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FEBRUARY 2010<br />
FEBRUARY 2010 <strong>www</strong>.<strong>korea</strong>.<strong>net</strong><br />
<strong>www</strong>.<strong>korea</strong>.<strong>net</strong><br />
ISSN: 2005-2162<br />
COMPUTER<br />
GRAPHIC:<br />
A NEW STAR IN<br />
KOREAN<br />
MOVIES
Gateway to Korea<br />
Korea’s official multi-language website has:
PRELUDE<br />
The Beauty of Korea Located in southeastern<br />
Seoul, Namhansanseong is a mountain<br />
fortress with about 200 historic sites and buildings.<br />
The fortress was included on UNESCO’s Tentative<br />
Lists in January 2010.<br />
Choi Ji-young
CONTENTS<br />
FEBRUARY 2010 VOL. 6 NO. 2<br />
COVER STORY 04<br />
CG is being incorporated more and more frequently<br />
into Korean movies. Haeundae and<br />
Take Off, movies in which CG played a<br />
prominent role, were both big hits last year.<br />
PEN & BRUSH 16<br />
Novelist Sung Suk-je’s works are entertaining,<br />
but also touching. His knack for combining<br />
both humor and interesting subject<br />
matter can also be seen in his essays.<br />
PEOPLE 20<br />
The classical music cafe “Art for Life,” managed<br />
by oboist Seong Pil-gwan and his wife<br />
flutist Yong Mi-joong, is an extraordinary<br />
place in Buam-dong, Seoul. Two concerts<br />
are held at the cafe each week, showcasing<br />
the pair’s philosophy about art and sharing.
TRAVEL 26<br />
Inje, which lies on the eastern side of the<br />
Korean peninsula, takes its winter celebrations<br />
to heart. Here, you will find that winter<br />
festivals, outstanding local food and<br />
snow-white landscapes are ubiquitous.<br />
SUMMIT DIPLOMACY 36<br />
Korea is to build and operate nuclear power<br />
plants in the United Arab Emirates, worth<br />
US$40 billion. It is said that the global<br />
nuclear reactor market will double over the<br />
next two decades.<br />
NOW IN KOREA 44<br />
Even the harsh cold weather can’t stop<br />
Koreans’ passion for winter sports. From<br />
snowboarding to ice climbing, there are a<br />
myriad of winter activities to enjoy in Korea.<br />
MY KOREA 32<br />
Certain cultural quirks can seem odd to foreigners<br />
— but therein also lies the charm.<br />
An Englishman living in Seoul confesses<br />
that singing in a noraebang, Korean karaoke,<br />
is indeed strange, but an interesting experience<br />
no<strong>net</strong>heless.<br />
GLOBAL KOREA 40<br />
The Comprehensive Economic Partnership<br />
Agreement (CEPA) between Korea and India<br />
took effect January 1. As a country with<br />
tremendous growth potential, India has been<br />
predicted to bring great economic opportunities<br />
to Korea.<br />
PUBLISHER Kim He-beom,<br />
Korean Culture and Information Service<br />
EDITING HEM KOREA Co., Ltd<br />
E-MAIL webmaster@<strong>korea</strong>.<strong>net</strong><br />
PRINTING Samsung Moonwha Printing Co.<br />
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be reproduced in any form without permission from<br />
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Service.<br />
The articles published in KOREA do not necessarily<br />
represent the views of the publisher. The publisher is<br />
not liable for errors or omissions.<br />
Letters to the editor should include the writer’s full<br />
name and address. Letters may be edited for clarity<br />
and/or space restrictions.<br />
If you want to receive a free copy of KOREA or wish<br />
to cancel a subscription, please e-mail us.<br />
A downloadable PDF file of KOREA and a map and<br />
glossary with common Korean words appearing in our<br />
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KOREA on the homepage of <strong>www</strong>.<strong>korea</strong>.<strong>net</strong>.<br />
<br />
<strong>www</strong>.<strong>korea</strong>.<strong>net</strong>
COVER STORY<br />
COMPUTER<br />
GRAPHIC:<br />
A NEW<br />
STAR<br />
IN KOREAN<br />
MOVIES<br />
Topic Photo
When a massive tsunami approached the shores of Busan’s<br />
Haeundae Beach, the excited chatter of vacationers was instantly<br />
transformed into hellish screams. In the summer of 2009, Koreans<br />
packed movie theaters to watch Haeundae, the nation’s first natural<br />
disaster blockbuster. The film, which sold more than 10 million<br />
tickets, owes its success to computer graphics technology.<br />
by Min Yong-jun
CG on the Korean Screens<br />
A film chronicling the rise of a hopeless group of ski jumpers quickly garnered fame in<br />
Korean theaters. Take Off (2009) follows the tale of five young men who train in ski<br />
resorts without any proper ski jumping facilities, in the hopes of someday winning an<br />
Olympic gold medal. The hit film sold more than 8 million tickets and combined with<br />
Haeundae, the two blockbusters sold nearly 20 million tickets domestically — more<br />
than 10 percent of the entire nation’s 156 million movie ticket sales in 2009. Both<br />
films took advantage of Korea’s own virtual effects (VFX) technology, particularly in the<br />
area of computer graphics (CG).<br />
But even before recent box office hits like Haeundae and Take Off, CG played a<br />
prominent role in Korean cinema. Blockbusters such as Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood of War<br />
(2004), director Kang Je-gyu’s Korean War epic that breathtakingly recreated the misery<br />
of the battlefield on the silver screen, and fantasy film The Restless (2006) also<br />
made extensive use of CG. In 2007, Dragon Wars: D-War took the technology’s potential<br />
to a new level, setting the bar higher within the Korean film industry. Director Bong<br />
Mofac Studio<br />
06<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
Joon-ho’s The Host (2006) was also recognized for its use of the technology. In<br />
essence, CG has grown to become a “secret weapon” that can make almost any image<br />
into reality.<br />
