2005-2162

Opening a communicative space 

between Korea and the world 

ISSN: 2005-2162 

Korea’s Dynamos: 

Innovative Success Stories 

The Diplomacy of the Dinner Table 

12 

DECEMBER 

2009 

www.korea.net

The world is moving toward Ulsan, Korea! 

 

 

 

 

Ulsan, the economic hub of Northeast Asia! Where global companies come to do business. 

 

 

 

Tel : 82-52-229-3070~3073 ulsan.investkorea.org

CONTENTS 

16 

23 

38 

Cover Photo 

The Oasis of the Seas, 

the world’s biggest cruise 

ship, was built by a 

Korean group. 

 

Provided by STX 

Publisher 

Kim He-beom, 

Korean Culture and 

Information Service 

Chief Editor 

Ko Hye-ryun 

Editing & Printing 

JoongAng Daily 

E-mail 

webmaster@korea.net 

Design 

JoongAng Daily 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be 

reproduced in any form without permission from Korea 

and the Korean Culture and Information Service. 

The articles published in Korea do not necessarily represent 

the views of the publisher. The publisher is not 

liable for errors or omissions. 

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and address. Letters may be edited for clarity and/or 

space restrictions. 

If you want to receive a free copy of Korea or wish to 

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A downloadable PDF file of Korea and a map and glossary 

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are available by clicking on the thumbnail of Korea on 

the homepage of www.korea.net. 

발간등록번호: 11-1110073-000016-06 

06 

16 

Cover Story 

• Big Dreams Small Firms - Hidden Champions 

News in Focus 

• International Understanding Through Kimchi 

22 Diplomacy 

• Korea to Play Bridging Role 

• Allies Tackle Myriad Issues 

• Obama in the New Asia 

• Korea Pledges Aid, Training at 2nd Africa Forum 

in Seoul 

• OECD Forum Experts Seek New Metric to Replace 

GDP 

30 

36 

Global Korea 

• Thanking Those Who Answered Peace’s Call 

• Translation on a Biblical Scale 

• Looking After God’s Children 

Green Growth 

• Outrunning Climate Change 

4 korea December 2009

DECEMBER 2009 

VOL. 16 / NO. 12 

48 55 

56 

38 Culture 

• It’s Better Late Than Never As Koreans 

Head to the Mall 

• Hardships and Love in Verse 

• Four For One, One For All 

44 

48 

Korean Literature 

• A broken heart in a divided nation : 

Kim Won-il 

Korean Artist 

• Architect Preserves, Resurrects Korea’s 

Traditional Lifestyles : Jo Jeong-gu 

52 Sports 

• Majestic Park Will Be Home to a Beloved 

Korean Sport 

• Lim Bests Zhang in Denmark 

• Kim Yun-a’s Road to the Gold 

56 Travel 

• To the Slopes! 

• A Visit to the Incheon Shore for Fresh, 

Authentic Seafood 

62 People 

• In the Sandy Footsteps of an Ancient 

Pilgrim : Nam Young-ho 

• Boy’s Journey from Zambia to Korea’s Top 

University : Kent Kamasumba 

66 

Foreign viewpoints 

• Don’t Take Korea’s Tale For Granted : 

Simon Bureau 

December 2009 korea 5

The Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest and newest cruise ship, 

navigates through a channel headed for its home port nearby 

in Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Nov. 13. The Royal 

Caribbean ship was constructed in Finland by STX Europe, which 

is owned by Korea’s STX Group. 

[AP] 


Cover Story | | Hidden Korea Champions at the G-20 

BIG 

DREAMS 

SMALL 

The world looks to Korea as it becomes the first non-G8 

country to chair the Group of 20 and steer economic policy 

FIRMS 


[JoongAng Ilbo] 


Cover Story | Hidden Champions 

Korea’s Hidden Champions 

How risk-taking entrepreneurs fought to the top of their global niches 

Kortek specializes in LCD 

displays for casino slot 

machines as well as information 

and advertising 

displays. The company 

has the largest market 

share in the world for 

casino displays. 

For Korea, the financial crisis had an 

upside — though it was a shock to the 

system, sending many companies into 

restructuring, it gave local exporters a 

chance to build market share against their 

rivals. 

And that success wasn’t limited to the enormous 

conglomerates that most overseas associate 

with Asia’s fourth-largest economy. 

The eyes of the world were transfixed last 

month when the world’s largest cruise ship, three 

times the size of the Titanic, docked in Florida. 

It was the handoff of the 72-meter-high, 

360-meter-long Oasis of the Seas to its new owner, 

the U.S.-based cruise company Royal Caribbean, 

from its builder, none other than STX 

Europe, a company purchased by the Korean 

STX Group in 2007. The vessel was evidence of 

just how far the Korean company had come in 

technological advancement and skill. 

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics, the flagship 

unit of the nation’s largest conglomerate, 

surprised investors at home and abroad with its 

third-quarter performance. The leading conglomerate 

not only posted a record operating 

profit for the July-September season but outpaced 

the operating profit of nine Japanese electronics 

companies including Sony, Panasonic 

and Hitachi — combined. 

The Japanese business newspaper Nihon 

Keizai wrote that Samsung Electronics’ operating 

profit was roughly 4.2 trillion won ($3.6 billion) 

or 326 billion yen, more than twice the size 

the 151.9 billion yen posted by the nine Japanese 

firms. 

Nobuyuki Oneda, vice president of Sony, 

acknowledged Samsung Electronics’ numbers. 

He said it was hard not to admit that Sony had 

lost competitiveness against Samsung. Fumio 

Ohtsubo, president of Panasonic, made a similar 

statement. 

Nihon Keizai reported that while Japanese 

companies were busy cutting back on investment 

with the global economic downturn, Samsung 

Electronics did the opposite and aggressively 

spent to solidify its market dominance. 

Samsung Electronics’ memory chip market 

share rose from 29 percent in the second quarter 

to 31.1 percent from July to September. 

Add in Hynix Semiconductor’s 22.8 percent 

of the global market and Korea’s presence in 

memory chips is overwhelming. 

Samsung’s expansion happened while leading 

Taiwanese chipmaker Nanya Technology 

saw an operating deficit and Japan’s Elpida 

Memory narrowly avoided facing a loss during 

the same period. 

The Korean company has never dropped 

from the top spot in the world memory chip 

market since 1993, and since 1983, the company’s 

semiconductor division has been growing at 

an average of 27 percent every year. 

In NAND flash memory chips, Samsung had 

38.5 percent of the global market in the third 

quarter, up from 37.6 percent from April to June, 

according to a report by the research agency 

DRAMeXchange. That growth solidifies Samsung’s 

leading position and widens the gap with 

runner-up Toshiba, which has a 34.7 percent 

share. Micron and Hynix Semiconductor followed, 

with 9.4 percent and 8.7 percent of the 

market, respectively. 

Mobile phone sales in the United States were 

another reason for Samsung to rejoice. According 

to U.S.-based Strategy Analytics, Samsung 

had 25.6 percent of the North American cellular 

market from July to September. 

The company has sold more than 10 million 

mobile phones over five consecutive quarters, an 

accomplishment made even more remarkable 

when one considers that Samsung Electronics 

made its debut in North America in 1997. 

LG Electronics, another Korean company, 

closely trails Samsung at 20.7 percent of the 

North American cellular market. Motorola’s 

share is 16.7 percent, RIM accounts for 12.2 percent 

and Apple, 7.4 percent. 

Samsung Electronics’ television unit is also 

thriving. In the third quarter the Korean electronics 

company sold 6.9 million LCD televi- 



sions, raising its global market share for that 

product from 20.5 percent three months earlier 

to 21.1percent. 

Combine that with LG Electronics’ 12.3 percent, 

a new record for the runner-up, and a full 

third of the world’s LCD TV sales come from 

Korean companies. During the same period, 

Sony saw its LCD market share drop 0.6 percentage 

point from the previous quarter to 10.1 percent. 

Sharp’s global market share increased from 

6.7 percent in the second quarter to 7.3 percent. 

But electronics are not the only Korean products 

thriving on the global market. 

Hyundai Motor has been aggressively 

expanding overseas, while major automakers 

such as General Motors and Toyota suffer massive 

losses. The Korean carmaker in the third 

quarter saw its earnings and operating profit 

increase 33.8 percent to 8.9 trillion won and 

461.5 percent to 586.8 billion won from a year 

earlier, respectively. 

Net profit hit a record high of 979.1 billion 

won, a 269.8 percent surge from the same period 

last year. Thanks to higher sales, the company’s 

global market share has been expanding, breaking 

the 5 percent barrier for the first time in the 

second quarter and rising in the third quarter 

from 5.2 to 5.5 percent. 

Hyundai also has a dominating presence in 

liquefied petroleum gas-electric hybrid vehicles, 

as the the only auto manufacturer to develop 

them along with its affiliate Kia Motors. 

Korean products have finally made the jump 

from a reputation for second-rate quality to a 

force to be reckoned with even for high-end 

goods. It’s the same path walked by Japan, which 

after World War II had a very poor image. But by 

the 1980s and 1990s Americans were turning off 

their Panasonic televisions, grabbing their Sony 

Walkman cassette players and driving their Toyotas 

to work. 

Today Korean products have penetrated the 

Western lifestyle just as deeply, rising from the 

ruins of civil war in the 1950s to become one of 

Asia’s leading economies. 

Now Westerners call each other on Samsung 

phones, go shopping in their Hyundai autos and 

put the groceries in LG Electronics refrigerators. 

Although Korea’s economic growth hit a 

speed bump during the Asian financial crisis in 

1997 and 1998, the country has made an exceptional 

comeback since 2000, led by businesses 

that worked hard to put down roots in new countries. 

In fact, exports by Korean conglomerates 

have surged 125 percent in the last five years. 

But with this swift growth comes structural 

weaknesses. A Fair Trade Commission report 

last year showed that the top 100 companies 

accounted for 50 percent of the nation’s mining 

HJC Helmets, which 

started off as a small 

motorcycle helmet parts 

supplier in 1971, has 

grown into the motorcycle 

helmet manufacturer 

with the world’s larest 

market share. 



Provided by the company 

A full 127 Korean products held the top 

spot in their respective markets last year. 

Young An was founded 

in 1959. Today it supplies 

hats and baseball caps to 

over 70 countries. 

and manufacturing in 2006. This was an increase 

from 46.8 percent in 2005 and 46.4 percent in 

2004. 

The agency said the report showed that 

Korea’s economy is growing more dependent on 

the few conglomerates, particularly since the crisis 

of the late 1990s wiped out many smaller businesses. 

The 31 conglomerates with assets of over 5 

trillion won held 37.5 percent of the market for 

mining and manufacturing here in Korea, with 

over a quarter taken up by the top five business 

groups. Those 31 conglomerates also accounted 

for 76.2 percent of exports. That renders the 

Korean economy especially vulnerable to problems 

in these large family-owned jaebeol. 

But growing small businesses may be able to 

remedy the situation, and some experts have put 

their hope in these “hidden champions.” In this 

category are companies with strong technological 

foundations or products that have the potential 

to be — or already are — international hits. 

An Chong-bum, an economics professor at 

Sungkyunkwan University, says the Korea economy 

was only able to reach where it is today 

thanks to smaller companies, without whom 

there would be no Samsung Electronics or Hyundai 

Motor. Therefore, the success of the nation’s 

economy is entwined with the success of these 

firms. 

Professor An believes that such small operations 

are able to thrive because of their endless 

efforts to innovate. Better technology and 

improvements in quality are the only way small 

and mid-size companies are able to survive, An 

says. 

The name “hidden champions” comes from 

the title of a book by Hermann Simon on the 

power of the small to mid-sized business. 

Germany has been the largest exporter in the 

world since it took that title from the U.S. in 

2007. In 2000, U.S. exports accounted for 12.1 

percent of the world’s overseas shipments. But 

seven years later, Germany’s global market share 

had grown to 9.5 percent, while U.S. fell to 8.3 

percent. 

The secret to Germany’s strength, Simon 

argues in his book, was competitive smaller 

companies. Simon claims that two-thirds of the 

world’s “hidden champions,” roughly 1,300 

firms, are German. He says these companies play 

a vital role in Germany’s economy, and that it is 

the same for the Netherlands and Belgium. 

Visiting Korea in June, Simon noted that 

Korea’s economy was too reliant on conglomer- 



ate, but that there are numerous Korean companies 

that could become hidden champions. 

According to the Ministry of Knowledge 

Economy, last year 127 Korean products held 

the top spot in their respective global markets. 

The number of products on that list is up significantly, 

from just 49 products in 2002 and 86 

in 2005. 

Of course, some of the winners on the list 

are typical Korean exports — semiconductors, 

LNG vessels and so forth — but others came 

from surprising smaller operations, including 

motorcycle helmets, bicycle shoes and speaker 

grilles. 

Those examples show that even the smallest 

Korean company can grow into a global affair if 

it is skilled enough in its market niche. 

And several organizations are already moving 

quickly to contribute support to help Korea’s 

hidden champions realize that potential. 

In early November, Korea Exchange held an 

unusual event at the COEX convention center in 

southern Seoul. In its first IR Expo, Korea 

Exchange set up a booth under the title “Hidden 

Champions.” Twenty-two smaller companies 

participated at the investor relations show, aiming 

not only to attract capital but also to promote 

their goods and technologies. 

One of them was Kortek, the current leader 

in displays for casinos. Over 50 percent of the 

displays supplied to casinos around the world, 

including the Bellagio, the MGM Grand and the 

Mirage in Las Vegas, are developed by Kortex. 

And the company has not stopped there, 

adding digital information displays and large 

LCD monitors that provide information and 

advertisements to its portfolio. The company 

recently inked contracts to supply the former to 

Japan’s NEC and Loewe of Germany. 

Lee Han-gu, chairman and founder of 

Kortek, says his success came from finding businesses 

that were untapped, and from never being 

satisfied with just a single area of dominance. 

Kortek has also been developing monitors 

for medical purposes and is currently competing 

with major global players in that market including 

GE, Siemens and NEC. 

Another local “hidden champion,” EO Technics, 

specializes in laser engravers that carve letters 

and brand names onto semiconductors. The 

company has a global market share of 50 percent, 

and it has maintained that position even through 

one of the worst economic crises in history. 

Also among the 22 firms at the COEX booth 

was LMS, currently the leading provider of 

mobile phone prism sheet, a key component in 

the LCD display once monopolized by 3M. 

The company not only accounts for 60 percent 

of world sales, it actually saw its best performance 

ever in the third quarter, with operating 

Samkwang Electronics 

specializes in audio 

speaker grilles. It has the 

leading global market 

share and a client list 

that includes Japanese 

companies such as Sony, 

Sharp, Toshiba and 

Pioneer. 




profit surging 126 percent on-year to 6 billion 

won thanks in particular to growth in China. 

Lah Woo-joo, president of LMS, puts his 

emphasis as much on precision manufacturing 

as on trust with his clients. Like other entrepreneurs, 

Lah hopes to expand into components for 

other products including portable game devices 

and laptops. In the wider prism sheet market 

LMS made 10 percent of global sales last year, 

which Lah hopes to raise to 20 percent. 

Kortek’s displays are now in use at the 

Bellagio, the MGM Grand and the Mirage. 

Aurora world is a 

company that manufactures 

dolls and character 

goods. It hopes to 

become the next Disney 

with many of its characters 

winning the hearts 

of young consumers 

around the world. 

Korea Exchange, which runs the local stock 

bourse, decided to promote the 22 companies to 

raise their profiles outside their individual fields, 

where they may be less well known. Of course, 

that doesn’t mean there aren’t other thriving 

local hidden champions absent from the expo. 

One is HJC, a motorcycle helmet manufacturer. 

Though not well known outside the biker 

community, HJC counts as a fan anyone who 

owns a motorcycle or has an interest in the sport. 

The company started off as small parts supplier 

but started to create and market its own products 

in 1980, expanding to the overseas market in 

1984. 

Where Samsung Electronics only managed 

to beat its Japanese rivals relatively recently, HJC 

had already reached first place in its sector by 

1990. Today one out of every two motorcycle 

helmets in the world has an HJC logo. 

Another unsung hidden champion is Esencia, 

which makes an unusual product: toothbrush 

sterilizers. 

Its small business’s founder and president, 

Shin Choong-sik, turned a disgusting episode 

into a lucrative idea. His inspiration for developing 

the toothbrush sterilizer came when one 

day he saw a roach sitting on his toothbrush. 

Business didn’t start off with a boom. On the 

contrary, he almost went bankrupt. But Shin 

never gave up hope, and soon sales started to 

pick up. Today Esencia has inspired imitators 

among major electronics makers, but it still holds 

a large portion of the market. 

The state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea 

is taking its own measures to support these 

enterprising Korean firms. Exim Bank President 

Kim Dong-soo focused on the subject in a lecture 

in October at Hankuk University of Foreign 

Studies about the global financial crisis and 

opportunities for Korea. 

The bank decided last month to invest 20 

trillion won over the next 10 years to foster small 

and mid-sized exporters, in the hopes of creating 

300 Korean hidden champions by 2019. 

The lender will also offer looser limits on 


loans as well as discounts on fees to small businesses. 

It has already selected 12 companies 

including LMS, Amotech and Simpac to benefit 

from the policies. Six of the companies are working 

in new growth engine industries including 

green technologies. 

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and 

Industry in May released its own research on the 

success of the local hidden champions. Citing 

companies like IDIS, a security equipment firm, 

the group elucidated five factors that it said contributed 

to the companies’ success. 

The first and most significant factor, the 

chamber found, was innovative technological 

development. The report said more than 40 percent 

of employees at the companies were 

researchers, and the hidden champions invested 

more than 10 percent of their annual revenue in 

research and development. 

The second contributing factor to success 

was a focus on building expertise and gaining 

market share in a single niche. 

