried because the musicians hired to perform at their parties were not famous enough. My personal theory about why this show enjoyed such enormous (albeit ephemeral) popularity, is that watching it acted as a kind of catharsis to the viewing masses who were able to say “well, at least my kid isn’t that spoiled.” So, in a sense, My Super Sweet 16 enjoyed success for the same reason that World Wrestling Entertainment has continued to sap the intellects of every city it has visited for nearly 40 years – it is an outlet for emotions that we are normally taught to suppress. Furthermore, part of the enjoyment of these shows is the juxtaposition they create between values and attitudes that are worthy of praise and those, such as greed and entitlement, that invite ridicule and scorn.
52 Book Review
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows Reviewed by Kristy Dolson
W
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
ARTS & CULTURE
hen I began writing this article, a mere three days before the deadline, the world was still deep into its COVID-19 lockdown. South Korea’s government was still encouraging citizens to social distance and stay home despite the long weekend created by Buddha’s Birthday and Children’s Day. I myself had planned a trip to Vancouver and was working through a mild depression brought on by the cancellation and subsequent feelings of isolation and loneliness. But I had to push those feelings aside and face the reality: I could not get on a plane to Vancouver to meet my best friend. But I could still text and video call with my loved ones. I could still put my energy into passion projects. I could still write and read and declutter my apartment. I could reflect on the past month of turbulence and make a plan for how the next month was going to be better. It is in that spirit that I bring you a review for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. In this book I found solace. It is a celebration of the written word and our desire for stories and art to lift us up out of the chaos and uncertainty of war and what comes after. Mainly, it is a book about individuals in a community coming together to survive and renew themselves during a time of crisis. Guernsey is one of the Channel Islands, a self-governing British Crown dependency. During WWII, the Channel Islands came under German occupation and the citizens were isolated from the outside world for nearly five years. This is a historical novel that fictionalizes the occupation, but succeeds in recollecting and reframing the history, memory, guilt, trauma, and compassion of a community in the aftermath of WWII. The story revolves around London-based author Juliet Ashton, who made a name for herself during the war by writing a recurring humor column about a fictional war journalist. Now that the war has passed, Juliet struggles to find a new source for her writing. One day, she receives a letter from a man on Guernsey and learns of how the islanders’ rebellious act against the Germans brought a fractured community back together. Her writing and personal interests piqued, she begins corresponding with a few members from the titular Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Through her correspondence and eventual visit to the island, Juliet discovers material for her next book – and for her own future.
I did not know anything about the occupation of the Channel Islands, so I was very interested by all the wellresearched details that were in the book. They come from a wide variety of perspectives, as the authors introduce many characters, each one a fully fleshed-out human personality that jumps off the pages. It was so refreshing to dive into their lives for a moment and leave my own thoughts and anxieties behind. The ending is entirely predictable, but I had grown so fond of the characters and the events were so charmingly described that I forgive it the cheesy romantic ending. For anyone interested, this book was adapted for the screen in 2018 and is available on Netflix, starring Lily James as Juliet Ashton. While the movie adaptation is superb, what I love about the novel is the unique style in which it was written. The entire narrative (with a small exception towards the end) is composed of a series of letters and telegrams between the characters. When a novel is composed of a series of documents, it is called an “epistolary novel.” In the beginning, I worried that this style would be tedious to keep track of, but I was pleasantly surprised and found it to be a nice change of pace. Speaking of pace, the letters are often short, urging readers on so they do not lose the momentum of the correspondence. I also enjoyed that the events, which could have been somewhat dull to read in prose, are made more charming and humorous through the eyes of the differing personalities. Most people no longer write pen-and-paper letters, and that is a shame. But the desire for connection has not been lost. Even in the worst of times, people are still reaching out to each other and supporting each other. I hope that May and June bring a more positive outlook to a world in crisis. I hope we never lose sight of the things that matter and the people who bring us joy, love, and wonder.
The Reviewer
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 has now returned to Gwangju, where she splits her time between teaching at the new Jeollanamdo International Education Institute and reading as much as she can.
Gwangju Writes 53
Where Have All the Tulips Gone? A couple’s reflections on the COVID-19 tulip massacre Written by Jocelyn Wright
Written by Prabesh Paudel
The beauty, the splendor, the glory of spring Brutally beheaded But why?