However, the use of CG is not some effortless, quick and simple wave of a magic<br />
wand. CG is only a part of VFX, which functions as a means to artificially portray extraordinary<br />
scenes normal cameras are unable to capture. The increasing incorporation of CG<br />
in Korean films means VFX supervisors are playing a more important role than ever. As<br />
Jeong Seong-jin of EON Digital Films (the VFX supervisor for Take Off) puts it, “For the<br />
last 30 minutes of Take Off, the whole crew had to make a huge collective effort.<br />
Creating an explosive finale, while at the same time giving viewers a sense of realism,<br />
was important to us. It was also vital that CG supported the dramatic emotions of the<br />
main characters, who were facing the risks of ski jumping in spite of bad weather, while<br />
delivering a sense of real speed.”<br />
Jeong underscores that CG is not simply a device used to buttress movies on a technical<br />
basis; it’s a catalyst that enables more effective drama, but is an addition that<br />
should not interfere with the overall flow of the film.<br />
Jang Seong-ho, president of Mofac Studio (the VFX supervisor for Haeundae), also<br />
said, “We could have achieved a better quality of CG than we did if the production company<br />
had told us to look for ways to create CG with our own technology from the beginning<br />
of the project. [Furthermore,] we could have done it for half as much as was spent<br />
in the US (when we outsourced the material). In any event, it’s a relief that we were able<br />
to bring the level of CG up to a point that viewers found acceptable, though I would not<br />
be honest if I said the project was completed with total satisfaction.” In fact, the quality<br />
of the computer-generated data in Haeundae’s water scenes bought from the American<br />
company was originally so bad, in part due to a lack of budget, that Jang completely<br />
reworked the data he was given. Mofac Studio ended up changing the texture and lighting<br />
of the CG cuts, rendering them over and over, and adding extra details. They spent<br />
roughly two months focusing on the final composition of more than 640 CG cuts.<br />
before<br />
A still from the movie<br />
Haeundae (opposite), CG<br />
works from the TV drama<br />
Legend (left, right above)<br />
and also from the TV<br />
drama Tamra, the Island<br />
(right below).<br />
after<br />
before<br />
after<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
07
Learning from Experience<br />
The experience of learning to use CG provides another opportunity. Director Yoon<br />
Je-kyoon and JK Film are now in the early stages of putting together an underwater<br />
“monster movie” called Sector 7. Mofac Studio is working on preproduction together<br />
with JK Film for the project.<br />
The creature in The Host was brought to life by an American VFX company called<br />
The Orphanage. Back then, a movie featuring a huge monster was an unprecedented<br />
challenge in the Korean film industry. For a blockbuster that cost around US$9.1<br />
million to make, the producers had to be careful when making choices to ensure they<br />
didn’t lose money, which is why The Orphanage was chosen over every other Korean<br />
company. While The Orphanage was known for the CG work it did on a texture called<br />
“hard surface,” through its work for The Host, the company acquired the necessary<br />
technology to create a new kind of monster, which in turn helped raise its own standard<br />
of quality.<br />
Not to be outdone, the making of Haeundae was also an amazing achievement. JK<br />
Film stipulated in its conditions that all technology would transfer to Mofac Studio<br />
when it signed a contract with the foreign VFX company. The resulting data from<br />
Haeundae thus became the property of Mofac Studio, which ultimately helped improve<br />
Korea’s own VFX technology.<br />
In a similar move, Weta Digital, a New Zealand visual effects company, grew leaps<br />
and bounds with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. More recently, it helped<br />
Still and CG works from the movie The<br />
Forbidden Kingdom (top, below), CG works from<br />
the movie The Restless (bottom).<br />
before<br />
after<br />
before<br />
after<br />
DTI Pictures<br />
08<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
efore<br />
after<br />
before<br />
after<br />
Still and CG works from TV drama, Iris (top and<br />
above, below).<br />
work on the science fiction epic Avatar (2009). Keep in mind that although New<br />
Zealand’s movie industry is, relative to Hollywood, underdeveloped, Peter Jackson<br />
helped his own New Zealand-based VFX company become one of the world’s most<br />
respected in its field by bringing it in to help in the making of his hugely successful<br />
movie project.<br />
It’s not practical to always depend on just one company do all the work. At the same<br />
time, overcoming huge challenges is a prerequisite for positive growth. Previously,<br />
Insight Visual took part in the production of Kang Je-gyu’s Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood of<br />
War, and is now working on D-Day (working title), Kang’s first overseas project that is<br />
still in the planning stages.<br />
“At the time when Tae Guk Gi was being made, Kang didn’t trust our CG team very<br />
much,” says Son Seung-hyeon, Insight Visual’s production director. “But afterwards I<br />
think he learned to trust the role CG plays in movies. I think he’s decided to use CG a<br />
lot more from now on.”<br />
The most important part of D-Day is location, as the movie is based around the<br />
Normandy invasion. The production department is planning on shooting in China,<br />
Germany, Hungary and Korea, but continues to discuss the necessity of each location.<br />
Additionally, they’re examining different ways to get the effects they need without<br />
spending too much of the budget to film in all those locations.<br />