Global marketing was the third. Instead of 

competing in the crowded and limited local 

market, the hidden champions looked to broader 

horizons, establishing direct connections with 

consumers across the world. 

The fourth element was flexibility, which the 

group said made the work environment conducive 

to innovation and solidified relationships of 

trust between the company and its employees 

— something difficult to find at larger organizations. 

The final factor the report cited was the pioneer 

spirit that led the companies to move into 

sectors that had been left overlooked by larger 

operations. The report said hidden champions 

studied new markets according to the needs of 

consumers, and developed strategies accordingly. 

Just like the larger conglomerates, whose 

quick spending helped them finally pull ahead of 

their Japanese competitors, Korea’s hidden 

champions have shown a daring spirit, spending 

into the crisis in efforts to improve their quality 

and competitiveness. The difference: They don’t 

have billions of won in breathing room. 

 

By Lee Ho-jeong 

Suprema is the world’s 

No. 1 fingerprint recognition 

system developer, an 

area it considers one of 

the few remaining “blue 

ocean” markets. 

The opening of the Korea’s 

first IR Expo, held at 

COEX on the first week 

of November (far left). 

 

[Yonhap] 

At the ‘Hidden Champion’ 

booth of the IR Expo, 

22 companies listed on 

the Kosdaq participated 

in the event to promote 

themselves (left). 

 

Provided by KRX 



A Cute and Cuddly Path to Success 

If you or one of your kids has a room 

full of stuffed animals, chances are 

you’ve bought an Aurora World 

product, though the Korean firm is 

nowhere near as familiar to consumers 

as Disney. 

That could change, however. Over 

90 percent of the company’s sales are 

made abroad, with the U.S. market 

Aurora’s largest at 48.8 percent, followed 

by Russia with 13.1 percent and 

Britain with 10.4 percent. Korea only 

accounts for 7 percent of Aurora 

World’s total market share as of last 

year. 

Aurora was first established in 

1981. Although it only rakes in 1.5 

percent of all the character goods sold 

in the world, it was still chosen as one 

of the 22 “hidden champions” listed 

on the Kosdaq. 

It wasn’t easy for Aurora to get 

started. It began as a manufacturer of 

other companies’ designs and brands. 

Then, in 1991, just a decade after it 

started taking orders, a major U.S. 

buyer slashed the fees it was willing to 

pay for Aurora’s products. It was a 

massive blow to the doll maker. 

So founder Noh Hui-yeol decided 

to weather the storm by having his 

company create its own characters. 

But there were hiccups here as 

well, with U.S. dollmaker Russ Berrie 

filing a lawsuit against the Korean 

company for copying its designs. But 

Aurora didn’t back down, and continued 

to introduce its Korean stuffed 

dolls to consumers in the U.S. through 

nationwide marketing tours. As the 

world’s largest doll market, the U.S. 

accounts for over 40 percent of annual 

sales. 

In the end a deal was reached with 

Russ Berrie, and Aurora was free to 

promote and sell its products. 

President Hong Gi-woo with stuffed animals. 

Aurora World was chosen as one of 

the 22 “hidden champions” listed on the 

Kosdaq. 

Today more than 85 percent of the 

products Aurora makes are derived 

from the company’s own designs. 

Meanwhile, its steady promotional 

activities since the mid-1990s have 

helped raise brand recognition. 

 



One Innovator’s Vision of Digital Security 

You may not know IDIS by name, 

but those in the security business 

do. The monitoring systems 

developed by the small Korean 

company have been installed in 

important buildings around the 

world. Clients include the National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA) in Houston, the Sydney 

Opera House and Pudong International 

Airport in Shanghai. 

That makes IDIS a “hidden champion.” 

As of last year the firm had the top 

market share in the world for digital 

video recorder security systems at 

31.5 percent, higher than General 

Electric, Sony and even Mitsubishi. 

The company has seen aggressive 

growth of over 30 percent per year. 

Behind the success of this small 

security firm is Kim Young-dal, who 

founded the company in 1997 after 

preparations made while studying for 

his doctorate at the Korea Advanced 

Institute of Science and Technology. 

Back then many bright young 

minds rushed to cash in on Korea’s 

dot-com boom. His classmates included 

Lee Hae-jin, who developed the 

Web portal Naver. Kim’s idea for a 

security company seemed outdated. 

But he went ahead, and digitized an 

analog industry. 

IDIS developed a DVR system that 

could record 30 days of footage on a 

40-gigabyte hard disc, revolutionary 

compared to conventional VCRs that 

could only record on 12-hour tapes. 

IDIS was also the first company in the 

world to develop DVR systems that 

would automatically set off an alarm 

when the camera detects unusual 

movement. 

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 

boosted demand for the DVRs, and 

IDIS was named among the top 200 

small or mid-size companies by 

Forbes Magazine in 2002 and 2004. 

Success came thanks to aggressive 

R&D. According to the company, 46 

percent of its employees work in that 

Kim Young-dal, above, decided to found 

IDIS while studying at the Korea Advanced 

Institute of Science and Technology. 

department. As a result IDIS DVR 

systems are known to be stabler and 

cheaper than the competition. 

Despite the economic downturn, 

exports make up more than 70 percent 

of IDIS’s sales, while domestic 

market share has risen from 14.5 percent 

in 2006 to 20.7 percent in 2008. 

 





News in Focus 

International Understanding 

Through Kimchi 

A royal dish, gujeolpan combines a wheat 

wrap with many ingredients including beef, 

shitake mushrooms, green bean sprouts, egg, 

abalone, shrimp and many other delights. 


Provided by Cheong Wa Dae 

CNN anchor Kristie Lu Stout interviews 

Korea’s first lady Kim Yoonok 

in front of Sang-chunjae, a 

traditional Korean building used 

to host VIPs at Cheong Wa Dae, 

Korea’s presidential residence. 

Why globalizing Korean food is such 

serious business 

Korea’s first lady Kim Yoonok 

met Korean actor Bae 

Yong-joon at Sang-chunjae, 

a traditional Korean building 

used to host V.I.P.s at Cheong Wa 

Dae, the official residence of Kim and 

Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak. The 

meeting took place on Nov. 10, as Kim, 

who is also the honorary chairwoman of 

the Promotional Group for Globalization 

of Korean Cuisine, invited Bae, one 

of the group’s officials, to discuss their 

effort to increase the prestige of Korean 

food. 

Kim said, “V.I.P.s from abroad tend 

to like sinseollo [Korean-style hotpot]. 

The Bulgarian president enjoyed eating 

rice and kimchi with sinseollo.” 

The Korean Wave star responded, 

“Now, there is a health food culture 

booming across the world, and in that 

sense, Korean food is very competitive.” 

Bae, beloved across Asia for his TV 

drama roles, runs the Korean restaurant 

Koshirae in Tokyo. 

The first lady has played a key role 

in the government-led effort to globalize 

Korean food. In mid-October, a television 

program titled “Eye on South 

Korea” was aired on CNN, detailing not 

only the relatively quick economic 

recovery Korea has made since the U.S. 

sub-prime mortgage crisis last year, but 

also the country’s effort to raise the profile 

of its cuisine. 

First lady Kim was prominently featured 

in the program, interviewed by 

CNN anchor Kristie Lu Stout at Sangchunjae 

on Oct. 16. With Stout standing 

to the side, Kim made japchae (mixed 

vegetables and sliced beef) and a mung 

bean pancake. 

“Korean food is made with natural 

ingredients and cooked in a way that 

preserves the original taste of the materials,” 

Kim said during the interview. 

“What is most attractive about Korean 

dishes is that they are healthy and made 

based on a philosophy that what people 

eat determines their state of health.” 

The interview was broadcast at the 

beginning of the program on the network, 

which reaches 1.2 billion viewers 

around the world. 

The effort to promote Korean food 

also has a diplomatic dimension. On Oct. 

9, Kim took Miyuki Hatoyama, the wife 

of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio 

Hatoyama, to the Institute of Traditional 

Korean Food in central Seoul. There, 

Kim and Hatoyama made kimchi together, 

and after it was finished, Kim took a 

piece and put it into the Japanese first 

lady’s mouth. Talking up one’s national 

food might seem almost trivial, but food 

can go a long way toward piquing people’s 

interest in a culture at large. 

In April, the Presidential Commission 

for Future and Vision and the Ministry 

for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and 

Fisheries(MIFAFF) co-hosted the Korean 

Cuisine to the World 2009 symposium, 

which highlighted a globalization 

plan for the country’s cuisine. The target: 

establishing Korean food as a major 

global cuisine. The following month, 

the Promotional Group for Globalization 

of Korean Cuisine was launched 

— yet another step in the same direction. 

The group consists of 36 govern- 


News in Focus 

ment officials, chief executive officers 

and restaurateurs. Some notable names: 

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism 

Yu In-chon; Minister for Food, Agriculture, 

Forestry and Fisheries Chang Taepyong, 

and, of course, actor Bae Yongjoon. 

As part of the effort, MIFAFF 

intends to promote the restaurant industry, 

while the Culture Ministry plans to 

develop travel packages centered on 

Korean cuisine. 

Among the strategies being pursued 

by the group are upgrading related laws, 

establishing Korean food brands, training 

and licensing chefs on Korean food 

at foreign culinary schools, supporting 

research and development, encouraging 

private sector investment in franchises 

overseas, increasing the number of 

Korean restaurants at five-star hotels in 

Korea and promoting Korean food 

through the domestic and international 

media and various events. The ministry 

said it intends to concentrate on promoting 

bibimbap, kimchi, traditional 

wines and the spicy rice cakes known as 

tteokbokki, among others. 

As part of its plan, MIFAFF said it 

would educate chefs at Korean restaurants, 

especially outside the country, 

since it found foreigners have a relatively 

negative perception of Korean food. 

Even the same dishes taste radically different 

at different restaurants, the ministry 

said, and waiters and waitresses 

often do not explain how to eat Korean 

food or what ingredients are used, which 

makes it difficult for foreign diners to 

take the plunge. 

“Korean restaurants abroad are the 

frontier where foreigners come into 

contact with Korean food,” said Kang 

Hye-young, a deputy director at 

MIFAFF. “Improving service at these 

restaurants would be the first step to 

upgrade the image of Korean food.” 

The ministry said it is not easy to 

find chefs specializing in Korean food 

outside Korea, and there are even cases 

in which non-Koreans who have no formal 

training in making Korean food are 

working at Korean restaurants around 

the world. 

To solve the problem, the ministry is 

offering training in making Korean food 

in partnership with Yonsei University, 

A survey 

showed that 

the world’s 

favorite dishes 

from Korea 

included 

bibimbap, 

kimchi and 

bulgogi beef. 

the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel, 

Woosong University and the Korean 

Food Institute at Sookmyung Women’s 

University. The four-month course is 

open to both Koreans and non-Koreans 

and will teach not only cooking techniques 

but also Korean food culture, 

foreign languages and business skills. 

A survey of 100 professionals including 

restaurant industry officials, chefs at 

major hotels, Korean food researchers 

and food journalists in Korea indicated 

that kimchi, bulgogi marinated beef, 

bibimbap, japchae and tteokbokki were 

most well-known Korean dishes in the 

world. The survey was taken by the 

Korean Culture and Information Service 

in September. What differentiated 

Korean foods from other cuisines was 

its health value, containing lots of vegetables, 

respondents said. They added 

that Korean food represents the nation’s 

culture and its people’s affectionate 

nature. However, they also said a lack of 

standardized techniques and the difficulty 

in cooking Korean food prevent it 

from taking hold overseas. 

The Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade 

Corporation set out in October and 

November to discover foreigners’ favorite 

Korean dishes. The study assembled 

focus groups in four countries: the United 

States, Vietnam, China and Japan. 

“The study was meant to figure out 

not only what kind of Korean food is 

popular among foreigners but also how 

to get, or how to replace, original ingredients, 

how to keep the price level rea- 

Wives of the generals of the Republic of Korea and U.S. Combined Forces 

Command (CFC) learning how to make Korean food at Sookmyung Women’s 

University’s Korean Food Institute. 



sonable and how to prepare food to fit 

the tastes of non-Koreans,” said Kim Jihyup, 

a manager at the trade corporation. 

The study will be used to help 

instruct owners or chefs at Korean restaurants 

inside and outside Korea. 

The preferred Korean dish differed 

from country to country. In the United 

States, people tended to like roasted 

meats such as galbi short ribs. They also 

liked bibimbap, chicken galbi, sliced 

roast beef and pajeon (green onion pancakes). 

The Chinese liked samgyetang 

(young chicken soup with ginseng), 

tteokbokki, galbi jjim, sliced roast beef 

and pajeon, while in Japan, bibimbap, 

galbi, bulgogi, tteokbokki and seafood 

pajeon were among the most popular. 

In Vietnam, where Korean pop culture 

has only recently become popular, gimbap, 

gujeolpan vegetable wraps, kimchijeon 

pancakes, bibimbap and bulgogi 

stew were popular. 

“We are trying to make Korean food 

more accessible to foreigners, so we are 

experimenting with different flavors by 

adjusting sweetness, saltiness and spiciness 

to fit the different tastes of non- 

Koreans,” Kim said. 

The effort to globalize Korean food 

is not only driven by the government 

but also by the private sector, which is 

putting a unique spin on local cuisine to 

generate more interest. 

The Grand Café at the Grand Inter- 

Continental Seoul held its Kimchi Festival 

from Nov. 16 to 21 as part of this 

Types of of Korean foods favored in four different countries 

United States 

galbi (short ribs), bibimbap, chicken galbi, sliced roast beef, and pajeon (green onion pancake) 

mixed with kimchi, seafood and cheese. 

China 

Samgyetang (young chicken soup with ginseng), tteokbokki, galbi jjim, sliced roast beef, pajeon 

Japan 

bibimbap, galbi, bulgogi, tteokbokki, seafood pajeon 

Vietnam 

gimbap (dried seaweed rolls), gujeolpan (vegetable wrap), kimchijeon (kimchi pancake), bibimbap, bulgogi 

Source: Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation 

effort. A total of 22 kinds of kimchi — 

even some using seaweed and apples 

— were served at a buffet along with 

meals such as rolls, steamed and stirfried 

dishes, beef skewers, cannelloni 

and kimchi-inspired desserts. Portable 

one-bite “mini-roll pork kimchi” and 

Bordeaux kimchi with a gorgeous wine 

color were also served. 

“Kimchi is a great ingredient for 

Korean food, but it can also be used 

effectively in Western cuisines and even 

in desserts,” said Bae Han-chul, the 

director of kitchens at the hotel. 

Meanwhile, Pierre Gagnaire Seoul, a 

restaurant in the Lotte Hotel, developed 

fusion Korean-French dishes to celebrate 

the hotel’s 30th anniversary in 

October. The restaurant, named after 

the Michelin three-star French chef 

Pierre Gagnaire, used bean paste mixed 

with olive oil to create a dressing for an 

herb salad and whipped up various new 

flavors using kimchi and black garlic. 

These creations were part of a course 

menu called “Homage à Seoul.” 

Since Gagnaire himself doesn’t live 

in Seoul, Jerome Roy, the restaurant’s 

32-year-old head chef, directed the process. 

Some of his signature creations for 

the anniversary menu included Frenchstyle 

kimchi and foie gras toast. 

“I tried to keep the sourness and 

crunchiness of kimchi, while also trying 

to make it go well with French cuisine,” 

Roy said in an interview in September. 

Such experiments with fusion could 

gain traction in the coming years, with 

the Seoul government and the Food 

Ministry enlisting foreign chefs to help. 

They were behind the 2009 Amazing 

Korean Table, a festival held from Oct. 

28 to Nov. 1 to introduce the world to 

Korean cuisine and fusion dishes prepared 

by talented chefs young and old. 

The four chefs invited to participate 

were Massimo Bottura, the owner of the 

Michelin two-star restaurant Osteria 

Francescana in Italy; Luke Dale-Roberts, 

who was named South Africa’s chef 

of the year and is the top chef La 

Colombe; Pierre Gagnaire himself, and 

Makgeolli Bibimbap Galbi jjim 


Corey Lee, head chef at the Michelin 

three-star restaurant French Laundry in 

Napa Valley, California. 

Lee said one of the most popular 

dishes at his restaurant is an acorn pudding. 

“Whenever my grandmother visited 

us, she made acorn jelly,” Lee said in 

an interview. Lee emigrated to the United 

States from Korea when he was 7 

years old. “The taste of Korean food still 

influences me as a cook.” He said he creates 

his own cuisine by combining multinational 

materials and techniques. 

For the 2009 Amazing Korean Table, 

he served a Korean-style porridge made 

with pumpkin, rice and mushroom. “It 

is important to reinterpret and recreate 

Korean food materials and tastes,” Lee 

said. “Rather than introducing a handful 

of Korean foods to the world, we 

should integrate the elements of Korean 

food with international cuisines.” 

Bottura, 47, said he had never tasted 

Korean food before taking part in the 

event. “Korean food is similar to Italian 

food because garlic is used a lot for both 

types,” he said. “It’s interesting that there 

are many fermented foods in Korean 

cuisine.” Bottura made a bean soup with 

doenjang (soybean paste) and beef marinated 

in black garlic sauce. 

On Nov. 6, the globalization campaign 

spread to a bar near Hongik University 

in central Seoul. This time the 

target was makgeolli, traditional Korean 

rice wine, which was served with Italian 

dishes, under the direction of Italian 

Promotions 

range from 

high-brow 

fusion dinners 

to makgeolli 

wine tastings 

at bars near 

Hongik 

University. 

News in Focus 

chef Giuseppe Barone. 

Barone said the first Korean food or 

drink he tasted when he came to Korea 

was makgeolli. He described it as having 

a natural, elegant but slightly bitter flavor 

and a sweet aftertaste. According to 

Barone, Italian food goes well with makgeolli 

because it is not very spicy. 