Tulip, I’m sorry It’s not your fault But I cannot let you bloom
Why attack voiceless Nature? What crime has she colorfully committed?
Oh Tulip, I’m sorry You will not see the spring sun I’m sorry you will not feel the spring rain
None whatsoever!
Oh Tulip, I’m sorry You have to fall for me to thrive
An extreme act of violence An innocent victim A tragic fate For 2020 tulips
Oh Tulip, I’m sorry I cannot let you bloom But I promise next year you will bloom I will let you bloom For now, I’m sorry I cannot let you bloom I cannot let you bloom
ARTS & CULTURE
The slayers slay to protect their species From themselves From their desire to break free from self-quarantine From their thirst to gather despite social-distancing conventions From their tendency to gravitate towards her
The Writers
Jocelyn Wright from Canada and Prabesh Paudel from Nepal met on a mountain in South Korea in the spring of 2015. Through various activities and exchanges, they developed a deep friendship that led to the union of their two hearts in 2018. Every year, they impatiently await the return of the gorgeous cherry blossoms and tulips.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
54 Gwangju Writes
There and Here Written by Boipelo Seswane
T
ARTS & CULTURE
he air was thick and sticky – the way only Korean summer air can be.
The cab came to a stop as neon lights streamed in from the beauty store on the corner onto the patched blue seat covers, casting shades of yellow and pink on the diamond patterns. Lerato handed the cab driver her bankcard and silently waited for him to hand it back. She had forgotten how alive Chungjang-ro felt in the summer and began to wonder if it had been a good idea to venture out. Couples and families filled the tiny streets. She thanked the cab driver and bade him farewell, slipping her bankcard into her pocket. She sighed to herself opening the door and stepped out among the milling people. Streetlights were beginning to faintly glitter against the gradual build of darkness. Lerato stood silently on the sidewalk for a moment before heading towards the restaurant.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
It had been a crazy week. She had broken down in tears in the teachers’ room. Her co-teacher comforted her and eventually helped her make an appointment when her sobbing had settled. Here she was today, having just gotten back into town from the hospital in another district. Stress. That is what they said was causing the lumps, but they would check of course just to be safe, so she needed to return in a couple of days. “Get some rest,” that is what everyone, including the doctor, had said. There was nothing more she wanted than to be alone, but every moment by herself felt further from respite. It felt lonely, stifling, scary. Those were feelings she did not feel ready to process, so here she found herself – alone among all the laughing families and giggling lovers. The restaurant was fairly quiet for such a busy day. Lerato picked a window seat along a quiet section of the wall to still feel connected to the outside.
Lerato’s eyes kept wandering as she waited for her dinner to arrive and landed on an old couple at the edge of the street packing away their street-food stall. She watched as they worked in sections rolling down the tarp sides; old fingers struggling to undo the straps holding the flaps up. The woman dusted fluff off her bright yellow work bib before running across the square to put the trash in the bin – her reddish-blonde bob bouncing off her shoulders. She ducked around the subway entrance and then disappeared into the adjacent building. The little stall had now turned into a truck. The old man locked the back and climbed in to wait for her. His movements were slow and weighted: feet lifting and deliberately hitting the tarred earth, pendulum arms. The waiter appeared, announcing Lerato’s meal. She thanked him and looked back outside. The old couple and their truck were gone and a new one had arrived in its place. Cutting into her simple steak dinner, she took a moment to find some form of peace in knowing that even though she felt she was processing madness, in essence she was okay. Her mother had instilled that in her. She thought back to the day before she had left home to return to Korea. Members of her father’s family had contacted her out of the blue of 24-odd years to tell her that despite everything that was happening, she was not one of them. They said she was not privy to knowing “what was happening,” and hung up in the same blue from which they had called in the first place. In the fuzz of the surprise call and the heaviness thrown at her, she was reminded of the day she had asked her mother about her father. She had been young, curious, and without much memory of the man aside from the time her mother had frantically needed him to be present for a doctor’s visit. With bright, kindergarten eyes, she remembered that it was the first and last time she had seen him in her life.