Although the movie has substantial funding of around US$27 million, shooting will<br />
be hard to execute because of its sheer scale, which is why CG is bound to play an<br />
important role. It is likely that “matte painting,” a cost-cutting technique used to copy<br />
and paste people’s movements for a particular shoot in the form of digital data, will be<br />
used in D-Day because of the way it positively impacted Tae Guk Gi.<br />
Next Visual<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
19
The Future of Korean VFX<br />
Perhaps the greatest benefit of CG technology is that it allows for more diverse storytelling.<br />
From Haeundae and Take Off, to a recent movie called Woochi (2009), Korean<br />
cinema is attempting to deal with genres and subjects that would have been impossible<br />
in the past. The same applies to TV dramas. The Legend (2008) and Iris (2009) were<br />
both large-scale projects that captured the attention of viewers with their unique use of<br />
CG. As a result of technological developments, Korea’s movie and video game industries<br />
gained new freedoms in sharing their stories.<br />
At the same time, it’s important to think seriously about how efficiently CG will be<br />
used in the future. Yang Seok-il, a manager at DTI Pictures, cautions, “Some producers<br />
just hate CG but others heavily depend on it. For example, when shooting a car chase<br />
scene where a car is flipped over, producers need to think about whether their action<br />
team or CG team can reconstruct it better, and then also consider which one is more<br />
within their budget. I’m not saying you have to use CG and spend more money, but it is<br />
important to decide which part of a movie definitely needs proper CG.”<br />
The box office success of Haeundae and Take Off is definitely encouraging. Indeed,<br />
the success of big budget movies that make liberal use of CG has led to the planning of<br />
Insight Visual<br />
10<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
other such movies, with companies able to study and apply the new technology to them.<br />
Korean VFX companies usually work on several projects simultaneously — three to four<br />
at any given time. Although there is an educational benefit for the film crew — they can<br />
gain an intimate understanding of the overall flow of each movie or TV drama they work<br />
on — it is born from a grueling work process.<br />
Today, Korean VFX companies are turning their sights to overseas markets. In an<br />
effort to promote Korea’s VFX industry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and<br />
the Korea Creative Content Agency jointly sponsored Korea’s seven leading VFX companies<br />
by participating in the American Film Market (AFM) — the largest motion picture<br />
trade show in the world — in 2009.<br />
Before the event, few Korean companies received requests to help make foreign<br />
movies. One notable exception was when DTI Pictures, Macrograph and Footage all took<br />
part in the postproduction of The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). Yang Seok-il of DTI<br />
Pictures explained it this way: “The price difference wasn’t very big. Breaking into<br />
Hollywood doesn’t guarantee success. What you need to do is respond to business<br />
strategically.” Mofac Studio also took part in the production of the soon-to-be released<br />
movie, The Warrior’s Way (2010). While it won’t be easy for Korean VFX companies to<br />
become an inseparable part of extravagant Hollywood films any time soon, they will<br />
need to search for more long-term targets when considering overseas markets.<br />
The expansive achievements of Korea’s CG technology will be rendered useless if not<br />
given the chance to be properly used, but opportunities aren’t created solely through the<br />
efforts of a single individual. So far, there have been the select few who have worked<br />
hard to develop the industry, but now it is time to understand where the country stands,<br />
from an industrial and international perspective. The CG industry’s ambition to re-create<br />
the future of Korean cinema with its technology can only begin to be realized after this<br />
understanding comes about. Looking only at the progress so far, the results are encouraging.<br />
Based on the diverse range of experiences Korean VFX companies have had so<br />
far, they will one day be able to create such comparable CG works as that of Avatar.<br />
before<br />
CG work from the movie<br />
Hong Gil-dong (opposite),<br />
a still from the<br />
movie Tae Guk Gi (left),<br />
CG works from the movie<br />
Modern Boy (right<br />
above) and from the<br />
movie Private Eye (right<br />
below).<br />
after<br />
before<br />
after<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
11
INTERVIEW<br />
KOREAN ARTISTS<br />
TO LEAD CG BLOCKBUSTERS<br />
Anyone who has been paying close attention to the end credits<br />
of Hollywood blockbusters for the past several years will have<br />
noticed the occasional Korean name scroll by. Today, there are<br />
actually quite a few Korean VFX artists working on some of<br />
Hollywood’s top productions and at some of America’s leading studios.<br />
These talented men and women represent the future of the<br />
Korean VFX industry.<br />
Koreans had a hand in Avatar (2009), James Cameron’s epic 3D<br />
motion picture that has fundamentally altered the movie industry.<br />
The list includes lighting technical director Jung Byung-gun(above),<br />
digital modelers Chang Jung-min and Lo Eung-ho, senior facial<br />
modeler Lee Jin-woo, modeler Lee Sun-jin, visual effects artist Im<br />
Chang-eui, FX ATD Sean Lee, motion editor Kim Ki-hyun and senior<br />
animator Park Jee-young. A total of nine Korean artists were<br />
involved in the historic cinematic project, two of whom sat down to<br />
talk with KOREA about their lives and the VFX industry.<br />