Asked whether Europeans would 

like makgeolli, he said, “Of course,” but 

added, “We cannot recommend makgeolli 

just because it is good. We must 

explain why and take things a step at a 

time.” 

Makgeolli is experiencing a comeback 

here, outselling beer and sake in 

branches of Lotte Department Store, 

while in Japan, makgeolli is enjoying 

huge popularity, absorbing 86.8 percent 

of all Korean exports of the drink. 

“Even on the trendy streets of Shinjuku 

in Tokyo, makgeolli bars have 

opened recently,” said Yasushi Hatta, a 

33-year-old Japanese food columnist, in 

an e-mail. “There are not only makgeolli 

cocktails but also fruit makgeolli.” 

Kooksoondang Brewery’s makgeolli 

has even been offered to passengers on 

Asiana Airlines flights between Korea 

and Japan since October. 

But traditional wines still account 

for only 3.6 percent of the alcoholic beverage 

market here. The Korean government 

intends to contribute 133 billion 

won in subsidies to makers of traditional 

wines in the next five years to change 

that. By Limb Jae-un 


Gimbap 

Sinseollo 

French-style kimchi and foie gras toast made 

by Jerome Roy, the chef at Pierre Gagnaire 

Seoul in the Lotte Hotel 


Korean President Lee Myung-bak, second 

from left, attends the APEC summit at the 

Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore Nov. 15. 

[YONHAP] 

Korea to Play Bridging Role 

Lee pledges policies to narrow global economic gap at APEC summit 

At the Asia-Pacific Economic 

Cooperation forum summit 

in Singapore, Korean 

President Lee Myung-bak 

and other Pacific Rim leaders endorsed 

the goals of “strong, sustainable and balanced 

growth.” President Lee also 

pledged that Korea, as the chair country 

of the Group of 20 summit in 2011, will 

act as a bridge between the APEC economies 

and the G-20 next year. 

Lee began his three-day trip for the 

meeting by attending the APEC CEO 

summit on Nov. 13. He delivered a keynote 

address on Asia’s growth strategy 

in the post-crisis period, particularly 

focusing on measures taken to make the 

most of the G-20 process. 

The leaders’ summit took place over 

the weekend of Nov. 14 and 15. 

The president’s spokeswoman, Kim 

Eun-hye, said, “It is meaningful that 

Lee, as the chairman of the G-20 next 

year, has brought about cooperative ties 

between APEC and the G-20 and established 

a framework for substantial discussions 

about how economies can 

22 korea December 2009 

overcome the economic crisis.” 

According to Kim, nine G-20 members 

are also APEC members. “While 

the G-20 deals with macroeconomic 

policy for the global economy, APEC is 

more focused on the trade environment,” 

she said. “At the first session of 

APEC, President Lee focused on trade 

and investment liberalization.” 

Lee called for a regional economic 

community that would enhance cooperation 

in economic recovery efforts. 

According to Cheong Wa Dae, the 

Korean presidential office, Lee proposed 

that the APEC leaders launch 

discussions for a Free Trade Area of the 

Asia-Pacific, or FTAAP. 

Suggested in a joint analytical study 

by Korea, Australia and New Zealand, a 

FTAAP would create a free trade zone 

that could expand commerce and economic 

growth in the region. The APEC 

leaders, in their joint statement, admitted 

that the preliminary study shows 

there are “significant economic benefits” 

from a FTAAP and that they would 

continue to seek building blocks for one 

in the future. 

Lee also pressed for an early conclusion 

of the Doha Development Agenda 

trade negotiations at the World Trade 

Organization and said the “most effective” 

way to fight trade protectionism is 

to promote free trade, according to 

Cheong Wa Dae. 

Kim said President Lee also wrapped 

up the second session at the request of 

the APEC host nation, Singapore. President 

Lee urged the Pacific Rim leaders 

to implement the agreements of the 

previous London and Pittsburgh G-20 

summits. 

At next year’s G-20 summit, Lee 

said, “We would come up with the most 

efficient ways to narrow the gap between 

the rising economies and the developed 

nations.” 

During his stay in Singapore, Lee 

also met with Korean residents and 

businessmen on Nov. 14. At a Singapore 

hotel, Lee said the Korean economy 

would grow by up to 5 percent next 

year. 

 

By Ser Myo-ja

Diplomacy 

Allies Tackle Myriad Issues 

At Seoul summit, Lee and Obama discuss talks with North Korea, FTA 

At a summit held in Seoul on Nov. 

19, President Lee Myung-bak and 

U.S. President Barack Obama 

vowed to share a commitment to 

break the past pattern of rewarding Pyongyang 

for provocative behavior. 

The two leaders also promised efforts to 

seek ratification of a bilateral free trade agreement 

that was signed in 2007. Marking the 60th 

anniversary of the Korean War next year, Lee 

and Obama also announced plans to hold foreign 

and defense ministers’ talks next year to 

upgrade the two countries’ alliance. 

“The summit truly showed the close friendship 

and trust between Lee and Obama,” said 

Lee Dong-kwan, Lee’s public affairs senior secretary. 

“They had candid and in-depth discussions 

on a wide range of issues, and the atmosphere 

was extremely amicable.” 

The Nov. 19 summit was Lee and Obama’s 

third bilateral meeting. 

Following a summit that lasted more than 

an hour, Lee and Obama addressed the press at 

the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae. “We 

will be sending Ambassador [Stephen] Bosworth 

to North Korea on Dec. 8 to engage in 

direct talks with the North Koreans,” Obama 

told the media. It was the first time that the 

United States had made public the date of the 

mission, aimed at persuading North Korea to 

return to the six-party talks. 

“I am satisfied that South Korea and the 

United States are cooperating more closely 

than ever in resolving the North Korea nuclear 

issue,” President Lee said, adding that he and 

Obama have agreed to resolve the situation 

through a comprehensive “grand bargain.” 

“The thing I want to emphasize is that President 

Lee and I both agree that we want to break 

the pattern that has existed in the past, in which 

North Korea behaves in a provocative fashion, 

and then is willing to return to talks for a while 

and then leaves the talks and then that leads to 

seeking further concessions,” Obama said. 

Lee said North Korea will face a new future 

if it takes the grand bargain offer, in which 

Pyongyang’s nuclear arms programs will be 

exchanged for massive economic aid and normal 

ties with the international community. 

In addition to the nuclear impasse with 

North Korea, Lee and Obama also addressed 

the sensitive issue of trade liberalization 

between the two countries. 

“President Obama and I reconfirmed the 

economic and strategic importance of the 

Korea-U.S. free trade agreement and agreed to 

work together to move the trade deal forward,” 

Lee said. 

The FTA was signed by the previous administrations 

in 2007. The last step to liberalize 

trade between Korea and the United States is 

ratification by their respective legislatures. 

Obama said a team had been created under 

his administration to remove obstacles. “American 

companies and workers are very confident 

in our ability to compete,” Obama said. “And we 

recognize that there is not only an economic, 

but a strategic interest in expanding our ties to 

South Korea.” 

President Lee also said he is aware of the 

U.S. business community and Congress’s concerns 

about automobile industry linked with 

the free trade agreement. “In Korea, those in 

the service and agricultural industries oppose 

the FTA, but we are pushing it forward because 

it will benefit bilateral trade,” Lee said. “If the 

automobiles are a problem, we are willing to 

talk about it. The European Union is a major 

automaker, but we signed an FTA with them.” 

The U.S. president also said he discussed 

global issues, including Seoul’s hosting of the 

G-20 summit and Korea’s participation in the 

global efforts to rebuild Afghanistan, with Lee. 

Climate change and clean energy were also discussed, 

Obama said, praising Korea’s recent 

voluntary announcement of greenhouse gas 

emission cuts by 2020. 

Lee and Obama talked for more than an 

hour at the summit with only a few key aides 

accompanying them, Cheong Wa Dae said. 

Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, Trade Minister 

Kim and Senior Secretary for Economic 


[Joint Press Corps] 

Next to President Lee Myungbak, 

left, U.S. President Barack 

Obama shakes hands 

with a child during a welcome 

ceremony at Chong 

Wa Dae on Nov. 19. 

Affairs Yoon Jin-sik were among the Korean 

aides who attended. 

Obama was accompanied by Susan Rice, 

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Larry 

Summers, director of the National Economic 

Council; Deputy National Security Adviser 

Tom Donilon; Assistant Secretary of State Kurt 

Campbell, and Jeff Bader, the senior director for 

Asian affairs at the National Security Council. 

The two leaders continued talks at a working 

luncheon with more officials present. 

Obama said he was a fan of Korean culture and 

barbecue. Cheong Wa Dae served the U.S. 

guests a Korean bulgogi dish and California 

wine. 

Obama was also given a taekwondo uniform 

and books featuring Korean art and culture, 

Cheong Wa Dae said. By Ser Myo-ja 


Obama in the New Asia 

Amid challenges, the U.S. president finds his best reception in Korea 

Diplomacy 

President Barack Obama of the 

United States has made his 

first trip to Asia, including 

visits to the two U.S. allies 

Japan and South Korea, a stop at the 

multilateral Asia-Pacific Economic 

Cooperation forum summit held in Singapore, 

and a rather lengthy stay in 

China, the fast emerging great power. 

In Japan, he made a speech with his 

characteristic eloquence. While emphasizing 

his Asian heritage, President 

Obama called the U.S. an Asia-Pacific 

nation and defined the Pacific Ocean as 

binding, not separating the two. In the 

general spirit of engagement and pragmatic 

diplomacy, he declared the emerging 

China not a country to contain but 

one whose success will strengthen the 

world. 

The rhetoric aside, it was apparent 

that he came to Asia with two goals in 

mind — opening Asian markets to 

American products and harnessing the 

emergent power of China to buttress 

America’s global leadership. 

Many, Americans and others alike, 

have lamented the waning of American 

leadership, the cornerstone of peace and 

prosperity in the world for a century, 

due to the diminishing popularity of the 

U.S. worldwide and the global economic 

recession originating on Wall Street. 

President Obama has worked hard 

to renew American leadership with two 

approaches. The first is his remarkable 

vision of a new world, free from nuclear 

weapons and the threat of climate 

change, which earned him the Nobel 

Peace Prize. The second is the policy of 

global engagement of friends and foes 

alike. At the core of global engagement 

stands China. 

In Obama’s eyes, the financial crisis 

was due to the huge imbalance in global 

trade as much as it was due to flawed 

regulation of the financial system. Given 

that Asian countries reap much of 

America’s trade deficit, particularly 

China and Japan, President Obama 

would define his trip to Asia, including 

the primarily economic forum of APEC, 

as a market opening mission. It is too 

early to judge the cost-benefit balance of 

his trip. But in short run, he must have 

been disappointed. What he found was 

indeed a new Asia. Japan, a new government 

for the first time in half a country, 

was no longer as receptive to American 

words as before. Prime Minister Hatoyama 

was determined to shatter the image 

of Japan as a junior partner. 

In China, his balance sheet seems 

filled with red ink. Despite the tribute he 

paid to Beijing, including on sensitive 

territorial issues, Chinese leaders politely 

declined an invitation to a “G-2” club 

of equal status with the global leader the 

U.S., which ironically signified the 

enhanced status of a China that can say 

no to Washington. 

However, President Obama finished 

his trip in an upbeat mood, as he found 

the most receptive ears in South Korea. 

Even before his arrival, President Lee 

Myung-bak extended a warm welcome 

by deciding to send troops to Afghanistan, 

a huge piece of symbolic support 

for America’s war effort, and by setting 

an ambitious target for reducing greenhouse 

gas emissions, another major tenet 

of President Obama’s global agenda. 

During the amicable meeting, the 

Dr. Taehyun Kim 

presidents of the two allies agreed to a 

joint effort to denuclearize the Korean 

Peninsula through a “grand bargain” 

with North Korea’s leadership. Although 

the idea of a comprehensive approach 

may not seem noble, the agreement 

looms large because of the changed context. 

With its second nuclear test in May, 

North Korea put itself under siege, with 

stiff sanctions from the international 

community in UN Resolution 1874. To 

President Obama, a Nobel laureate for 

his vision of a nuclear free world, North 

Korea’s nuclear challenge is no longer an 

isolated regional security issue, but an 

integral part of his grand vision. 

In such a context, the allies of Korea 

and the U.S. may frame a policy that 

would make Pyongyang’s weapons program 

more of a burden than an asset. 

South Korean people are anxious to see 

how it works out, starting with Ambassador 

Bosworth’s visit to Pyongyang in 

December. 

Meanwhile, they were disappointed 

as President Obama failed to make a 

concrete commitment to ratification of 

the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. 

Even those who understand that ratifying 

the agreement is the job of Congress, 

not the president, may think their goodwill 

was not duly reciprocated. 

Still, this is a new Asia in a new 

world. Reciprocity may work in a more 

diffuse way, across issues over time. Be 

patient, Koreans! 

Dr. Taehyun Kim is a professor of international relations at the 

Graduate School of International Studies, and director of the 

Center for the Study of Grand Strategy, both at Chung-Ang 

University in Seoul, Korea. 


Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, front row center, and 

foreign ministers from African nations participating in the Korea- 

Africa Forum hold hands for a photo on Nov. 24 at the Lotte Hotel 

in Seoul. 

Korea Pledges Aid, Training 

Korea vowed to increase its 

aid to African nations and 

cooperate on environmentfriendly 

growth at a highlevel 

forum held in Seoul in November. 

The African Union and Korea 

cosponsored the second Korea-Africa 

Forum in Seoul on Nov. 24. Representatives 

from 15 African nations, led by 

Gabon’s Jean Ping, current chair of the 

African Union, took part in the event, 

which featured meetings on such topics 

as development and partnerships for 

green growth. 

Representatives adopted the 2009 

Seoul Declaration, in which Korea 

pledged to double its aid to Africa by 

2012. Last year, Korea provided $107.1 

million in aid to Africa. As part of the 

declaration, Korea and Africa reaffirmed 

their support for an expanded 

UN role in a more globalized world and 

for international efforts to fight terrorism, 

and called for the Group of 20 to 


strengthen its role as a forum for international 

economic cooperation. 

The forum also produced two policy 

papers. In the first, called “Framework 

for Korea-Africa Development Cooperation 

2009-2012,” Korea pledged to 

accept 5,000 trainees from Africa and to 

send more than 1,000 Korean volunteers 

to the continent between now and 

2012. The African trainees would learn 

more about Korea’s development experience, 

while the volunteers would help 

with infrastructure and vocational 

training, among others. 

In the second paper, titled “Korea- 

Africa Green Growth Initiative 2009- 

2012,” the two sides agreed to expand 

bilateral and multilateral dialogue on 

low-carbon, eco-friendly growth. They 

also pledged to cooperate in exploring 

clean development mechanism projects 

and share policies and technologies to 

adapt to climate change. 

Organizers in Seoul had been pushing 

this year’s forum as an opportunity 

for Korea to strengthen its partnership 

with Africa to expand its role as a global 

player. Korean Foreign Minister Yu 

Myung-hwan said the forum was also 

“an avenue for strengthening Korea’s 

bilateral relations with individual African 

countries.” 

Before a dinner on Nov. 24, Yu said, 

“Korea-Africa relations are entering a 

new phase. Korea has established full 

diplomatic relations with all African 

countries.” 

He added, “The Seoul Declaration 

and the policy papers we have adopted 

are sure to provide a valuable framework 

for strengthening cooperation 

between Korea and Africa in the years 

ahead.” The Korea-Africa Forum 

became a regular event as a followup to 

Korea’s Initiative for Africa’s Development, 

announced March 2006. The first 

forum was staged in November that 

year, with five heads of state in atten-

Diplomacy 

Korea’s trade volume 

with Africa 

13.4 

(Unit: billion dollar) 

12.1 12.6 

8.5 

9.1 

5.1 

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Source: Korea International Trade Association 

[YONHAP] 

About the continent of Africa 

Number of countries 53 

Population 

1 billion 

Total GDP 

$1.3 trillion 

Source: UN Population Fund 

at 2nd Africa Forum in Seoul 

dance. Under the initiative, Korea 

declared it would triple its development 

assistance to Africa by 2008 and would 

continue to aid African nations in 

improving health care, labor skills and 

agricultural productivity. 

Korea fell just short of its monetary 

target — the figure jumped 2.5 times 

from 2005 to 2008 — but it has sent 

about 900 volunteers to the continent to 

share their know-how and also welcomed 

2,000 African trainees to Korea 

to study its economic rise. 

There are also strategic goals for 

Korea in its attempt to get closer to Africa, 

because of its massive oil reserves 

and natural resources. According to the 

Foreign Ministry in Seoul, Africa is 

home to 125 billion barrels of crude oil, 

or about 10 percent of world reserves. 

About 23 percent of all uranium reserves 

in the world can be found in Africa. 

Korea’s neighbors have long tried to 

forge ties with Africa. Japan launched 

the Tokyo International Conference on 

African Development in 1993 and has 

staged the event every five years. Prime 

Minister Yukio Hatoyama recently told 

the United Nations General Assembly 

that Japan intends to strengthen the 

TICAD process. At last year’s conference, 

Japan pledged $4 billion in ODA 

loans by the end of 2012 to help improve 

road networks and traffic infrastructure 

on the continent. 

China has forgiven about $100 million 

in debt from African nations since 

2000. President Hu Jintao and Premier 

Wen Jiabao make regular trips to the 

continent to pursue the right to develop 

natural resources there in exchange for 

massive aid. The Forum on China-Africa 

Cooperation, with heads of state in 

attendance, has been held every three 

years since 2000. Asked if Korea was 

lagging behind, Lee Wook-heon, head 

of the team organizing the forum at the 

Foreign Ministry, said Korea will soon 

catch up and even surpass others in its 

relations with Africa. 