55 Her mother sighed, taking Lerato’s hands into her own. They felt warm – even the callouses along her mother’s Girdle of Venus were a comfort. Lerato’s eyes darted across her mother’s tired face and felt something she could not place at her young age. Her mother smiled, making tiny crow’s feet appear around her eyes, and said, “I’m choosing to be open with you. It’ll be too much or too little – you won’t always understand, but it’ll never be a lie.” From then on, anytime Lerato curiously opened some wound her mother had carefully tended to, her mother would take the Band-Aid off with her and redress the wound.
The Author
Boipelo Seswane is a Seoul-based South African artist. She is a teacher, performer/creator (actor, model, and painter), and a writer with experience in multiple facets of creativity, including writing, editing, theater, and film. Boipelo has always been interested in interrogating life through words and other forms of expression. She can be found on Instagram @bopzybee.
ARTS & CULTURE
They both had no idea, but here they were healing each other – lightening the loads and holding each other a little closer. All these years later, they both relished in the phone calls, text messages, and whatever time they had together – even across time zones. They would talk about anything and everything, carefully cleansing parts of themselves and each other and placing love where it had seemed scarce.
That is what their love was like – a kind of gentle holding and understanding. Lerato smiled to herself, making a mental note to call her mother when she arrived back at her apartment. It would be nice to have a kiki, – they would laugh, perhaps cry – but more importantly, love would flow. Her spirit felt lighter as she ate the rest of her meal; she felt part of the laughter and love outside.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
56
Community Board Have something you want to share with the community? The Community Board provides a space for the community to announce activities and special events. Please contact gwangjunews@gic.or.kr for more information.
Gwangju Toastmasters Club
Gwangju Toastmasters Club (TM) is a relaxed, alternativestyle Toastmasters club that focuses on building communication and leadership skills. We provide people with opportunities to improve and practice their communication skills with prepared and impromptu speaking roles. Guests are welcome! We meet every Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the GIC, 2nd Floor, Room 5. For more information, please visit our Facebook page: Gwangju Toastmasters.
KONA Storybook Center
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
June 2020
KONA Storybook Center (KSC) is a registered research center for English reading education and culture exchange. It supports UNESCO KONA Volunteers (UKV). UKV is a registered organization that helps disadvantaged children to learn English indewpendently through storybooks and story-maps. We guide the family and children to develop a love of reading and to explore foreign cultures. 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. The days for KONA volunteering and the facilities are as follows: 1. KONA Storybook Center: Saturdays, 10 a.m.– 12 p.m. 2. Children’s English Library: Saturdays, 2 p.m.– 4 p.m. 3. Gwangju Children’s Home: Every 4th Saturday 2 p.m– 4 p.m. 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.
Gwangju Art Class
Hello, Gwangju Art Lovers! Do you have experience with arts and crafts, and are you itching to get involved in the community? We are looking for volunteer instructors who are interested in inspiring creativity around them. Visit www.facebook.com/groups/GwangjuArtClass/ for more info!
Talking Helps
One-to-one counseling services hosted by GIC for international residents in Gwangju. Due to the COVID-19 situation the counseling sessions are currently available online.
For more information and application registration visit www.facebook.com/gwangjuic/ or http://eng.gic.or.kr.
KONA English Center
KONA Storybook Center The KONA English Center (KEC) is an educational center for English reading and culture exchanges. The KEC will guide any family and their children to develop a love for reading and to explore foreign cultures.
KONA English Center 코나영어센터 KONA Storybook Center 영어독서교육연구소 UNESCO KONA Volunteers 유네스코 코나 자원봉사단
Programs: 1. 영어독서멘토링 (Mentoring in English Reading) 2. 영어로 배우는 과학 (Science in English) 3. 영어로 배우는 위인전 (Biography in English) 4. 코나비전특강 (KONA Vision Talk) 5. 외국인과 함께하는 문화교실 (UNESCO CCAP)
Tel: 062-434-9887 광주광역시 서구 상일로 37 37 Sangil-ro, Seo-gu, Gwangju
The KONA Storybook Center (KSC) is a non-profit organization that helps disadvantaged children to learn English independently through storybooks and storymaps with UNESCO KONA Volunteers (UKV).
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