Jung Byung-gun<br />
12<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
Q How did you end up working overseas?<br />
A Jung Byung-gun After graduating from Hongik University with a<br />
degree in Department of Art Studies, I enrolled at the Academy of<br />
Art University (AAU) in San Francisco in 1996. I then worked on<br />
three feature films and one short animation at the Walt Disney<br />
Studios before landing a job at Weta Digital. In the past, I’ve also<br />
worked for Paramount Studios and Sony Computer Entertainment,<br />
the maker of the Sony PlayStation. Early on in my career I spent<br />
three or four years in the field of game cinematics, working for<br />
companies like SNK, Activision and Sony.<br />
Park Jee-young In character animation at the California Institute of<br />
the Arts (CalArts), I started work at an indie movie production<br />
company as a 2D key animator. At the time, many 2D animators<br />
were transitioning into 3D, and I was no exception. Three years<br />
ago, I saw an announcement saying James Cameron’s Avatar was<br />
going into preproduction, and, of course, that’s when I applied to<br />
join Weta’s animation team.<br />
20 th Century Fox Korea<br />
Q What exactly did you do on Avatar?<br />
A Jung In November 2008, for the first eight months of production,<br />
I worked as a texture artist, developing colors and textures for<br />
CG character backgrounds and objects, and then for the last four<br />
months I worked as a lighting technical director, designing the<br />
lighting for scenes to create the final images. This transition<br />
between departments enabled me to experience a wider range of<br />
the movie’s production process.<br />
Park I worked on Avatar as a senior animator. All of these creatures,<br />
none of which exist in the real world, were created from<br />
scratch through nothing but animation.<br />
Q What did you think was special when you first saw how<br />
Hollywood productions were made and became a part of it?<br />
A Park The first things that come to mind are the massive amounts<br />
of capital investment, the systematic production pipeline in place,<br />
and the abundance of trained professionals. A particular focus is<br />
placed on preproduction and planning, during which an efficient<br />
production plan is drawn up, while developing the necessary software<br />
and technologies and creating a coherent storyline at the<br />
same time. Such thorough preparation, combined with an efficient<br />
work environment, saves a lot of time. During the preproduction of<br />
Avatar, which lasted several years, James Cameron and 20 th<br />
Century Fox developed a new camera technology called the Pace<br />
Fusion 3D camera system. Another strength of the Hollywood VFX<br />
industry is that there are so many artists who know how to use all<br />
these new technologies really well.<br />
Q How do you think Korea’s VFX technology is coming along?<br />
A Park Thanks to Korea’s soaring interest in VFX and how it’s revitalizing<br />
the entertainment industry, investment in VFX movies is<br />
growing every year and movies out there are becoming more and<br />
more expressive. The use of VFX is only going to increase in Korea<br />
in the future. It’s also noteworthy that there are a growing number<br />
of professionals who are well-versed in this field.<br />
Q What do you think about Korea’s intention to take its VFX<br />
overseas?<br />
A Jung It’s great that Korean VFX companies are collaborating on<br />
overseas projects and making inroads in other markets, and they<br />
should definitely keep up with this. It’s difficult to expect the<br />
Korean VFX industry to grow if companies just target the limited<br />
domestic market with its small number of moviegoers. Producers<br />
in Hollywood are turning their attention outside the country to cut<br />
costs. So as long as you have solid qualifications and a good command<br />
of English, there’s a good chance you can sign some kind of<br />
a deal with an overseas company for VFX or animation production.<br />
We have to figure out what our strengths and weaknesses are, and<br />
deal with the particular problems we face. Korea has a domestic<br />
movie and game market base, and a professional workforce. On the<br />
other hand, there is a lack of experts with high-end production<br />
experience and a language barrier in place. You also have to keep<br />
in mind that most of the countries doing VFX and animation work<br />
for the US right now are English-speaking ones like Canada, India,<br />
New Zealand, Singapore, India and the UK.<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
13
HELPING THE CG INDUSTRY<br />
GAIN GROUND WORLDWIDE<br />
In November 2009, seven Korean VFX companies shared a booth<br />
at the American Film Market (AFM), the largest motion picture<br />
trade show in the world. The companies were involved in a project<br />
aimed at actively promoting the technology of Korean VFX companies<br />
through business meetings with international film professionals,<br />
an endeavor spearheaded by Korea’s Ministry of Culture,<br />
Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Creative Content<br />
Agency (KOCCA).<br />
The two government groups backed the companies’ promotional<br />
efforts by arranging business meetings with buyers from<br />
Hollywood, which Jo Ha-sup, an assistant manager at KOCCA’s<br />
Future Convergence Content Group, expounded on when he said,<br />
“It is very difficult for small Korean companies to open booths at<br />
international festivals because of their limited budgets. That’s why<br />
the government provided an opportunity for these small businesses<br />
to share a booth.”<br />
Park Sang-uk, who works at the MCST’s Convergence Content<br />
Team, adds, “The AFM is part of the bigger promotional package<br />
picture. The main part of the program is aimed at supporting<br />