“Our approach is different in that 

we’re trying to share our development 

experience with Africa [rather than 

simply providing aid],” he said. “That 

way, hopefully we can get closer to Africa 

than others.” A senior Foreign Ministry 

official privy to African-related 

affairs said the forum gave Korea an 

opportunity to review the status of its 

partnership with Africa. 

“At first, the African Union was hesitant 

to build relations with Korea,” the 

official said. “Our aid to Africa isn’t 

enormous by any means, but, gradually, 

they grew to recognize our accomplishments 

in economic development.” 

The official said the Korean government 

would also consider holding multilateral 

summit meetings with African 

leaders “if we feel they can lead us to a 

more effective partnership.” 

 

By Yoo Jee-ho 


Provided by Statistics Korea 

OECD Forum Experts Seek 

The global debate over an 

alternative to gross domestic 

product as a measure of 

social advancement may 

sound like a distant issue to you and me, 

busy making enough money to keep up 

with the Kims. 

But what if that debate could cure 

your jealousy of your neighbors without 

you having to work dozens of hours a 

week in a gray-walled office? What if the 

government, instead of pushing the idea 

of raising the GDP on its citizens, put 

your happiness first? 

That dream was part of the reason 

for the third gathering of the World 

Forum of the Organization for Economic 

Cooperation and Development, 

held in Busan Oct. 27 to 30. 

The event, cosponsored by Statistics 

Korea, the state-run agency known until 

recently as the National Statistical 

Office, was a chance for countries across 

the globe to discuss the latest research 

into non-GDP metrics. A total of 2,024 

people from 78 countries, from government 

administrators and politicians to 

academics and civic group members 

attended, according to Statistics Korea. 

“Much discussion of the issue took 

place at the Busan forum,” said Kim Sulhee, 

director general of Statistics Korea 


and secretary of the agency’s 3rd OECD 

World Forum Planning and Preparation 

Team. 

The criticism of the GDP standard 

implicit in the event’s theme is not a new 

phenomenon. 

Since as early as the 1970s, economists 

and politicians have spoken out 

about the many aspects of socity left out 

by the index, which was developed after 

the Great Depression. Robert Kennedy, 

former U.S. attorney general and brother 

of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, 

once said the gross national product, a 

relative of the GDP, “measures everything, 

in short, except that which makes 

life worthwhile.” 

But effort to find alternatives did not 

seriously gain traction until the early 

2000s, when the OECD picked up the 

issue and began a worldwide quest for a 

solution. That vision was part of the reason 

to establish the OECD World 

Forum, which had its inaugural meeting 

in 2004 in Italy and second such event 

in 2007 in Turkey. 

The commission of international 

research set up by President Nicolas 

Sarkozy of France in February last year 

added momentum to the search. A team 

of renowned economists from several 

countries joined together on Sarkozy’s 

Stiglitz Commission, named after the 

scholar leading the team, Joseph Stiglitz, 

a Nobel laureate in economics and a 

Columbia University professor. 

In September, the commission 

announced a midterm report on its 

research activities. Titled “The Measurement 

of Economic Performance 

and Social Progress,” the report discussed 

what kind of data might be added 

to the traditional GDP model and 

how. 

Some expected the latest OECD 

World Forum in the southern Korean 

port city to produce a substantial breakthrough, 

such as the announcement of a 

new indicator to replace the GDP. 

It didn’t. But Kim at Statistics Korea 

said the Busan event still marked a 

major step forward from previous discussions 

of the issue. 

“At the first OECD World Forum in 

Italy, the world only agreed upon the 

necessity to discuss an alternative to the 

GDP, and at the second one in Turkey, 

they began to discuss what to do to 

make countries commit to the mission,” 

Kim said. “But at the third event in 

Busan, the countries proved that they 

are really working hard by bringing up 

the results of the latest research each of 

them conducted and actively exchang-

Diplomacy 

People attending the third 

OECD World Forum held in 

Busan Oct. 27 to 30 listen to 

speakers on how to develop 

an alternative metric to gross 

domestic product. A total of 

2,024 people — government 

administrators, politicians, 

academics and civic group 

members from 78 countries 

— participated in the event, 

according to Statistics Korea, 

a cosponsor of the event. 

New Metric to Replace GDP 

Joseph Stiglitz, center, the Nobel laureate in economics who heads the Stiglitz Commission, 

addresses the third Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development World Forum 

held in Busan Oct. 27-30. 

ing data.” 

The indicators hotly debated at the 

event, according to Statistics Korea, 

included disparity in the distribution of 

wealth, depletion of natural resources, 

the underground economy and the 

overall quality of goods and services. 

Participating researchers also offered 

studies on how to include security, leisure 

time and public services in social 

metrics. More subjective evaluations 

like balance of time, health and education 

were also called for. 

Stiglitz stressed the urgency of getting 

beyond GDP, saying the traditional 

accounting has blinded the world to the 

full brunt of the global financial crisis. 

He argued that the U.S. consumption 

boom between 2003 and 2007 was based 

on a GDP increase built in part on 

debt. 

“In an increasingly performanceoriented 

society, metrics matters — 

what we measure affects what we do,” 

said Stiglitz in a speech at the Busan 

event. “If we have the wrong metrics, we 

will strive for the wrong things. In a 

quest for an increase in GDP, we may 

end up with a society in which citizens 

are worse off.” 

OECD Secretary-General Angel 

Gurria also assessed the Busan event as 

“important step forward in an ambitious 

agenda to provide guidance on 

better measures and methodologies for 

lasting progress,” according to the 

OECD Web site. 

Gurria also drew attention to a further 

debate on how to measure “green 

growth,” a sector in which Korea has 

taken a leading role with its five-year, 

107 trillion won ($93 billion) green 

growth initiative. 

The Korean government said it will 

try to live up to expectations by collaborating 

with other countries in coming 

up with green growth statistics. In a 

speech during the event, President Lee 

Myung-bak promised the government 

will develop statistics regarding global 

warming, greenhouse gas emissions 

and quality of life. 

“Many local research institutes have 

already been doing research to develop 

alternatives to GDP for many years,” 

said Kim at Statistics Korea. “We hope 

the hosting of the Busan event will provide 

momentum for such research to be 

accelerated and supported.” 

 

By Moon Gwang-lip 


Photo by Choi Jeong-dong 

Five former Peace Corps volunteers in Korea pose for a photo during their recent visit to the country as part of a government-organized reunion 

in October. From left: Jon Keeton, Jerome Raik, Bill Harwood, Richard Christenson and Kevin O’Donnell. 

Thanking Those 

Who Answered 

Peace’s Call 

not what your country can do for you; 

ask what you can do for your country.” 

“Ask 

The words from that historic inaugural 

speech by the 35th U.S. president, John F. Kennedy, are 

still considered among the most inspiring ever directed 

at America’s youth by their government. 

And more than 1,800 Americans who heeded Kennedy’s 

call came to Korea from 1966 to 1981 as part of 

the Peace Corps, helping rebuild after the ravages of 

the Korean War (1950-1953), providing health care, 

education and other services. For many, the experience 

changed their lives, and for a few, this unfamiliar 

land in need of help became a second home. 

Recently, in the last week of October, a group of 

more than 70 of these men and women returned to 

Seoul with their families for the third local Peace Corps 

reunion, following the first in October last year and the 

second in July this year — all at the initiative of the 

Korean government. President Lee Myung-bak 

pledged to hold the reunions in a speech at a meeting 

hosted by the New York-based Korea 

Society during Lee’s visit to the U.S. in 

April last year. 

“Before I came to Korea, I had never left 

America,” said Bill Harwood, who was one 

of the group of Peace Corps Korea volunteers 

who recently returned to the country. Harwood first 

came to Korea in 1975 and taught English at Kaesung 

Boys Middle School in Busan for two years. “I was just 

a small boy from a small state, Connecticut. Coming 

to Korea opened my eyes to the world. I think we as 

volunteers gained as much or even more than we 


gave.” 

Jerome and Barrie-Lynn Raik also 

got more than they bargained for when 

they came to Yecheon-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do 

Province, as Peace Corps 

volunteers in 1967 shortly after getting 

married when they were 20 years old. 

The Raiks were originally volunteers 

teaching Korean students English, but 

they ended up doing much more than 

that, saving a Korean girl’s life — which 

in turn changed their lives. 

Suk-hee, the 8-year-old daughter of 

the couple’s host family, had a heart disorder 

and needed surgery. When the 

couple’s Peace Corps term ended in 

1969, the Raiks decided to take the girl 

back with them to New York, where 

they believed she had a better chance at 

receiving quality medical care. 

“The hardest part of the process was 

getting her a passport, because in those 

days it was very difficult for Korean 

people to get a passport issued by the 

government,” Jerome Raik said. “The 

operation had been performed three or 

four times in Korea at the time, but no 

one had survived. The hospital in New 

York that we took Suk-hee to was performing 

the operation six or seven times 

a week and everyone survived ... so there 

was no question that we thought it best 

to take her to New York for it.” 

It turned out to be the right move, 

and the operation was a success. “She is 

now living in Gimhae-si and we met her 

during this visit,” he said. “We were 

happy to see her having a wonderful life 

now with her husband and two children, 

running a music school.” 

The experience also had a lasting 

impact on Barrie-Lynn Raik, who eventually 

became a doctor and is currently 

a professor of clinical medicine and 

clinical public health at Weill Cornell 

Medical College in New York. 

“Barrie had no idea that she would 

become a doctor before that,” Jerome 

Raik said. “Suk-hee had these two women 

cardiologists [in the New York hospital], 

and they took such good care of 

her. These smart, confident women who 

did this wonderful thing were a big part 

of the inspiration behind Barrie’s decision 

to become a doctor.” 

Kevin O’Donnell, the first country 

director of Peace Corps Korea from 

1966-1970 and the fourth director of 

Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, 

D.C. in 1971 and 1972, said he was 

amazed by how quickly Koreans picked 

up the concept of volunteering. 

“When we came here in the 1970s, 

not many Koreans understood what 

volunteerism meant,” O’Donnell said. 

“They didn’t know why young American 

people like us came here, and there 

was even suspicion that this was part of 

the CIA and that we were spies or something. 

We even had to have a meeting 

with a Korean government official, who 

wanted to find out what we were doing 

and why.” 

Now, however, thousands of Koreans 

are performing volunteer work in 

other countries, providing many of the 

same services that Americans offered 

here decades ago. 

“When Kennedy started the Peace 

Corps, we as a nation were already 250 

years old,” O’Donnell said. “It’s only 

been about 50 years since the end of the 

Korean War, and Korea has already 

picked up the concept of volunteerism 

and is now carrying it out, which I think 

is amazing.” Many former Peace Corps 

members in Korea have dedicated their 

lives to foreign service. U.S. Ambassador 

to Korea Kathleen Stephens, for 

instance, was in the Peace Corps here in 

the mid-1970s. 

“There’s a fair percentage — about 

10 to 15 percent — of American diplomats 

who served in the Peace Corps,” 

said Richard Christenson, who came to 

Korea in 1967 as a Peace Corps volunteer 

and taught English at Jeil Middle 

School in Mokpo-si, Jeollanam-do 

Province. Christenson spent more than 

a third of his 35-year diplomatic career 

in Korea, including a deputy post at the 

U.S. Embassy in Seoul from 1996 to 

2000. 

Meanwhile, the group Friends of 

Korea was formed in 2000 to connect 

nearly 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers 

who served in Korea and to promote 

amity between the two countries. The 

group is now working with the Korean 

government, which plans to continue 

the reunions once or twice a year until 

at least 2013. 

Global Korea 

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Kathleen 

Stephens poses with Yesan 

Middle School students in Chungcheongnam-do 

Province during 

her stint here as a Peace Corps 

volunteer in the mid-1970s. 

Bill Harwood in 1975 when he 

worked as an English teacher at 

Kaesung Boys Middle School in 

Busan. 

Peace Corps volunteers participate 

in a health education program at 

a village in Gyeongsangnam-do 

Province in 1981. 

A girl receives a tuberculosis vaccination 

at a middle school in 

Seoul in 1972. At the time, there 

were many tuberculosis patients 

around the country. 

Friends of Korea recently published 

the book Through Our Eyes: Peace Corps 

in Korea, 1966-1981, which chronicles 

the experiences of volunteers and the 

transformation of the country in pictures. 

By Park Sun-young 

December 2009 korea 31 

Provided by Friends of Korea (the group of Peace Corps volunteers who served in Korea)

Translation on a Biblical Scale 

Muhammad Haya traveled from 

England to Korea late last year, 

along with five of his friends. They 

boarded a cab at Incheon International Airport 

and asked to go to the Islamic Mosque in 

Itaewon, downtown Seoul. But Haya and company 

had trouble communicating with the taxi 

driver. 

The driver soon handed over his mobile 

phone to Haya, and the Arabic language coming 

out of the receiver was music to his ears. Thanks 

to the remote interpreter, the driver and Haya’s 

group settled on the fare to the mosque and 

then back to the airport. The driver even agreed 

to wait for Haya to finish his business free of 

charge. 

The grateful Haya asked the if the person 

on the phone worked at the mosque. “No, I am 

just a bbb volunteer,” the person answered. 

That acronym stands for Before Babel Brigade, 

named for the Biblical story about the fall 

of the Tower of Babel, in which humanity 

shared a common tongue. The volunteer group 

based in Seoul provides around-the-clock 

interpretive services in 17 different languages 

from all corners of the world. Those having 

difficulty communicating during their stay in 

Korea — with a taxi driver, a vendor at a market, 

anyone — can dial 1588-5644 and press a 

number assigned to each of the following languages: 

English, Japanese, Chinese, French, 

Spanish, Italian, Russian, German, Portuguese, 

Arabic, Polish, Turkish, Swedish, Thai, Vietnamese, 

Indonesian and Bahasa Malaysia. The 

Provided by bbb 

Foreigners having difficulty communicating during their 

stay in Korea can ask Koreans on the street to get interpretive 

services in 17 different languages of bbb. 


Global Korea 

Staff and members of bbb engage in 

promotional activities to let foreigners 

know about bbb’s translation services. 

caller will then be automatically connected to 

the mobile phone of an interpreter. 

And the service isn’t just for foreigners. 

Since 2006, it has even offered interpretation 

for Koreans calling from outside the country. 

The service dates back to the 2002 FIFA 

World Cup, co-hosted by Korea and Japan. For 

over two months before, during and after the 

World Cup, volunteer translators handled 

nearly 25,000 requests, according to bbb’s Web 

site, www.bbbkorea.org. 

The organizers have agreements with a 

wide range of agencies, from the Seoul 

Metropolitan Government to the National 

Police Agency and the Korean Olympic 

Committee, and about 3,200 volunteer 

interpreters. The eclectic group includes former 

high-ranking diplomats, retired and active 

professors and undergraduate and graduate 

students. In 2004, bbb took 5,000 calls for help, 

but the figure soared to 32,000 last year. It’s 

expected to reach 50,000 this year. 

Early on, bbb volunteers mostly helped 

visitors find accommodations and talk to cab 

drivers. But there are more bizarre stories too: 

There was a woman in the last month of her 

pregnancy who visited an art college because 

she wanted to have a cast made of her belly, and 

a vegetarian American who ordered the wrong 

pizza and ended up eating just the crust. 

And as the number of migrant workers and 

foreign women marrying Korean men has 

The bbb took 

just 5,000 

calls in 2004, 

but that figure 

is expected to 

hit 50,000 

this year. 

increased, bbb’s service has grown more diverse. 

A Korean groom called up for a crash course on 

the Chinese language, as he was getting ready 

to wed a Chinese woman. Another Korean man 

married to a Chinese woman relayed his 

apologies through a volunteer after a botched 

date. The bride told her husband that everything 

was okay — through the volunteer, of course. 

It’s no coincidence that the volunteers 

include retired diplomats, foreign college 

graduates and holders of certificates for 

simultaneous interpretation. 

Lee Gye-yeon, who translates Arabic, often 

handles delicate situations. The Korea 

Immigration Service asks for her help often 

when officers see foreigners with suspicious 

backgrounds whose English skills are limited. 

“There really are people with vague 

purposes for their visits,” Lee said. “My job is 

to prevent potential dangers, and I think it s 

very important to do that.” 

Lee Joo-young, secretary-general at bbb, 

said some foreign language high schools have 

asked if their students can sign up as volunteers, 

but only those over the age of 19 can become 

volunteers. 

“You often have to deal with contingencies 

and have to have some negotiation skills,” Lee 

said. “So it’s not appropriate for adolescents. But 

what’s really important is to have the mind-set 

to serve the people and represent Korea [to 

foreigners].” By Yoo Jee-ho 


Choi In-ho, a member of Korea Food for the 

Hungry International talks with children of 

poverty ridden village in Kenya. 

Looking After God’s Children 

Why help the needy overseas 

when there are still thousands 

in need of help here? 

That’s a question that might be on any 

Korean’s mind, watching local volunteers 

leaving for countries in Africa and 

Asia. 

But Korea Food for the Hungry 

International, a Seoul-based nongovernment 

relief organization, provides 

an answer. If leading economies in the 

West had refrained from giving aid to 

less developed countries until they had 

resolved all their own problems, Korea 

could never have recovered from the 

rubble of the Korean War in the 1950s 

and become the world’s 13 th -largest 

economy. Now it is Korea’s turn to give 

back, says Chung Jung-sup, one of the 

founding members and the fourth 

chairman of the Christian NGO. 

At a ceremony held in western Seoul, 

the 68-year-old head said, “When we 

were starting out 20 years ago, we had 

no office of our own. We started out 

with just one worker, one desk and one 

telephone. Since then, we have sent 759 

volunteers to some 70 countries around 

the world, delivering food and the word 

of God.” Chung expressed his hope that 

the organization will be able to send 

over 1,000 volunteers by 2010. He also 

wishes to see local Food for the Hungry 

divisions in 160 countries across the 

globe by 2030. 

Chung says that by giving out food, 

his organization is conveying a message 

of love, thus helping the needy survive 

and have agency. It runs what it calls the 

Child Development Program in countries 

across Asia, Europe, Africa and 

America, sending not only food but also 


Global Korea 

volunteers to build schools, teach and help local 

citizens. 

As part of the program, Korean supporters 

can form individual connections with specific 

children to communicate with them and offer 

aid. The NGO has also been developing wells to 

supply clean water, training farmers, developing 

agricultural areas and dispatching doctors. 

Provided by KFHI 

When a strong earthquake rattled a village 

on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, in early 

October, the organization dispatched medical 

staff to treat the injured. Earlier this year, Food 

for the Hungry finished digging a well in a 

town in Kenya, resolving a water shortage. 

What differentiates Korea Food for the 

Hungry International from other relief organizations 

is that it sends donations and other 

funds directly to the people in charge of aid 

programs overseas without going through any 

international administrative body such as the 

United Nations. By doing so, the organization 

has minimized “indirect costs,” Chung says 

proudly. He himself encourages the local divisions 

he helped establishing to create their own 

independent funding systems. 

Korea Food for the Hungry International 

was launched in 1989 as a Korean branch of 

Food for the Hungry, which was established by 

Dr. Larry Ward in 1971. It became the first 

Korean aid group to help the needy abroad. 

Chung set up the group after retiring as an 

executive at the Federation of Korean Industries, 

a business lobby. Inspired by a Christian 

minister and the organization’s present director, 

Yoon Nam-joong, Chung gave up his plan 

to leave for Japan as a Christian missionary 

with his wife and instead established KFHI. 

The group started with seed money of $50,000 

donated by a private relief group in Japan, and 

Chung’s fund-raising efforts led to 180 million 

won in donations in the initial year. Now the 

organization runs on an annual budget of 100 

billion won ($86 million). 

KFHI turned its attention to the needy 

inside the country in 1993. A year later, it started 

helping North Koreans, sending medical 

equipment to a hospital in Pyongyang. So far, 

11 billion won worth of aid has gone to the 

North. Currently the group allocates about 70 

percent of its annual budget to aid businesses 

abroad and 30 percent to help inside Korea. 

 

By Seo Ji-eun 

The head of KFHI, Chung Jungsup 

is giving tips about cultivating 

crops to an African farmer. 

(left) 

A Korean medical staff dispatched 

by the organization 

is treating patient in Uganda. 

(far left) 


Outrunning Climate Change 


1,236.34 

2020 

2007Japan 

Japan 

786.37 

(Target) 

*Only emissions from fuel consumption 

In a move to participate in the world’s 

efforts to curb global warming, Korea has 

decided to cut its greenhouse gas emissions 

4 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. 

That year, Korea emitted 591.1 million tons 

of carbon dioxide, taking the ninth position 

among member countries of the Organization 

for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

2007 

Britain 

523.01 400.61 

to 457.84 

Wind power is recommended for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while the total 

energy consumption will be regulated sooner or later. 

2020 

(Target) 

Britain 

CO2 emissions by country 

2007 

Korea 

(Unit: million tons) 

488.71 430.95 

to 448.91 

2020 

(Target) 

Korea 

Source: IEA 

Its emissions are expected to continue to 

increase, reaching 813 million tons in 2020 at 

the current rate. To accomplish a 4-percent 

reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 

2020 would mean cutting 30 percent of current 

estimated emissions in 2020. 

Korea’s reduction target was set ahead of 

the United Nations summit on climate change 

in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December, where 

the world’s governments will begin negotiating 

a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. It is the 

strongest reduction target among developing 

countries, when the European Union is now 

asking developing countries to cut emissions 

by 15 to 30 percent. 

President Lee Myung-bak emphasized the 

need for Korea to set an aggressive target in a 

meeting with members of the Presidential 

Committee on Green Growth in November. 

“The business community is concerned 

about the strong emission reduction goal, and 

I agree that it shouldn’t hinder Korea’s economic 

growth,” Lee said. “However, it is important 

to establish an ideal goal and try to achieve it. 

If the goal is lowered, it will be hard to change 

the people’s attitudes.” 

Meanwhile, said Kim In-whan, chairman 

of the Korean Society of Climate Change, “As 

Korea fulfills its duty in accordance with its 

economic status in the global community, it 

will bring benefits to the country in the long 

run.” 

Experts say Korea’s voluntary greenhouse 

gas reduction target will contribute to the negotiations 

at the Copenhagen summit. The outlook 

for a settlement is in doubt amid conflict 

between developed and developing counties. 

Developed countries argue that developing 

countries such as China and India need to be 

more aggressive in reducing carbon emissions, 

while developing countries argue that more 

advanced economies should cut their emissions 

more drastically and provide financial 

support to offset developing countries’ losses 

from reductions. 

The plan is part of a wider Korean campaign 

to become a global leader in the green 

economy. 

At the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative 

Summit held on Jeju-do island in early June, 


Green Growth 

Provided by Cheong Wa Dae 

President Lee Myung –bak (center) emphasized “it is important to a establish higher goal and try to achieve it. If the goal is lowered, it will be 

hard to change the people’s attitude”in the meeting of the Presidential Committee on Green Growth. 

President Lee emphasized that the country and 

the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

should make joint efforts to fight climate change, 

particularly in the areas of renewable energy 

and eco-friendly technology. 

During the summit, the leaders of ASEAN 

praised Korea’s efforts to help East Asia grow in 

an eco-friendly fashion, including the East Asia 

Climate Partnership, which the Lee administration 

announced last year at the G8 Summit. 

Under the partnership, Korea will invest $200 

million over the next five years in projects to 

help Southeast Asia’s emerging economies 

reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Transport 

and Maritime Affairs has presented programs 

focused on energy-efficient urban planning 

including new construction and transportation 

regulations. New buildings will gradually be 

required to use less energy, and so-called “zeroenergy” 

construction will be required for all new 

buildings beginning in 2025, the ministry said. 

This means new buildings will have to supply 

their own energy. Such buildings already exist, 

making use of renewable energy systems such as 

photovoltaic solar power modules on roofs. 

Starting in 2010, each building’s total energy 

consumption will be regulated and, beginning 

in 2012, certificates of energy consumption will 

be required as a part of real estate transactions. 

Residential buildings will be required by law to 

use 20 percent less energy for heating and cooling 

by 2012. 

Half of 

Korea’s social 

infrastructure 

spending will 

go to railroads 

by 2020, from 

29 percent 

this year. 

The Land Ministry said that the programs 

would help lower buildings’ greenhouse gas 

emissions to 31 percent below the levels that 

would otherwise be reached in 2020. 

But what about the transportation, the primary 

source of growth in greenhouse gas emissions? 

The ministry said it would increase 

investment in railways while reducing investment 

in roads. 

Accordingly, the nation’s railroad network 

will account for 50 percent of spending on total 

social overhead capital in 2020 from the current 

29 percent, the ministry said, while investment 

in roads will decline to 40 percent of the 

nation’s spending on total social infrastructure 

in 2020 from the current 57.2 percent. 

In addition, the ministry promises incentives 

to companies that switch from using roads 

to railways or maritime transportation for their 

shipping, in a pilot program starting next 

year. 

Research and development for advanced 

eco-friendly transportation technologies, 

including those for next-generation bullet 

trains that can operate at 400 kilometers (248.5 

miles) per hour and magnetic levitation trains, 

will be more active, the ministry said. 

The series of measures will help reduce 

greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation 

sector by up to 37 percent from estimated 2020 

levels, the ministry said, and will save about 7.2 

trillion won ($6.21 billion) in energy costs 

annually. By Koh So-young 


A view of the mega-mall Times Sqaure 

in Yeongdeungpo area in southwestern 

Seoul. 

[Press-Q] 

It’s Better Late Than Never 


Culture 

As Koreans Head to the Mall 



A 

day spent hanging out at a 

mall may be as natural as turkey 

on Thanksgiving to 

Americans, but in Korea it’s a 

brand new trend, brought on by the 

increase in leisure time afforded by the 

five-day work week. 

On a recent autumn weekend, Choi 

Hyun-jin, 39, took a stroll in Times 

Square, a mega-mall that opened in September 

in Yeongdeungpo-gu District, 

southwestern Seoul. Compared to independent 

shops or department stores, 

she said, malls are more convenient in 

that they are equipped with a variety of 

facilities for shopping and entertainment. 

“I can shop for everything all at once, 

The exterior of the I’Park 

Mall in Yongsan-gu District, 

central Seoul. 

which saves time for a person like me who works on 

weekdays,” she said. “There is efficiency in spending 

leisure time on one-stop service.” 

Malls have become popular, local industry experts 

say, because modern consumers under the pressure of 

time can’t go from place to place looking for what they 

need. Chances are, they can find everything in the mall, 

from department store goods and discount store items 

to books and gifts. 

Times Square, the newest mega-mall in Korea, 

includes a children’s theme park, a bookstore, a cinema, 

a venue for meetings and weddings, a large discount 

store, a hotel and a luxury fitness center. Dozens of 

brands have stores there, from luxury to “fast fashion.” 

There’s even an Internet-equipped lounge where 

visitors can surf the Web while their families or friends 

shop. 

“Though Korea is not an early adopter of the ‘mall- 

Interview 

Kim Dam, president of Times Square 

“It was about time a large-scale quality mall like this opened in Seoul,” said Kim Dam, the 44-year-old president 

of Times Square. He spoke about his experience and the mall industry in Korea. 

Q. Can you briefly define Times Square? 

A. Times Square is an up-and-coming cultural community area in Seoul, which is unprecedented in the retail 

industry. It is a high-tech, multi-complex attraction similar to Pacific Place in Hong Kong or Tokyo Midtown. 

What’s unique about the complex is that each of the different stores is connected under the so-called 

“malling” system, which naturally leads customers from one place to the other. 

Q. You mentioned a “malling” system. What exactly is that? 

A. The malling system doesn’t refer to a mall that has a hotel, department store, cinema, large 

discount store and restaurants. It refers to the idea that visitors can visit one place and get access 

to almost anything they want, conveniently. Such malls are common in the United States and 

Japan, and they will also be common in Korea with the emerging of new consumer trends. 


Culture 

ing’ trend that already exists in most 

developed areas like the United States, 

Europe, Japan and Hong Kong, the number 

of mallgoers in Korea is increasing as 

the Korean economy advances,” said 

Park Hee-jeong, an official at I’Park Mall 

located in Yongsan-gu District, central 

Seoul. 

It is said that the shopping mall was 

born in 1877, when a large outdoor market 

was set up in front of a statue of Victor 

Emmanuel II in Milan, Italy. The 

retail malls seen today date back to 1950s 

America, when newly affluent families 

moved to the suburbs and the concept of 

the family car made the shopping center 

concept viable. 

When national income per person in 

the United States and Japan reached over 

$20,000 in 1988, mega-malls were a big 

trend. This was the period when terms 

like “malling,” “mallgoer,” and “mall 

walking” entered the zeitgeist. 

“Korea is following the same steps,” 

Park said. “With Korea’s economy growing 

and its national income per capita on 

the verge of reaching $20,000, there will 

be more malls built.” 

The Lotte World complex in Jamsildong, 

southern Seoul, is thought to be 

one of the first malls in Korea, opening 

in 1988. The Coex Mall in Samseongdong 

and the Central City complex built 

around the Express Bus Terminal in 

southern Seoul followed, along with 

I’Park Mall in Yongsan and Shinsegae 

Centum City in Busan. 

There are currently around 10 megamalls 

in Korea and more are planned. 

Department stores hope to open 

branches within the new centers. Hyundai 

Department Store will open a branch 

at the Lakinsmall in Ilsan-dong, Gyeonggi-do 

Province, next year, while Lotte 

Shopping hopes to open its own mall, 

the Gimpo Sky Park Mall, near Gimpo 

Airport in 2011. 

“Koreans were introduced to the 

malling trend a bit later than other developed 

nations because of the Asian financial 

crisis in the late 1990s, but the fiveday 

workweek and changing consumer 

trends are attracting more visitors to 

malls,” said Baek In-soo at Lotte’s retail 

center. 

Experts say malls are good for busi- 

‘The five-day 

work week 

and changing 

consumer 

trends are 

attracting 

more visitors 

to malls.’ 

ness, because the longer visitors stay in one place, 

the more money they spend. 

According to an industry report, visitors spend 

an average of one to two hours at a department store 

but three or four hours at a mall, which has more 

stores and facilities to hold their attention. 

“Most retail facilities [in Korea] will be developed 

into malls because more working couples 

under time pressure are willing to shop for various 

items all at once,” said Jang Jung-ho from Shinsegae. 

Kim Dam, president of Times Square, also said that 

a new era in the development of Korea’s multi-complex 

shopping mall industry has started, adding that 

more malls like the Pacific Place in Hong Kong or 

Tokyo Midtown will be built. By Lee Eun-joo 

Top, a view of Shinsegae Department Store’s Centum City branch in Busan, which was listed 

in the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest department store. 

Above, the interior of the I’Park Mall in Yongsan-gu District, central Seoul. 

Provided by the company [JoongAng Ilbo] 


Hardships and Love in Verse 

Foreign residents of Korea find inspiration in their lives at poetry recital 

The number of expats residing 

in Korea surpassed 1.1 million 

recently, according to government 

data, and there are now 

various programs across the country 

for foreign residents, including classes 

on kimchi making, Korean cooking 

and the local language — but there 

are not many opportunities for expats 

to show off their talent for writing 

literature in their adopted 

tongue. 

So it was a rare treat for 

all when on Nov. 8, about 110 

people, including married 

immigrants from multicultural 

families and Korean 

poets, had the chance to recite 

their poetry at a local welfare center 

in Gyeonggi-do Province. 

Twelve contestants from 11 countries, 

among them Cambodia, 

China, Vietnam, Indonesia, 

Uzbekistan and Myanmar, participated. 

Sukatin Choi read her long 

prose poem called “My Happiness.” 

“My simmering love for one 

Korean man brought me where I 

am,” she read. “When I close my 

eyes and open my eyes I can’t get 

away from thinking of my family at 

home.” 

Choi, who came to Korea from 

Indonesia 11 years ago, wrote about 

how much she missed her family 

back home and how difficult it was 

learning Korean because there weren’t 

any classes in her neighborhood. Still, 

she said she managed to settle in Korea 

thanks to her husband’s support and 

love. 

Moon Chang-gil, poet and head of 

the literary society that organized the 

event, Changak 21, said the judges had 

to give Choi the grand prize. 

“The three judges were all surprised 


Provided by 

Changjak 21 

Sukatin Choi, back, an Indonesian 

who came to Korea 

11 years ago and Alexandra 

Park, front, an ethnic Korean 

born and raised in Uzbekistan 

came to Korea five years 

ago won prizes for their poems 

at a multicultural family 

poem recital contest on Nov. 

8 at a local welfare center in 

Gyeonggi-do Province. 

and marveled at Sukatin’s poem, because they got 

impression it was written by a professional Korean poet 

considering the format, order and poetic expressions in 

‘My Happiness’,” Moon said. 

“Before coming to Korea, I had very limited 

knowledge of it,” said Choi, who recently became a 

naturalized Korean citizen, in a phone interview. 

Choi spoke Korean without a trace of an accent. 

But when she arrived, she said, “I even didn’t 

know how to say hello in Korean.” 

Choi met her husband at a company in 

Indonesia. The couple now has four children. 

“Korean food didn’t fit my taste, and I studied 

Korean on my own by repeating lines on TV shows,” 

Choi said. “My 11 years in Korea led me to overcome 

difficulties, and all I can say now is I feel 

great. I’m much happier than before. I have no 

other wishes. I just want this happiness to last 

forever.” 

Alexandra Park, an ethnic Korean born and 

raised in Uzbekistan who came to Korea five years 

ago, also participated in the contest and won an 

award. Park has two children with her Korean husband. 

“I read two short poems; one is about the postnatal 

depression I suffered in Korea,” Park said. 

“Because my Korean is not good enough to write 

poetry in Korean, I wrote the poems in my first 

language, Russian, and then translated them into 

Korean.” 

Park said she was passionate about studying 

Korean even before she arrived, because she wanted 

to find out about her identity and her ancestral home. 

“I thought my Korean level would be okay to live 

there, because I studied hard,” Park said. “But things 

were different when I got here … there were a bunch of 

other Korean expressions I never heard of.” 

Park said she couldn’t get over the look Koreans 

gave her when they asked her for directions. 

“I’m Korean and I look Korean, but I don’t speak 

Korean well,” Park said. “So people misunderstood and 

took me for a fool. That actually motivated me to learn 

Korean harder after my two daughters were born, 

because I didn’t want my children to get bullied.” 

Park hopes one day to write in her adopted language. 

“Someday in the near future, I hope that I can 

write a poem in Korean,” Park said. “Because writing a 

poem in a foreign language is difficult, and this would 

mean that my Korean is perfect.” By Kim Mi-ju

Culture 

Jang Dong-gun 

Song Seung-heon 

Lee Byung-hun 

Won Bin 


Four For One, One For All 

Quartet of Korean Wave superstars gathers for big show at Tokyo Dome 

Japanese fans of the Korean Wave are about to get a 

special gift. 

Four stars who were at the vanguard of the wave 

— Lee Byung-hun, 39; Jang Dong-gun, 37; Song 

Seung-heon, 33, and Won Bin, 32 — have teamed up for a live 

show dubbed “Four of a Kind,” set to run at the Tokyo Dome 

on Dec. 17. 

This Hallyu, or Korean wave event, unprecedented in its 

scale, was reportedly conceived independently by the four 

superstars, who are close friends and often meet privately. 

The highlight of the event will come when all four actors 

perform together. The well-known Japanese producer and 

lyricist Yasushi Akimoto will produce the show, and Hur Jinho, 

the Korean film director known for the 1998 movie Christmas 

in August who recently directed Season of Good Rain 

starring Jung Woo-sung and Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan, 

will make a short feature to be used at the performance. 