Korean CG companies participating in movie/broadcasting projects<br />
both in Korea and overseas by paying for part of the production<br />
costs. The goal is to help these companies enhance their price<br />
competitiveness and the quality of their product. In this context,<br />
participation in the AFM can be seen as an additional marketing<br />
support tool.”<br />
The industry welcomes the move. “Hollywood tends to keep<br />
going back to companies that have proven themselves time and<br />
again. Initially, we predict we will not achieve exactly what we<br />
want, but I do think that we will be able to improve our relations<br />
on a lasting basis once we successfully complete our first project,”<br />
says Son Seung-hyeon, production director at Insight Visual. In<br />
essence, government support is like fertilizer, supporting the<br />
industry until companies can stand on their own two feet.<br />
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism made an official<br />
announcement about the project to promote Korean CG companies<br />
in foreign markets on January 14, 2010, with Minister Yu In-chon<br />
explaining, “The government plans to inject around US$181 million<br />
into its computer graphics industry by 2013.” The action plan<br />
includes creating a special CG fund of around US$45 million,<br />
offering tax breaks that include refunding the cost of production,<br />
KM Culture
Zip Cinema<br />
Stills from the recently released movie Woochi (above) and last year’s<br />
hit movie Take Off (below).<br />
and providing support in the form of equipment to small companies<br />
to enhance their technological competence.<br />
On top of that, the government will help individual companies<br />
which have had difficulty finding investment for their technologies,<br />
with their R&D efforts. The project aims to improve the technological<br />
prowess of all Korean VFX providers and secure new 3D<br />
technologies emerging around the world. The MCST plans to<br />
spearhead participation in overseas projects involving Korean companies<br />
and to provide further marketing opportunities by bringing<br />
relevant businesses together in overseas markets, including the<br />
Cannes International Film Festival and the American Film Market.<br />
If all goes according to plan, this will create sales of 100 billion<br />
won and 30,000 new jobs by 2013.<br />
The government’s policy initiative was brought about after<br />
Korean companies would not leave the issue alone. The outcome<br />
of their hard work to coordinate these demands was the establishment<br />
of the Korea Computer Graphics Industry Alliance (KCGIA) in<br />
2009. The idea of a council was conceived in 2008 and came to<br />
fruition in August 2009 as an advisory committee to the government.<br />
In a nutshell, the success of this policy depends on how well<br />
government officials are informed of what is really going on in the<br />
industry. People are paying attention to whether this meaningful<br />
first step can lead to an even bigger leap.
PEN & BRUSH<br />
Sung Suk-je<br />
ng’s taste for fun and interesting subject matter can also be seen in his<br />
essays. ‘I easily laugh. During my years in uni
DEEP INTO THE<br />
WORLD OF<br />
EVERYDAY<br />
LIFE<br />
Sung Suk-je’s novels are entertaining,<br />
even touching. His stories are like a<br />
cheerful folk dance. Spectators unknowingly<br />
follow the beat and start dancing.<br />
However, as one excitedly follows his stories,<br />
one suddenly flinches into an abrupt<br />
silence. Excitement is suddenly transformed<br />
into tears, enlightening the reader<br />
with a sudden intuition that the source of<br />
laughter and grief is one and the same.<br />
Drawing pathos from everyday life, this is<br />
why we believe in his writing.<br />
by Lee Se-mi | photographs by Kim Hong-jin<br />
For 24 years, Sung Suk-je has brought his readers laughter and<br />
tears with a writing style that encompasses both his strong personality<br />
and quick plot pacing. Although he has built a strong<br />
resume based on his novels, he first appeared on the literary<br />
scene as a poet.<br />
In 1986, Sung entered the field with his poem Window<br />
Washing Person, which won a prize at Munhaksasang. He went<br />
on to write his first novel, The Last 4.5 Seconds of My Life, in<br />
1994. Since then, his works have continued to win numerous<br />
awards, including the Oh Yeong-soo Literary Award in 2005.<br />
Sung has procured a steady reader base with his prolific published<br />
writings of two collections of poetry, 10 short novels,<br />
essay collections and four novels.<br />
Sung’s literary works are easily accessible for most readers. He<br />
does not seek to affirm his own innocence nor does he bask in<br />
novelty. He also does not tease readers with ostentatiously complex<br />
questions. In his youth, Sung admired colorful patchwork<br />
quilts, and his literary career is often compared to the eclectic<br />
works that were once so impressed upon him.<br />
“I like mixing it up. I’d rather have people than one person in<br />
my stories. I’ve written about whatever my mind shows, like a<br />
patchwork quilt, and that is what I believe my literary world to<br />
be. Literature is communication between author and readers.<br />
Literature is conveying stories I’ve heard and made. Literature is<br />
an inanimate object that springs to life with human interaction.<br />
Unless awoken by human touch, a literary work will just be an<br />
ordinary marker left at a specific location.”<br />
Though Sung is happy with the self-reflection poetry induces,<br />
he also enjoys the interaction that novels bring. Happiness can<br />
be a personal, one-sided emotion but, comparably, when something<br />
is entertaining it must be shared and is hardpressed to be<br />
kept secret. The writer also found new ways of interacting with<br />
the audience with his essays, which, like his novels and poems,<br />
portray his personal side.<br />
“Writing sentences means the domain of fiction has started,<br />
and essays are also kind of a fabrication of fiction. But essays are<br />
usually written with some sort of fact or phenomenon. You cannot<br />
write an essay without them. With these in hand, I have to<br />
magnify and characterize a specific portion to get my point<br />
across clearly. Essays have a different fun to them.”<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
17
A TRUE STORYTELLER Though there is no one to scold him if<br />
he slacks off, Sung always wakes before dawn to care for his rice<br />
paddies. He is a farmer’s son and heads straight for the fields,<br />
whether there is work to do or not. His first experience with<br />
literature started before entering elementary school. Without<br />
any other forms of entertainment available, his only hobby was<br />
reading. Before entering elementary school, the young Sung<br />
tried to read everything he could get his hands on — including<br />
Hamlet more than a hundred times, thousands of martial arts<br />
novels, such as Hyeolmumun, and his aunt and uncle’s Korean<br />
textbooks.<br />
After graduating from high school, he moved to Seoul and<br />
entered Yonsei University, majoring in law. After graduating, he<br />
got a job at a company as an ordinary office worker, but<br />
resigned and became a full-time writer. However, he didn’t quit<br />
his job with the intention of becoming a writer. To Sung, a<br />
proper job was safe and secure, but could in no way be fun. At<br />
the time, he also never thought that, of all things, writing novels<br />
could be entertaining.<br />
Sung was fascinated with German poets and writers Rainer<br />
Maria Rilke, Bertolt Brecht, and Paul Celan, but regarded literature<br />
as ontological and only pursued his hobby in order to be<br />
well-read. His goal in life was to become a cultivated man who<br />
could live his life with passion, like writer, philosopher, scientist<br />
and prime minister Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.<br />
Understanding this ambition helps connect the ties between<br />
the writer’s personality and his works. If you strike up a conversation<br />
with him, you will be instantly reminded of a sincere and<br />
well-informed scholar. His novels also demonstrate his sense of<br />
humor: comical but with a hidden sincerity.<br />
Sung’s particular brand of subtle humor has pushed him to<br />
the forefront of contemporary writing. Often referred to as this<br />
generation’s representative storyteller, he prefers classics aside<br />
from his own literary tastes.<br />
Many will agree that what makes his novels most outstanding<br />
is their subject matter. As he has an affinity for all people, he is<br />
constantly enveloped by a barrage of individuals that he connects<br />
with. Every acquaintance becomes potential material for<br />
his writing later, simply stored in his mind until they resurface<br />
somewhere in a novel. Sometimes, even old friends are recycled<br />
and recast in his writing.<br />
His characters range from motorcycle gang members to gamblers,<br />
sexual assailants to passionless commoners. Though the<br />
protagonists may vary, their lives are always expressed in a manner<br />
which most emphasizes the juxtaposition of humor and<br />
tragedy of their circumstances. The paradoxical profundity of<br />
the emotions felt by the reader typically conclude with a reevaluation<br />
of one’s existence.<br />
But it would be foolish to try and discover the hidden moral<br />
in Sung’s stories; the best closure is to revel in the silent reminiscence<br />
that remains after the last page has been read and closed.<br />
Though he can take you far past the point of emotional clarity<br />
18<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
into obscurity again, the point is the journey itself.<br />
And Sung is, indeed, a fun person. “If it is not fun for me, it<br />
cannot make others laugh. I cannot tolerate boredom.<br />
Literature fundamentally has no meaning if it’s not read, and a<br />
powerful force that makes people read is when the content is<br />
fun. Whatever the result, there must be something that makes<br />
me excited and curious. However, even if I think the material is<br />
fun, and if my readers do not agree, then ultimately there is no<br />
fun in the material for me either.”<br />
Sung’s taste for entertainment saturates his writing. “I laugh<br />
easily. During my years in university, I was once scolded for<br />
laughing out loud by my professor who said ‘Why do you laugh<br />
at something so simple?’ So I walked out of the classroom and<br />
laughed all I wanted before returning.” His love for jocosity is<br />
one reason he believes novels should be read carefreely, without<br />
the obligation that something must be learnt from the material.<br />
Sung’s novels are much closer to realism than any ideological<br />
philosophies on the origins of our human nature. The weight of<br />
life and its layers of intricate truths can be very easily simplified<br />
with a gallant and bold bout of laughter.<br />
In earlier works, his novels often began with bizarre characters<br />
whose idiosyncracies are expressed playfully, at odds with<br />
their environment. By the mid-2000s, his novels, among them<br />
Mother’s Song and A Really Good Day, began to develop a heavier<br />
feel to them, progressing into new territories of, perhaps,<br />
maturity. More recently, in his new novel Currently Happy,<br />
Sung has returned to his previously playful characters that are<br />
completely introverted into their own lives, but have reconciled<br />
themselves with their surroundings. The characters reflect the<br />
perspectives of the author as his view of the world becomes<br />
more tolerant. However, one aspect of his novels has never<br />