The Tokyo Dome event will also provide a venue for the 

fans to hear from each of the stars about their lives at the 

moment and their future plans. 

“It’s been a long time since I’d met fans at a live show like 

this. I’m looking forward to seeing what it will be like,” Jang 

was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency. 

Lee concurred, adding, “It will be a very special event. See 

you all soon.” 

Lee won widespread popularity in Asia with his roles in 

the 2001 TV drama Beautiful Days and the 2003 hit TV series 

All In, and he recently made his Hollywood debut in the 

action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, released this year. 

Jang earned recognition for his performances in the films 

Friend (2001) and Taegukgi: Brotherhood of War (2004) and 

recently made headlines by announcing a relationship of two 

years with Ko So-young, one of the most popular Korean 

actresses of the late 1990s. 

It was Song’s role in the 2000 hit drama Autumn in My 

Heart, in which he played opposite the prominent Korean 

actress Song Hye-kyo, that first won him notice. 

And last but not least, the youngest in the group, Won Bin, 

who appeared in Autumn in My Heart as a new face then rose 

to fame with his role in Taegukgi, was recently featured at this 

year’s Cannes Film Festival in the acclaimed film Mother, 

directed by Bong Joon-ho (The Host). 

Though the details of the event are still under discussion 

by the four actors’ management agencies due to their busy 

schedules, it promises to be an unforgettable evening for the 

stars’ rabid fans. By Park Sun-young 


Kim Won-il 

A broken heart in a divided nation 

Kim Won-il (born 1942) writes about the effects of the Korean 

War and national division. His writing is, in part, an 

attempt to come to terms with the circumstances that 

shaped his youth: Kim’s father, a communist activist, 

defected to the North during the war, leaving his family in extreme 

poverty and under constant police surveillance. The dark years of 

Kim’s childhood were the basis for a series of stories, including “A 

Festival of Darkness,” “Spirit of Darkness” and “Evening Glow,” which 

won critical acclaim for reaffirming the value of life in the nihilistic 

aftermath of the Korean War. With the publication of A Festival of 

Fire and Winter Valley, Kim Won-il became the foremost writer on 

the issue of national division. His autobiographical novel A House 

with a Deep Garden was made into a popular TV series in 1990. In 

these works, Kim blends realism and lyricism to offer a comprehensive 

portrayal of Korean society before, during and after the war, with 

emphasis on the ideological conflict and its dehumanizing effect on 

life. Since the mid-1990s, Kim Won-il has produced deeply humanistic 

tales centering on handicapped or socially marginalized groups 

of people. 

The writer has been the recipient of numerous awards, including 

the Contemporary Literature Prize (1974), the Republic of Korea 

President’s Award in Literature (1979), the Korean Creative Writers’ 

Prize (1979), the Dong-in Literature Prize (1983), the Yi Sang Literature 

Prize (1990) and the Han Musuk Literature Prize (1998). 


Korean Literature 

Major works 

Spirit of Darkness 

(Eodum ui chukje,1973) 

Today’s Wind 

(Oneul buneun baram, 1976) 

Evening Glow 

(Noeul, 1978) 

Meditations on a Snipe 

(1979) 

Chains of Darkness 

(Eodumui saseul, 1979) 

A Festival of Fire 

(Buleui jejeon, 1983) 

Wind and River 

(Baram gwa gang, 1985) 

Winter Valley 

(1987) 

House with a Deep Garden 

(1989) 

The Long Road From Here to 

There 

(Geugose ireuneun meon gil, 1992) 

The Evergreen 

(Neul pureun sonamu, 1993) 

Source: Korea Literature 

Translation Institute 



A House with Deep Yard (Madang gipeun jib) 

With remarkable accuracy 

and attention to detail, 

this autobiographical novel 

reconstructs the period 

immediately following the 

Korean War and presents a 

poignant picture of the 

indomitable will to survive. 

Six families, all of them refugees, 

occupy a single house 

enclosing a yard, eking out a 

living by any means they can. 

Emotional, physical and 

material devastation left by 

the war is engraved into every 

aspect of their lives. Jun-ho’s 

father, a former officer, wears 

a hook in place of his missing 

arm and peddles sweet potatoes; 

Gil-nam’s mother does 

needlework for prostitutes. A 

daughter of another family, 

Mi-seon, marries an American 

soldier she met while 

working at a military base, 

and Jeong-tae, whose family 

is from Pyeongyang, attempts 

to cross over the border into 

North Korea. A well-to-do 

landlord family holds a dance 

party while the tenants next 

door go to sleep hungry, 

embodying the crippling 

effect of war in their utter 

disregard for human suffering. 

Although the harsh conditions 

of their lives often 

manifest in antagonism and 

hatred, the refugees do not 

forget neighborly warmth 

and cooperation. Most of all, 

it is their unrelenting desire 

to overcome the ravages of 

the war and move toward a 

better life that imparts a measure 

of hope to the bleak reality 

of postwar Korea. 

The novel was made into 

a TV series in 1990. 

Meditations on a Snipe (Doyosae-e gwanhan myeongsang) 

This volume contains 12 

stories including “The Chain 

of Darkness,” “Needlework” 

and “An Evening Primrose,” 

all of which were first published 

in the 1970s. 

“Meditations on a Snipe” 

is a complex story that touches 

upon many controversial 

issues in South Korean society, 

including pollution due 

to rapid industrialization and 

the sense of alienation that 

scars those who cannot 

return to their homes in the 

North. These issues surface 

through a family in discord. 

The father is a 51-year-old 

man who fought in the war 

on the North Korean side, 

but settled in the South after 

renouncing communism. A 

passive, soft-hearted man, he 

still cherishes the memory of 

his first lover, whom he left 

behind in the North. His 

wife, on the other hand, is a 

simple-minded and ignorant 

woman who manages all 

family affairs with hardiness 

and vigor. She coerces her 

husband into misappropriating 

funds from his office, 

causing him to lose his job. 

Byeong-guk, the first son, 

throws away a promising college 

career to participate in 

the democracy movement. 

Expelled from school, he 

returns home and redirects 

his passion to the problem of 

pollution and the extinction 

of migratory birds in the area 

surrounding the Dongjingang 

River. His little brother 

Byeong-sik is in many ways 

Byeong-guk’s opposite: a 

second-rate student, Byeongsik 

is pragmatic, selfish and 

calculating. With no regard 

for social issues, he makes 

money by aiding poachers 

who catch and stuff the 

migratory birds. 

The birds of the title 

embody Byeong-guk’s yearning 

for freedom and the 

father’s longing for his home 

in the North, and serve as the 

symbol of the psychological 

bond that exists between 

father and son. 

Published translations 

Book Title Year of publication Genre Language 

노을 / Evening Glow 

바람과 강 / The Wind and the River 

맹춘중하 외( 孟春仲夏 외) / Early Spring, Mid-Summer and Other Korean Short Stories 

마당 깊은 집 / La maison dans la cour du bas 

바람과 강 / Le Voyage de Monsieur Lee 

한국의 현대문학 제2권 장편소설II / 韓国の現代文学第 2 巻長編小説 II 

겨울 골짜기 / 冬の谷間 

마당 깊은 집 / La casona de los patios 

2003 

1988 

1983 

1995 

1993 

1992 

1996 

1995 

Novel English 

Novel English 

Novel English 

Novel French 

Novel French 

Novel Japanese 

Novel Japanese 

Novel Spanish 

List of Kim's translated works 


Poetry 

A Slug 

민달팽이 

냇가의 돌 위를 

민달팽이가 기어간다 

등에 짊어진 집도 없는 저것 

보호색을 띤, 갑각의 패각 한 채 없는 저것 

타액 같은, 미끌미끌한 분비물로 전신을 감싸고 

알몸으로 느릿느릿 기어간다 

햇살의 새끼손가락만 닿아도 말라 바스라질 것 같은 

부드럽고 연한 피부, 무방비로 열어놓고 

산책이라도 즐기고 있는 것인지 

냇가의 돌침대 위에서 午睡 라도 즐기고 싶은 것인지 

걸으면서도 잠든 것같은 보폭으로 느릿느릿 걸어간다 

꼭 술통 속을 빠져나온 디오게네스처럼 

물과 구름의 運行 따라 걷은 운수납행처럼 

등에 짊어진 집, 세상에 던져주고 

입어도 벗은 것 같은 衲衣 하나로 떠도는 

그 우주율의 발걸음으로 느리게 느리게 걸어간다 

그 모습이 안쓰러워, 아내가 냇물에 씻고 있는 배추 잎 

사귀 하나를 알몸 위에 덮어주자 

민달팽이는 잠시 멈칫거리다가, 귀찮은 듯 얼른 잎사귀 

덮개를 빠져나가버린다 

치워라, 그늘! 

A slug is crawling 

Over a streamside stone. 

With no house on its back 

wrapped in protective colors, without any shell, 

its whole body shielded in a slippery secretion like saliva, 

naked, it is idly crawling along. 

With its tender, soft skin open, defenseless 

— a little finger of sunlight would reduce it to powder — 

the slug seems to be enjoying a stroll 

or perhaps it hopes to enjoy a nap on a streamside stone bed, 

crawling along at so idle a pace, it seems to be walking in its sleep. 

Just like Diogenes emerging from a wine barrel, 

following the movement of water and clouds like a wandering 

monk, 

abandoning to the world the house on its back, 

roaming in robes that it seems barely to wear, 

It goes walking slowly, so slowly, with footsteps following cosmic 

laws. 

Feeling sorry at the sight of it, my wife covers its naked body 

with a cabbage leaf she has just washed in the brook. 

But the slug, after wavering for a moment, soon emerges from 

beneath the leaf as if finding it bothersome. 

Clear off, shade! 

From “Poems from Dojang Valley” by poet Kim Sin-yong 

Kim Sin-yong was born in Busan in 1945. He made his literary debut in the journal Contemporary Poetry & Thought in 1988. His poetry collections include Deserted 

People (1988), Record of Wretched Days (1990), Walking Inside a Dream (1997), Phantom Pain (2005) and Poems from Dojang Valley (2007). His novels include 

Where Is the Moon 1, 2 (1994) and Mechanical Parro (1997). He is the winner of the 7th Cheon Sang-byeong Poetry Prize (2005) and the 6th Nojak Literary Award 

(2006). 

Provided by the Korea Literature Translation Institute 


Jo Jeong-gu, a noted Korean architect (below), 

has been the master hand behind some 

of the most high-profile hanok, or traditional 

buildings, construction projects in Korea. One 

example is a hanok in Gahoe-dong, Seoul 

(right), called Seoneumjae and built in 1934. 

Provided by Jo Jeong-gu, [JoongAng Ilbo] 

Architect Preserves, Resurrects 

Korea’s Traditional Lifestyles 


Korean Artist 

are all the 

traditional buildings?” 

“Where 

That’s the 

question that ends up on the lips of 

some foreigners who visit Korea for the 

first time with high hopes of indulging 

themselves in the trappings of old Asia. 

Such a response is understandable 

considering the massive and hasty 

industrialization of the 1960s and ’70s 

destroyed many of Korea’s traditional 

houses, known here as hanok. 

A reminder of old and impoverished 

times past, many hanok were demolished 

and replaced with modern, Western-style 

apartment buildings, many 

bleak and featureless. 

Data show that more than 50 percent 

of Korean people now live in these 

apartment buildings. In Seoul alone, 

home to more than 10 million people 

caption — about a quarter of the country’s population 

— only about 14,000 hanok are 

known to have survived. 

Yet in recent years, the old houses 

have found themselves enjoying newfound 

attention. 

The central government has taken 

note of their rich potential as tourist 

attractions, certifying one hanok village 

after another. Architects, meanwhile, 

have fallen in love with their architec- 


tural beauty and the ancestral wisdom 

evident in the way they are built. For 

example, ondol floor heating systems 

come from hanok. 

Since 2001, the Seoul Metropolitan 

Government has been working on preserving 

the city’s remaining hanok, most 

of which can be found in the districts of 

Jongno-gu, Seongbuk-gu and Dongdaemun-gu. 

The government has introduced 

various measures, including a 

ban on real estate development in hanok 

neighborhoods and subsidies to remodel 

and maintain the old homes. 

Today, hanok are in the middle of a 

full-fledged renaissance, with the emergence 

of hanok inns, hanok restaurants, 

even a hanok dental clinic, while adopting 

elements of their traditional designs 

is all the rage in Korean architecture. 

A man who deserves a fair share of 

credit for hanok’s newfound popularity 

is Jo Jeong-gu, the director at Guga 

Architects. He has renovated or built 

more than 30 hanok across Korea that 

have now become landmarks in more 

ways than one. 

They include, in Seoul, the Institute 

of Korean Royal Cuisine in Wonseodong, 

Restaurant Nuri in Insa-dong and 

the Bukchon Hanok Village; in Gyeongsangbuk-do 

Province, the Gunja Village 

Hall in Andong; in Gyeongsangbuk-do, 

La Gung, a hanok-style hotel in Gyeongju. 

“Today, so many things are disappearing,” 

Jo laments. “Even before we 

get to look at or talk about what we have, 

their meaning and value, our cities get 

demolished and erased. We need to 

come up with a way to bring development 

to cities without erasing.” 

One model, Jo says, is the hanok 

renovation project in Bukchon, northern 

Seoul, which in 2001 gave birth to 

the Bukchon Hanok Village, now a tourist 

destination. 

According to Jo, the project was an 

eye-opener for him, as well, helping him 

discover the potential of hanok and 

delve into their structure. Not long 

afterward, Jo became the go-to architect 

for high-profile hanok projects. 

Since Bukchon, Jo says he has fallen 

in love with hanok. So much so that in 

2003 Jo and his wife moved to a hanok 

Jo lives in a hanok himself 

along with his wife, children 

and a pet. The couple says 

they enjoy the peace of mind 

that comes with living in a 

hanok. 

in the Seodaemun-gu area in Seoul. Before that the 

couple and their only child had lived in a typical Korean 

apartment building. Now, Jo and his wife have four 

kids, which they say must have something to do with 

the peace of mind that comes with living in a hanok. 

The typical hanok is built around a courtyard. Jo 

has even been quoted as saying that “the focus of my 

architecture is always the yard.” It’s a subject Jo can talk 

about for hours — and he didn’t miss the chance to do 

so in this interview. 

“I don’t necessarily believe that a hanok must be a 

traditional wooden structure,” Jo says. “But I do believe 

the most important thing in a hanok is its relationship 

with the courtyard. That is where the true ‘hanokness’ 

comes from: the yard.” 



Jo went on to say that a hanok’s yard 

is not something that people just look at 

and enjoy visually. It is something that 

people use, where people feel the seasons 

change. 

“Getting a yard is like getting a piece 

of nature in a huge room,” Jo says. 

One of Jo’s most high-profile projects 

was the multiple award-winning La 

Gung hotel. La Gung opened in 2007 

and enjoyed intense media coverage, as 

it was the first high-end, luxury hanok 

hotel to open in Korea. 

“Often La Gung is fully booked over 

the weekend,” said Min Dae-sik at the 

Shilla Millennium Park, the film setcum-theme 

park that houses the hotel. 

“Part of the reason is because it only has 

16 villas, but we believe it’s also an indication 

that people are responding positively 

to hanok structures.” 

Jo admits he wasn’t certain La Gung 

would succeed when he was first given 

the job. After all, it was an unprecedented 

project. 

“My biggest concern when designing 

La Gung was how many traditional 

elements I would use and how much I 

would adopt modern functions.” 

In its completed form, La Gung 

embodies the qualities that set Jo apart 

from other hanok-savvy architects: It 

retains its traditional form and atmosphere 

with modern functions and facilities. 

Each villa at the hotel has two to 

three rooms, a private yard, as well as a 

private, open-air hot bath. 

After La Gung, Jo worked on another 

hanok hotel, a hanok library and a 

hanok art gallery. But the architect says 

he is most inspired by residential hanok, 

and names a hanok in Gahoe-dong 

called Seoneumjae as one of his most 

memorable projects. 

Built in 1934, the hanok was on the 

verge of being demolished, with the 

owner, like so many who came before, 

tempted by a large offer from a real 

estate developer. But Jo heard about 

Seoneumjae and its historical value and 

convinced the owner to opt for renovation 

instead. 

“I thought about what the best renovated 

hanok I’ve ever worked on was. It 

was, in fact, my house. I have lived in a 

La Gung, Korea’s first highend 

hanok hotel, was also 

the work of Jo. La Gung embodies 

the qualities that differentiate 

Jo from from other 

hanok-savvy architects by 

retaining its traditional form 

with modern twist. 

A model of 

one hanok Jo 

saved from the 

wrecking ball 

was chosen 

for an exhibit 

at the Korean 

Embassy to 

the U.S. 

Korean Artist 

hanok since 2003, but I didn’t renovate it too much. 

That’s when I realized that when it comes to hanok 

renovation, less is more.” 

Although Jo focused on keeping the original frame 

and ambiance of Seoneumjae, he did add elements to 

please the owner and make life there more convenient, 

like a listening room in the basement. Still, Jo made 

sure the building’s 70-year heritage was kept as intact 

as possible. 

That is perhaps why, along with a model of the 

130-year-old hanok residence of Korea’s former president 

Yun Po-sun in Insa-dong, central Seoul, a miniature 

of Seoneumjae was chosen to be displayed at an 

exhibition in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Korean 

Embassy. 

A graduate in architecture of the prestigious Seoul 

National University, Jo opened his first office, Guga 

Architects, in 2000. That was also when he initiated 

what he calls the “Wednesday survey.” Every Wednesday 

he heads out to examine and document buildings, 

alleys and other urban structures and elements in and 

around the Seodaemun-gu area. 

So far he has done more than 460 such surveys and 

completed nine detailed scrapbooks. Looking over 

them today, one is struck by Jo’s persistence, even stubbornness. 