changed, which Sung calls “showing the extreme.”<br />
“My interest in the extreme has not changed. Today I focus<br />
less on a being’s extreme characteristics, and try to focus on<br />
expanding that extremity. It is less evident as it is covered up.<br />
People can change any way they like, whether tragically or<br />
comically or coincidentally. I always keep that in mind.”<br />
His characters are pushed to their limits through gambling,<br />
drinking, dancing, or acts implicitly demonstrating that the act<br />
of losing oneself is a form of liberation. His extremes are not<br />
metaphysical, but a form of experiential immersion.<br />
In writing, Sung is interested in hedonistic paradigms of the<br />
world, such as crime and money. But in person, he enjoys activities<br />
such as hiking, listening to music or riding his bicycle when<br />
faced with writer’s block.<br />
He is currently writing about strangers who connect to form<br />
a family. Until then, his readers will have to lie in wait for the<br />
next laugh, intermingled with sobs. As one of his poems cautions,<br />
“don’t expect this world to be this warm.” Sung Suk-je,<br />
the storyteller, is a true player.<br />
SUNG SUK-JE’S SHORT STORIES<br />
The Last 4.5 Seconds of My Life (Die letzten viereinhalb<br />
Sekunden meines Lebens)<br />
> Language German<br />
> Publisher Peperkorn (Germany)<br />
> Published year 2009<br />
Sung Suk-je’s collection of short stories, The Last<br />
4.5 Seconds of My Life (Die letzten viereinhalb<br />
Sekunden meines Lebens), includes nine of his<br />
major works, including the title work The Last 4.5<br />
Seconds of My Life, First Love, Early Spring, Jo<br />
Dong-gwan Yakjeon, Wandering, Novel Writing<br />
Person, Under the Shadows of the Oleander,<br />
Hwang Man-geun Said, and Cheonaeyullak.<br />
The characters in The Last 4.5 Seconds of My Life<br />
are people on the boundaries of society. Sung<br />
expresses the characters’ cleverness and simplicity<br />
through a lovable combination, using comfortable<br />
and witty writing that only he can. Examining a few<br />
works in his collection of short stories, the title work<br />
The Last 4.5 Seconds of My Life is a piece that uses<br />
satirical allegory to express the transformation of a<br />
man moving from a period dominated by physical<br />
strength, to a period of ideologies. The writer depicted<br />
the last 4.5 seconds of a gangster’s life, like a<br />
slow video motion film, as he falls off a bridge to his<br />
death in his car. Without any frivolous excess or<br />
humor, Sung’s mixture of mythology makes the<br />
novel multi-emotional in dimension.<br />
Hwang Man-geun Said is a short story of a farmer<br />
who is below average in all aspects of life. Hwang<br />
Man-geun works diligently and helps his neighbors,<br />
while never avoiding humiliation from others until<br />
his sudden accidental death. He comes back to life<br />
in this short story as an outsider who sees his true<br />
worth. What would have Hwang Man-geun said?<br />
He never did leave any special message, but his<br />
duty-fulfilled life urges the reader to reflect on their<br />
own, which are littered with desires and<br />
selfishness.<br />
Jo Dong-gwan Yakjeon is a<br />
piece that shows the true<br />
essence of Sung’s writing.<br />
The writer exquisitely expresses<br />
the short life of a gangster<br />
named Jo Dong-gwan and his<br />
roughneck life, and how he<br />
gained fame as a gangster.<br />
Jo leaves to catch his runaway<br />
wife but fails to to get her. On<br />
his way back home, he breaks<br />
all the windows of a police<br />
station. He is arrested, convicted,<br />
and ultimately sent to<br />
a “juvenile facility.” With the<br />
death of Jo, the indescribable<br />
effects of his death on the<br />
villagers are used to expose<br />
the hypocrisy and authority of<br />
older generations.<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
19
PEOPLE<br />
20<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
THE ART OF<br />
SHARING<br />
A cafe can serve as an atmospheric environment to sip a<br />
well-brewed coffee, a gathering place for artists and writers, a casual<br />
restaurant to catch a light meal, or a simple getaway to enjoy<br />
stimulating conversation. Combine the romantic ambiance of Cafe<br />
de la Rotonde in Paris, where Jean Cocteau and Amedeo<br />
Modigliani discussed the arts, with the Korean people’s affinity for<br />
community, and you get “Art for Life,” a prime example of Seoul’s<br />
unique blend of cafe culture. Situated at the foot of Buam-dong’s<br />
tranquil mountains, this charismatic space of traditional architecture<br />
radiates with a progressive philanthropy.<br />
by Jeong Se-young | photographs by Kim Nam-heon<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
21
Novelist Oh Jung-hee once wrote: “In the evening as I wash rice,<br />
I look up through the window greeted by the sunset hiding behind<br />
the horizon of mountains and woods as a white bird flies by leaving<br />
a trace of mystery, and my heart is filled with a vague sadness<br />
towards my life.” The scenery of this passage matches that of<br />
Buam-dong, which boasts the idyllic figures of Mounts Bukhansan<br />
and Inwangsan in its landscape. The best vantage point can be<br />
found just past the Whanki Museum — a landmark in Buam-dong<br />
— and up the slope; spectators are rewarded with a picturesque<br />
scene unlike the world that was left behind the bend. Taking a<br />
deep breath as you look around, it’s easy to forget this quaint cafe<br />
village is actually in the center of Seoul. Mountain ridges glow in<br />
the sunset, smoke rises from traditional houses as families prepare<br />
dinner, a stray cat follows the scent of rice, and a thick snow blankets<br />
the rooftops.<br />
Buam-dong is located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, at the eastern foot of<br />