But along the way, Jo said, he has learned 

more about life than about architecture. 

The 43-year-old says that through the surveys he 

has come to a better understanding of the way people 

live, and of Seoul as a historic yet constantly changing 

city. 

“Different people live differently, according to their 

walks of life, financial circumstances and whatnot. 

Some of the places may look dark, cramped and old, 

but still they are a precious backdrop to someone’s life, 

just like any other place. A good city is one where different 

people can live in harmony.” 

 

By Kim Hyung-eun 


[JonngAng Ilbo]

Majestic Park Will Be Home 

to a Beloved Korean Sport 

Participants in the first World Youth Taekwondo Camp, held in August, 

compete in a match. Provided by the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation. 


Provided by Taekwondo Promotion Foundation 

Taekwondo Promotion Foundation 

Chairman Lee Dai-soon 

firmly believes that Taekwondo 

Park, currently being constructed 

in Muju, Jeollabuk-do Province, 

will help develop the sport on a global 

scale. 

“The project will provide up-to-date 

training facilities for practitioners of the 

sport, but more importantly it will 

embody the spirit of the sport by educating 

youth and providing a tranquil environment 

for visitors to meditate,” 

explained the 76-year-old Lee, who is 

also vice president of the World Taekwondo 

Federation, at his office. 

After serving as a lawmaker for eight 

years in the 1980s from Goheung-gun 

and Boseong-gun in Jeollanam-do Province, 

Lee has had an illustrious career in 

sports and government posts over the 

years. Since he was appointed as the head 

of TPF in 2005 when the organization 

was founded, Lee has been hard at work 

on the Taekwondo Park project. 

The all-purpose training and educational 

facility will include a Taekwondo 

Hall of Fame, a World Culture Village, a 

5,000-seat arena, training centers and 

lodging facilities on a sprawling site of 

23,000 square kilometers (8,880 square 

miles), or approximately the size of 4,157 

football fields. A groundbreaking took 

place on Taekwondo Day on Sept. 4, and 

Taekwondo Park is to be completed in 

two phases, the first phase by 2013 and 

the rest by 2018. The entire project, 

backed by public and private funds, is 

expected to cost around 236 billion won 

($204 million). When complete it is 

expected to provide the 50 million or so 

practitioners of the sport a place to gather 

and hone their bodies, spirits and 

minds. 

“What sets taekwondo apart from 

some other modern sports is that it 

preaches the importance of moral values

Sports 

and respect for elders. For practitioners of the sport, it 

is not merely important to be a good athlete but also to 

develop into well-rounded people with outstanding 

moral values.” 

This is part of the reason the WTF and TPF coorganized 

the very first World Youth Taekwondo Camp 

in August. The six-day event included 260 participants 

between the ages of 14 and 17 from 33 countries. It’s the 

overall goal of the two organizations not only to spread 

the positives of the sport to youth all over the world but 

also to make an impact on young athletes. 

“We introduced success cases to the participants. 

Former taekwondo athletes who have gone on to have 

success later in life shared their stories at the camp. 

There was a Taiwanese lawmaker and an Iranian city 

official, among others. We hoped to give the kids hopes 

and dreams, in addition to keeping themselves healthy 

and in good shape,” said Lee. 

“Aside from the actual coaching of athletes, we had 

a session in which we asked the kids to write down a 

bad habit or mistakes that they had made in the past on 

wooden boards. Then we had them break the boards 

and gave them time for reflection.” 

As Lee explained, the emphasis the sport places on 

respect for one’s self, parents and elders is partly why the 

sport has been included as part of regular physical education 

curriculums in some regions in the American 

states of Massachusetts and New York. In Iran, Uzbekistan 

and certain parts of Africa, taekwondo programs 

have been added to university curriculums as well. This 

makes Taekwondo Park all the more important. 

“We have sent professors to Uzbek universities and 

have plans to sent more professors, taekwondo masters 

and volunteers abroad. In order to reach out to places 

that request help, we need more instructors, professors 

and volunteers. When finished, Taekwondo Park is 

expected to provide proper training for practitioners of 

all ages and those looking to get involved in teaching 

the sport,” Lee said. “That is the reason we are devoting 

a lot of attention to the research center to be built on the 

grounds of the park. Furthermore, a new facility for 

Kukkiwon [the world taekwondo headquarters] will be 

set aside on the grounds as well.” 

Some may question why Taekwondo Park isn’t 

closer to Seoul, the capital of Korea and the economic 

and cultural center of the country. At the early stages of 

the planning process, the two governing groups had to 

The park will 

offer youth 

training, but 

also host 

research and 

instruct new 

masters. 

Lee Dai-soon, chairman of the Taekwondo 

Promotion Foundation 

decide upon a finalist from a list of six 

other cities including Chuncheon, 

Gangwon-do Province and Gyeongju, 

Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. However, 

as Lee explained, there was a clear reason 

for choosing Muju. 

“The picturesque area is ideal for the 

type of park we have in mind, but the 

area also has historical significance. The 

area was once the border of the ancient 

Korean kingdoms of Baekje and Silla. 

You could say it’s the area where the 

sport was founded,” said Lee. “It’s also in 

the central region of Korea, and a lot 

closer to Seoul than one might expect. 

The area is merely 30 minutes on the 

KTX [bullet train] from Daejeon.” 

With several International Olympic 

Committee members in attendance at 

the groundbreaking in September, Lee 

said he received positive feedback about 

the park and what it means for the future 

of the sport. 

While known as a sport that has been 

dominated by Korean athletes at international 

events in the past, taekwondo 

has consistently grown over the years in 

other places around the world. This has 

resulted in a more level playing field, and 

with Taekwondo Park expected to be 

completed within a decade, the prospects 

of the sport further blossoming 

look bright. By Jason Kim 


[Press-Q]

Lim Su-jeong of Korea lands 

a kick to the face of her opponent, 

Zhang Hua of China, 

in the women’s 62-kilogram 

division final match on Oct. 

19 at the Ballerup Super 

Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

[YONHAP] 

Lim Bests 

Zhang in 

Denmark 

The most recognized female taekwondo athlete 

in the world lived up to high expectations, 

winning a gold medal in dramatic 

fashion at the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships 

held in Copenhagen, Denmark from Oct. 

14 to 18. Lim Su-jeong defeated Zhang Hua of China 

in the final of the women’s 62-kilogram (136.7-pound) 

division by 10-8 at the Ballerup Super Arena. 

The 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalist was 

favored to win her division, and she cruised through 

the early rounds. In the semifinals, Lim showed an 

impressive display of three kicks to the face as she 

defeated Estefania Hernandez of Spain by 9-5. 

The final match against Zhang proved to be much 

tougher, as Lim trailed until the end of the second 

round. Then, behind 8-7, Lim landed a right kick 

square on her opponent’s face to earn three points to 

win the match 10-8. 

The 23-year-old has now won at every major competition, 

including the 2002 Asian Games and 2007 

Universiade Games. 

Kim Joon-tae, competing in the men’s 74-kilogram 

division, also added a gold medal. Kim’s toughest foe 

came in the semifinals, when he faced Mark Lopez of 

the U.S. Kim fell behind early but came back with kicks 


Lim Su-jeong 

Korea’s 

reigning 

taekwondo 

champion 

continues to 

impress 

to the body and facial area to take the 

match by 7-5. He bested Canada’s Maxime 

Potvin in the finals, 5-2. 

The Korean men managed to earn 

three gold medals and finished first over 

Iran and Turkey, while the female team 

finished second overall behind China 

with two gold medals. 

The tournament’s most valuable 

player honors went to American Steven 

Lopez, who won his fifth consecutive 

world title, and Brigitte Yague of Spain. 

“These World Championships are 

the biggest in history. Over 1,000 participants, 

five courts, the new electronic 

body protectors, and the video replay. 

This is a truly fantastic World Championships. 

We are making history,” Chakir 

Chelbat, vice president of the WTF referees 

committee, was quoted as saying. 

Later, at the World Taekwondo Tour 

2009 Mexico on Nov. 14 at Palacio de los 

Deportes in Mexico City, Mexico, Lim 

Su-jeong faced down Diana Lopez of 

the famed American Lopez taekwondo 

family. 

The new professional tour event, 

organized by the World Taekwondo 

Federation, featured a total of 16 of the 

sport’s top athletes in four divisions of 

competition. The top prize in each division 

was US$20,000 in cash. The new 

professional tour will also help to start a 

global ranking system in the sport. 

 

By Jason Kim

Sports 

Kim Yu-na’s Road 

to the Gold 

High expectations for the Korean 

skating star ahead of the Olympics 

[YONHAP] 

Kim Yu-na performs her routine during the 

free skating portion of the Skate America 

event in Lake Placid, New York on Nov. 16. 

Kim Yu-na got off to a dominating 

start in the 2009-10 

season and is a clear favorite 

to win the gold at the 2010 

Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February. 

Having bagged her sixth Grand 

Prix title and in the process setting 

a record with a new combined score 

of 210.03 at the Trophée Eric Bompard 

competition in Paris, Kim topped her 

previous best of 207.71, which she set at 

the World Championships in March. In 

the first of six 2009-10 ISU Grand Prix 

figure skating events, Kim also set a 

new world record in the free skating 

program with a score of 133.95. At 

this point Kim is the clear favorite 

to win win gold in Vancouver, 

which would make her the first 

Korean figure skater to do so. 

The 19-year-old is in peak 

form. The win at Trophée Eric 

Bompard was her sixth in a row since 

her first Grand Prix win at the same 

event in 2006. Kim overwhelmed her 

competition with a strong performance 

that included a triple lutz-toe loop 

combination to start her free skate, performed 

to George Gershwin’s Piano 

Concerto in F major. Although Kim 

could not get off her triple flip jump, 

she drew loud cheers from the audience 

for her flying sit spin and spiral 

sequence. 

“Leading into the triple flip jump, it 

felt as if there was something caught in 

my blade, and I momentarily lost my 

balance. However, I feel very satisfied 

about finishing the rest of my program 

and feel very happy about earning the 

highest score,” Kim said on Saturday. 

“Looking at the free skate program 

... I was surprised when I saw a score of 

210 flash across the scoreboard,” Kim 

said. “Scoring the highest total at the 

season opener, I felt numb for a 

moment.” 

As the first competition since her 

record-setting World Championships 

performance in March, a lot of attention 

was paid to Kim leading up to the 

French Grand Prix. Kim’s next competition 

was at Skate America in Lake 

Placid, New York. 

Not only do the Grand Prix series 

events help to prepare Kim for the Winter 

Olympics, but the top six skaters 

from the six events get the opportunity 

to compete in the Grand Prix Final in 

Tokyo in December. 

“I think I’m getting more attention 

because the Olympics are coming up. I 

have been eagerly anticipating the Vancouver 

Winter Games, and therefore I 

am a little nervous. Having gathered 

good results in two consecutive seasons, 

my confidence is building,” Kim 

said. 

Japanese skaters Mao Asada and 

Yukari Nagano came in second and 

third with overall scores of 173.99 and 

165.70, respectively. America’s Caroline 

Zhang managed 153.15. 

Japan’s Nobunari Oda won the 

men’s competition with a score of 

242.53. Maria Mukhortova and Maxim 

Trankov of Russia won the pairs event 

with a score of 192.93. Canadians Tessa 

Virtue and Scott Moir won the ice dancing 

event with a score of 197.71. 

 

By Jason Kim 


To the Slopes! 

The skiing season is back. It’s the classic winter thrill, and athletes and amateurs ascend 

from the cities seeking the slopes covered in silvery snow. And with the first snowfall 

of the year coming to Gangwon-do Province in early November this year, the resorts 

in the region are already open for the season. 

This winter is expected to be cold with lots of snow, so resorts that struggled last year due to 

unusually high temperatures and a shortage of the white stuff are working overtime to make up 

for it in 2009, with pop concerts, nighttime skiing, raffles and gift packages to attract tourists, 

especially those from Southeast Asia, a group that’s been growing. 

After two failed attempts to host the Winter Olympics, Korea is making its third bid to host 

the 2018 Winter Olympics, and Koreans are as passionate about the winter sports as ever. 

The history of skiing in Korea goes back some 70 years to Hamgyeong-do Province in what 

is today North Korea. The sport became popular in the South with the opening of the Alps Resort 

in Ganseong-eup, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do Province, in the early 1970s. Currently, there are 

16 ski resorts in South Korea, with the number of fans of skiing and snowboarding always on the 

rise. 

Those craving a world-class experience should try Yongpyong Ski Resort in Pyeongchanggun, 

Gangwon-do Province, which is once again trying out for the Winter Olympic Games. 

Nearby Phoenix Park ski resort is known for its spectacular scenery. You can reach High1 Resort 

in Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon-do Province by train, while a ski close to Seoul can be had at Konjiam 

Resort in Gwangju-gun, Gyeonggi-do Province. 


Travel 



High1 Resort 

(www.high1.co.kr) 

High1 Resort offers 20 slopes of various levels, from beginner’s 

slopes to two slopes certified to hold international competitions by 

the International Ski Federation. The 4.2-kilometer Zeus Course 

connecting Valley Top, Valley Hub and Valley Condo is designated 

for novice skiers so that they can learn the sport safely. The three 

eight-person gondolas can transport large groups quickly. 

This year, High1 Resort is introducing a special promotion exclusively 

for female skiers called “Women’s Paradise,” which includes 

special entertainment, events and food just for ladies. This strategy 

is part of High1’s attempt to become the hottest resort in town. 

A D-10 season pass allows unlimited entry throughout the ski 

season, and it’s 50 percent off for women — just 175,000 won 

(US$152). The staff members dress up and entertain the skiers waiting 

to board the gondolas with magic shows, pop quiz games and 

raffles. High1 is also the only ski resort in Korea that can be reached 

by train. Exclusive service for skiers operates to Gohan Station from 

Seoul Station, Busan Station and Masan Station. 


High1 Resort’s “Women’s Paradise” program 

targets female skiers, top. Many foreigners order 

the resort’s bibimbap, above. 

Where to Eat 

The Korean restaurant Unamjeong (82-33-590-7631) is well known as the 

setting for the hit television drama Sikgaek. Housed in a group of traditional 

homes, Unamjeong’s menu includes Joseon Dynasty court cuisine such as 

surabansang (a basic court cuisine set) and jinyeon manchan (a royal feast 

set once offered to the ministers by the king) and, of course, dishes that were 

featured in the drama. The only downside is the high price. Daryegwan, a tea 

house in Unamjeong, offers tea ceremony and etiquette classes. Located at 

the peak of Mount Baekunsan, Top of the Mountain is a revolving restaurant 

that makes a 360 degree turn every 45 minutes. The Mountain Combination 

2 is one of the most popular menu options, and you can enjoy sirloin steak, 

shrimp and barbecued pork ribs with sides of potato, fried rice and steamed 

vegetables. The price is 38,000 won for two and 50,000 won for three. 

Konjiam Resort 

(www.konjiamresort.co.kr) 

Opened last year, Konjiam Resort is the 

first in Korea to limit the number of skiers 

on the slopes at one time. Four kilometers 

off the Konjiam Interchange on Jungbu 

Highway, the resort can be reached in 40 

minutes from Gangnam-gu District, Seoul, 

and skiers can come out at night on the 

weekdays as well. The resort has 11 slopes 

and a 476-room hotel with a spa and outdoor 

hot spring. 

Konjiam’s 365 acres of slopes have a difference 

in elevation of 330 meters and are 

100 meters wide on average, and the resort compares favorably with 

those of Gangwon-do Province. The longest slope is 1.8 kilometers. 

The resort removed the half pipe to accommodate novice and intermediate 

skiers, and there’s even a sledding slope for adults and children 

close to the ski school, to make it more accessible to visitors. 

Where to Eat 

At the foot of the slope, La Grotta is a popular option, featuring a restaurant 

and a wine cellar in a cave with 10,000 bottles. Tasting sessions go along 

with fine cuisine at La Grotta’s 72-seat Italian restaurant. The creamy pasta 

with clams and arugula and steak grilled on a hot stone plate are popular 

choices. Wine starts at 30,000 won. 


Yongpyong Ski Resort 

(www.yongpyong.co.kr) 

Travel 

Korea is now in the midst of its third attempt to win the Winter 

Olympics, this time in 2018, and Yongpyong Resort is always the first 

to be featured in the presentation to IOC member countries. Three 

World Cup Ski Competitions have been held here, and the resort 

hosted the Winter Asian Games in 1999 with great success. The 

country’s largest ski resort offers 23 slopes and accommodations to 

fit every budget, from a five-star hotel to a youth hostel. 

The resort is planning several special events to celebrate its 35th 

anniversary. Until February 2010, 350 visitors will be selected every 

month to receive gifts that include skis, snowboards, season passes, 

free nights at one of the resort’s hotels, iPods, Nintendo game consoles 

and equipment. Every day, the resort picks a set of four numbers, 

and if those digits match the last four in your telephone number, 

you’ll receive a weekly lift pass, a 35,000 won value, for free. 

The international standard-size half pipe located under the Silver 

Slope is the first one in Korea equipped with a conveyor belt for the 

convenience of snowboarders. The Red Slope features a mogul terrain 

with bumps, letting skiers try freestyle turns and jumps. 

Where to Eat 

Pyeongchang-gun is notorious for its cold winters, and walleye pollock is a 

famous delicacy of the region. Some restaurants in Hwenggye-ri clustered 

near the entrance to the resort specialize in the fish, offering special dishes. 

Hwagtae Hoegwan (82-33-335-5795) is famous for its savory grilled pollack. 

The 10,000 won dish is accompanied by a bowl of pollack soup, which is a 

favorite cure for hangover in winter. Nabjak Diner (033-335-5477), located 

next to the Saemaeul Bank in town, is famous for its osam bulgogi, a combination 

barbeque platter of cuttlefish and pork belly seasoned with hot pepper 

paste. One portion is 7,000 won, which includes white kimchi to wash away 

the spice. 

Pyeongchang-gun is known for hwangtaegui, a 

savory grilled pollock dish, top. Above, the view 

from the top of one of Yongpyong’s slopes. 



Left, Serve One Konjiam Resort 

Above, after a day (or night) on the ski slopes, 

many visitors to Konjiam enjoy dinner and wine 

at La Grotta. 


Phoenix Park 

(www.phoenixpark.co.kr) 


Buckwheat noodles, above, are often served with 

buckwheat pancakes and sliced boiled pork. 

Phoenix Park has 21 ski slopes and a sled slope known as Snow 

Village. The Mogul Course and Arial Course are internationally 

certified to hold freestyle ski events, and young skiers can try out new 

skills here. Phoenix Park is a snowboarding mecca in Korea, featuring 

extreme sports facilities such as triple jump platforms as well as 

basic snowboarding fixtures such as rails and boxes. The 2.4-kilometer 

Sparrow Course, which begins at the top of Mount Taegisan and 

reaches to the base of the mountain via the Panorama Course, is the 

perfect choice for novice skiers to enjoy the spectacular scenery. 

Last year visitors had to buy separate lift and gondola tickets, but 

this season combination passes are available, offering a savings of 

1,000 won to 4,000 won. Six incumbent national team skiers are on 

hand to teach and demonstrate their skills, and a “one point” clinic 

for adults and students is offered on weekends. 

Where to Eat 

Bongpyeong in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do Province is the birthplace of 

Lee Hyo-seok, a writer well known for his short stories about his hometown, 

most notably When the Buckwheat Flowers Bloom. The Hyoseok Cultural Village 

is 10 minutes away by car from Phoenix Park, and there are many restaurants 

specializing in buckwheat noodles. Jinmi Restaurant (82-33-335-0242) 

and Bongpyeong Noodles (82-33-335-0242) are especially famous, and they 

also serve buckwheat pancakes and sliced boiled pork in addition to the noodles. 

You can also enjoy nutty homemade tofu and soft tofu at Sanchon Soft 

Tofu (82-33-333-5661), located near the entrance to Phoenix Park. 

Phoenix Park features outstanding facilities for skiers 

and snowboarders and spectacular scenery. 


Korea’s Taste Masters Travel 

A Visit to the Incheon Shore 

for Fresh, Authentic Seafood 

Chef Mirko Agostini prefers 

simple, harmonious tastes 

A 

true lover of food would fly to the moon 

for a fresh, delicious meal. But according 

to Mirko Agostini, executive chef at the 

Hyatt Regency Incheon, you don’t have 

to go that far — in fact, his recommendation is just 

an hour from Seoul in Eurwang-dong, Incheon. 

Agostini is a frequent visitor, since the restaurant is 

located only a few minutes from his hotel. 

“On our small island, there is a 

beach area with several seafood 

restaurants that use the freshest 

products directly from the harbor,” 

he says. “They serve great 

seafood cooked right at your 

table.” 

Of the many restaurants by 

the beach, Hoibaragi is this 

chef’s top choice. The relaxing 

and informal atmosphere is 

perfect to enjoy the sea breeze, 

making it a wonderful spot to 

unwind together with friends 

and family, he says. 

“When you’re strolling 

down the beach, 

Mirko Agostini 

Executive chef, 

Hyatt Regency Incheon 

Kalguksu noodles are a specialty at Hoibaragi in Incheon. 

the restaurant ajumma tries to lure you in. You hardly 

ever experience this in Seoul or in other metropolises like 

Hong Kong or Sydney.” 

The food isn’t fancy, with specialities kalguksu noodles 

(5,000 won, US$3.79), grilled clams (40,000 won to 

60,000 won) and spicy seafood stew (30,000 won to 

50,000 won). 

“You can enjoy the freshness of the food without any 

sauce needed,” Agostini said. 

And this chef knows what he’s talking about. Since 

starting his career in 1989, Agostini’s philosophy has 

stayed the same: authenticity, health and taste. He considers 

good food to be simple, highlighting the original 

flavors of the selected ingredients with harmonious herbs 

and seasoning. 

For more information on Hoibaragi, call (82-32) 

746-3611. By Lee Eun-joo 

 

Provided by the Haytt Regency Incheon 

December 2009 2009 korea korea 61 61

Nam Young-ho set out to replicate the trek of the Silla 

Kingdom monk Hyecho across the Taklamakan Desert in 

Central Asia. He became the first person to cross the desert 

solo on foot. 

[YONHAP] 

In the Sandy Footsteps 

of an Ancient Pilgrim 

“I 

wanted to follow in the 

footsteps of Hyecho and 

let the world know of his 

travelogue, the great cultural 

heritage he left behind.” 

The 32-year-old explorer and photographer 

Nam Young-ho was explaining 

who inspired his decision to complete 

a solo crossing of the Taklamakan 

Desert in Central Asia on foot. 

But Hyecho isn’t related to Nam. In 

fact, he’s been dead for over a thousand 

years. Nam’s inspiration was an 8thcentury 

Korean Buddhist monk from 

the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). 

“You complain that it’s a long way 


home to the west, and I sigh at the endless 

road to the east.” So wrote Hyecho 

in 723 when he set out to learn the language 

and culture of the land of the 

Buddha. During his journey across China, 

central Asia and finally India, 

Hyecho wrote a travelogue in Chinese 

titled Memoir of a Pilgrimage to the Five 

Kingdoms of India. 

The work contains information on 

local cuisine, languages, climates, cultures 

and even politics. It was lost for 

many years until a fragment of it was 

rediscovered in 1908. That fragment, 

now in France, has been translated into 

different languages over the years. 

Nam decided to reenact the part in 

Hyecho’s book in which the monk 

crossed this desert, which bears a name 

that some claim means, “Go in and you 

will never come out.” 

The modern-day pilgrim departed 

from a point on the desert’s southern 

edge in China’s Hotan Prefecture on 

Oct. 3, then walked 450 kilometers (280 

miles) over 19 days to the city of Aral. It 

is believed that his journey marks the 

first time a single individual has crossed 

the arid wasteland on foot, although 

expeditions and merchant caravans 

have traveled the route using camels or 

vehicles in the past.

The Korean explorer first developed 

the idea of crossing the Taklamakan 

during a bicycle trip across the Eurasian 

continent. Nam had just climbed a 

mountain to cross over into the Uighur 

Autonomous Region in China. Standing 

at the top of the mountain, he saw 

the sands of the desert stretch endlessly 

to the horizon. “I knew I had found my 

next adventure,” he said. 

Even with his goal in mind, Nam 

initially had difficulty planning a route. 

It was then that he came across Hyecho 

and his travelogue. “While studying the 

Silk Road and the ancient civilizations 

that inhabited the region, I discovered 

“Even the 

sand, which 

moved like a 

snake climbing 

a hill, was 

breathtaking.” 

People 

Hyecho. In some ways, he was an explorer even greater 

than Christopher Columbus.” 

Taklamakan is the 15th-largest sandy desert in the 

world, covering an area of 270,000 square kilometers. 

It is 1,000 kilometers long and 400 kilometers wide, 

and was once crossed at its northern and southern 

edges by two branches of the Silk Road. The yellow 

dust storms that cover the Korean Peninsula in spring 

partly originate here. 

In daytime, the average temperature in October 

reaches a range of 25 to 30 degrees Celsius (77 to 86 

degrees Fahrenheit). With the heat reflected from the 

sand, however, the air feels closer to 40 degrees. Because 

of the desert’s proximity to the frigid air of Siberia and 

its extreme inland position, even in the summer nights 

are cold, while in winter they can reach minus 20 

degrees Celsius. There is no water in the desert, with 

the exception of a few oasis towns that survive off rainfall 

from the mountains to the north and east. 

Nam managed to cover his costs, which amounted 

to some 50 million won (US$43,000), with the help of 

sponsors. Two people followed him at a distance of 4 

kilometers in vehicles to record his trip. 

The Korean made the journey relying on his memory 

and an old-fashioned compass. He had hoped to 

use a GPS system, but when the Chinese authorities 

saw him testing it at the beginning of his journey, they 

confiscated it and detained him for two days. 

Nam’s backpack weighed almost 30 kilograms (66 

pounds), but held only essential equipment such as his 

desert goggles and his camera. He had to carry it an 

average of 24 kilometers every day, over sand dunes 

that could sometimes reach 15 meters high. 

“At first, I felt a slight sense of terror seeing only 

sand dune after sand dune as I kept on walking. But 

after a while, I came across some desert animals like 

camels, desert foxes and lizards. Seeing these creatures 

that have adapted to the ways of their harsh surroundings, 

I began to appreciate life and its fullness.” Nam’s 

words seem to echo the spirit of the Buddhist monk in 

whose footsteps he walked. “Even the sand, which 

moved like a snake climbing a hill, was breathtaking. I 

can’t describe the feeling I had when I lay down on the 

warm sand at night and watched the stars in the sky 

that looked like diamonds on black velvet.” 

One memorable moment came when Nam met a 

Uighur man who was camping in the desert searching 

for medicinal roots. “We were so surprised to see each 

other we almost fainted!” Nam recalled. 

Nam took some 1,000 photographs on his journey, 

which will be posted online at http://blog.naver.com/ 

explorer05 with captions in Korean. 

And Nam’s ties with Hyecho do not end here. Next 

year, he hopes to follow the monk’s complete journey, 

from Gyeongju, Korea through China, Vietnam, Singapore, 

India, Pakistan and Iran. By Lim Ji-soo 



A missionary invited Kent Kamasumba to Jirisan High 

School in Gyeongsangnam-do Province from his village in 

a remote area of Zambia, southern Africa. 

Boy’s Journey from Zambia 

to Korea’s Top University 


People 

I 

n April, Kent Kamasumba was 

accepted as third-year student at 

Jirisan High School in Sancheongri, 

Gyeongsangnam-do Province. 

On Oct. 30, the 20-year-old student 

from the southern African country of 

Zambia was accepted into the Department 

of Agricultural Economics and 

Rural Development at Seoul National 

University, Korea’s most prestigious 

institution of higher learning. 

A separate admissions screening for 

foreign nationals allowed for Kamasumba’s 

early admission for the 2010 

academic year. It is very rare for a foreigner 

attending a high school in Korea 

to be selected for early admission to the 

school. 

After graduating from high school 

in Zambia in February, Kamasumba 

came to Korea with help from Baek Yecheol, 

a Korean missionary who was 

looking for a student to study at Jirisan 

at the request of the school. 

Though Kamasumba graduated 

from a high school with honors, he did 

not have money for college. 

“I wanted to keep on studying at a 

university, but my family could not 

afford to pay for the tuition due to financial 

difficulties,” he said. “My father 

passed away when I was young, and 

there was no one to earn money. I am so 

happy that I can keep on learning in 

Korea. I am planning to earn bachelor’s, 

master’s and doctorate degrees at SNU 

and become a famous scholar in agricultural 

economics so that I can develop 

my homeland. I want to learn how Korea 

turned from poor to rich in a short period 

of time.” 

At Jirisan, the Zambian student 

reportedly had no trouble catching up 

in classes taught in English, but he had 

hard time speaking Korean. He took 

Korean language classes after school 

and practiced with his schoolmates 

while living in a dormitory. 

A month later, staff and students 

from SNU visited Jirisan. They told 

Kamasumba about a Kenyan student at 

the school, and the Zambian made up 

his mind to study at Seoul National University. 

Kamasumba 

was raised by 

relatives in 

poverty, but he 

always 

managed to 

be an honors 

student. 

“Kamasumba has a firm goal that he will someday 

turn his poor motherland into a rich one,” said Park 

Hae-sung, 54, the principal at Jirisan High School. 

Unfortunately Kamasumba’s family in Zambia 

doesn’t yet know about his success. 

His hometown is located in an isolated area, some 

200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital of Lusaka. 

There are no phones, and it takes about a month for 

letters to be delivered. 

Kamasumba grew up mostly with relatives because 

his parents were too poor to raise him. He said he 

survived by eating fruit or vegetables once a day. To 

earn his meals, Kamasumba had to carry drinking 

water from a well two kilometers from his home. Only 

after doing many chores could he take time to study, 

but he was always a top student. 

While at school in Korea, Kamasumba would visit 

a nearby welfare center for the elderly on weekends 

and help them bathe. He also volunteered to guide 

foreign visitors at a management office for Mount Jirisan 

National Park. 

“I used to be pessimistic about being poor,” said a 

third-year student named Lim, 18. “But I was motivated 

by Kamasumba that I should have stronger confidence 

and study harder.” 

Park said, “I believe that talented students from 

Africa like Kamasumba can play a bridge-building role 

between Korea and African countries when they 

return to their homeland after studying in Korea.” 

The principal also said the school is going to find 

as many sponsors as possible to provide Kamasumba 

with tuition and daily expenses. Those willing to provide 

a helping hand can call Jirisan school at (82-) 

55-973-9723. 

Established in 2004 as an alternative school targeting 

underprivileged students inside and outside Korea, 

Jirisan High School was authorized as a general high 

school by the government. 

With the help of many sponsors, 53 students attend 

the school for free. Including Kamasumba, there are 

three foreign students among them. 

Eleven teachers and 14 other volunteer instructors 

are on staff, including a retired Sogang University professor 

of Korean literature, Kim Yeol-kyu. 

Students take classes from early in the morning 

until the afternoon. After school, they help farmers in 

the fields and engage in volunteer activities. 

Zambia, which shares borders with the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique, 

Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola, was under British 

colonial rule from 1923 to 1964 and still faces extreme 

poverty and the blight of AIDS. Its GDP per capita is 

around US$1,500, and its unemployment rate 50 percent. 

By Lee Min-yong 


Foreign Viewpoints 

Don’t Take 

Korea’s Tale 

For Granted 

It’s easy to criticize Korea. But 

one look around the world 

shows how remarkable its 

transformation has been. 

Simon Bureau is chairman of the Canadian 

Chamber of Commerce in Korea. He is also 

CEO of Vectis Corporation, a Seoul-based 

consulting firm that provides assistance to 

Korean firms expanding overseas. Simon 

has witnessed major changes in the Korean 

market, having lived and worked in Korea 

on different occasions since 1986. 

As chairman of the Canadian 

Chamber of Commerce 

in Korea, I have had 

the privilege to be invited 

to serve on various advisory councils, 

including the Presidential Council on 

Nation Branding, Invest KOREA Advisory 

Council (IKAC) and the Seoul 

Foreign Investment Advisory Council 

(FIAC). Through these committees, the 

Korean government receives input, 

critiques and recommendations from 

foreign nationals living in Korea on a 

wide range of economic issues. 

I’m also an avid reader of foreign and 

local newspapers, where it is common 

to find opinion columns and articles 

written by foreigners in which Korea 

and Koreans are criticized. Having 

lived in Korea for a long time and having 

a relatively good knowledge of the 

country, these articles often strike a 

chord. I can’t help agreeing with the 

analysis offered by these Western observers 

about what Koreans should or 

shouldn’t do about a host of issues. In 

fact, I must confess that I’m about to 

add my voice to the chorus of critics by 

writing a book (to be published in Korean) 

to offer suggestions to Korean 

companies on how to enhance their 

businesses overseas by changing old 

habits and adopting a global mindset. 

All of this shows that it has become 

too easy and even hip to criticize Koreans 

for what they haven’t achieved. 

However, a few days ago, I was bluntly 

reminded that foreigners tend to criticize 

Korea too much. At a recent Seoul 

FIAC meeting, one of the European 

participants raised an excellent point, 

after several of his colleagues (and 

myself) expressed downbeat opinions 

and made remarks about “how things 

should be done.” This participant 

said that, when it comes to analyzing 

Seoul’s state of development, we 

too often see the glass as being half 

empty. In his opinion, when it comes 

to Seoul, the glass should rather be 

seen as “more than half full.” 

He pointed that Seoul has lifted itself 

from total devastation less than 60 

years ago and built itself into a megalopolis, 

in terms of infrastructure, 

culture and affluence. No other East 

Asian city has accomplished the same 

feat and leapfrogged so many stages 

of economic and social development. 

Seoul’s traffic may be one of the favorite 

topics of for foreigners’ rants, but 

have they compared it to other Asian 

cities? And what about air quality? 

Today, Seoul offers unequaled infrastructure 

and cultural vibrancy. In what 

other large Asian city can you waterski 

in the downtown area, visit a worldclass 

art gallery, go mountain climbing, 

run a global business, eat some of 

the best food in the world and attend 

a major concert, all in the same day? 

Most of all, Seoul is arguably one of the 

safest large cities in Asia. I have never 

heard of foreigners being attacked on 

the street, at any time of the day or 

night. How many other Asian cities 

boast that level of personal safety and 

comparable “joie de vivre”? 

And we shouldn’t forget where Korea 

“comes from.” Since 1948, Korea’s 

GDP has grown 746-fold at an average 

of 6.8 percent per year, mainly as the 

result of hard work, careful planning 

and cohesive economic policies. By the 

end of the war, Korea’s most notable 

export was scrap metal from military 

tanks to Japan. One-third of the steel 

used to build the Tokyo Tower came 

from these exports. In 1960, Korea’s 

share of global exports was 0.03 percent. 

By 2007, it was 2.7 percent. 

Few countries have ridden the wave 

of globalization as successfully. Very 

few Fortune 500 companies can boast 

comparable export to domestic sales 

ratios. Today, Korea is no longer an 

“Asian tiger.” It is the world’s 13thlargest 

economy. It has hosted the 

Olympics and the World Cup. It joined 

the OECD in 1996 and will host a G-20 

summit in November 2010. 

So let’s recognize that Koreans have 

shown tremendous resolve and capacity 

to change. Despite my own regular 

criticism, I remain confident and optimistic. 

Pilseung Korea! 


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