Mount Inwangsan, and bordered by Samcheong-dong to the east<br />
and Pyeongchang-dong to the north. The neighborhood was named<br />
after Buchim, a mythical boulder borne of traditional folklore. It<br />
was believed that “if you rub a rock on the boulder the number of<br />
times equal to one’s age, it will stick to the stone and that person<br />
will be given a son.” Recently, Buam-dong started to gain fame as<br />
it became the prominent stage for hit Korean dramas. Young<br />
artists ranging from designers, photographers, musicians, film professionals<br />
and chefs began to show a great deal of interest in<br />
Buam-dong. Its winding alleyways elude to a simpler lifestyle surrounded<br />
by nature, far away from the city bustle.<br />
Buam-dong has become the popular “it” place to open an<br />
artist’s studio, joining the prestigious ranks of Hongdae and<br />
Garosu-gil, Samcheong-dong and Seorae Maeul, Gahoe-dong and<br />
Hyoja-dong. Though the area has countless charming cafes, the<br />
oldest and most sought-after is the classical music cafe “Art for<br />
Life,” managed by former Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra oboist<br />
Seong Pil-gwan and his wife, flutist Yong Mi-joong. The couple<br />
acquired the mountaintop home seven years ago.<br />
By the age of 38, Seong had studied culture, philosophy, politics<br />
and economics in both the Netherlands and France. During<br />
his studies in Paris, where he first experienced authentic cafe culture,<br />
he dreamt of achieving the same level of connectivity in<br />
Korea that he found abroad: the phenomenon of people freely<br />
experiencing salon concerts in a setting of synergy. The first thing<br />
he did upon returning to Korea was sell his 23-year-old apartment<br />
building to construct a house in the mountains within Seoul’s city<br />
limits. Seong hired four contractors to create his dream structure,<br />
a “house of arts and sharing.” The final design included a main<br />
building, large enough to house three generations, a small theater<br />
for weekly concerts, an outdoor terrace for exhibitions, and a cafe<br />
where one can order warm food and tea. Though many an obstacle<br />
was faced in completing the building, Seong and his wife’s kept<br />
their spirits up, and 18 months later their dreams were realized.<br />
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KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
As soon as “Art for Life” opened, musicians, photographers,<br />
poets, entrepreneurs, professors, doctors and passersby in love<br />
with classical music flocked to their establishment. Many customers<br />
were introduced to the establishment based on word of<br />
mouth recommendations. But guests of “Art for Life” always<br />
return and now, seven years later, they have become the cafe’s<br />
family. Regulars gather each week on a volunteer basis to perform<br />
and recite poems, partake in delectable cuisine and drink. Then,<br />
at the end of the day, profits are sent to help those in need.<br />
A FESTIVE LIFE At the entrance of the cafe are the words “A<br />
Festive Life.” The phrase, which would seem to echo the premature<br />
epitaph of a musician’s life well-lived, is meant to inspire visitors<br />
to define what happiness means to them. Though it may seem<br />
at odds with those the couple wishes to help (those suffering from<br />
misfortune), the catchphrase became the couple’s life slogan after<br />
they found religion. Seong graduated from Hanyang University’s<br />
College of Music, majoring in the oboe, and became a member of<br />
the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 21. He lectured at<br />
Hanyang University, Sookmyung Women’s University and<br />
Chung-Ang University and was on the short path to success.<br />
Seong Pil-gwan, 55, is an oboist and the owner of the cafe “Art for Life” (opposite). The<br />
cafe’s entrance is seen covered in snow (top) and a monochromatic sign indicates the<br />
restaurant concert hall (above).<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
23
Art for Life<br />
That is until when, in 1992, he left everything behind to study<br />
abroad in Europe. Seong confesses that he was full of conceit,<br />
having achieved so much at an early age. “Music was all I knew;<br />
it was my life ... But one day, I met God. Everything changed after<br />
that.” During his studies in Paris, the young musician learned of<br />
an organization named Emmaüs, led by a priest named Abbe<br />
Pierre. Through the charitable work of the group, Seong came to<br />
realize that art was not only fun, but that it could be used to create<br />
happiness in others as well. He learned that to spread joy, one<br />
must share and live among those in society who are in need. He<br />
came to regret the years spent enjoying his talents selfishly, and<br />
instead wanted to give to others. Seong’s own “festive life” started<br />
when he decided to share and use his talents for his neighbors.<br />
The cafe now holds two concerts every Tuesday and Saturday;<br />
a busy schedule that has the calendar booked through 2012.<br />
January through March of this year will showcase jazz, March to<br />
June will present classical music, July will return to jazz, and<br />
August will present 15 th and 16 th century music. Though this year<br />
is filled with Western music, the upcoming year will have traditional<br />
Korean performances featuring instruments such as the<br />
gayageum byeongchang, geomungo and haegeum accompanied by<br />
dances. Film festivals and a myriad of events are also scheduled.<br />
Performance profits are donated to the impoverished and others<br />
in need. The philanthropic couple has helped foreign women living<br />
in Korea who have no way to maintain their livelihood obtain<br />
Korean citizenship, and has sponsored five orphaned minors<br />
every year for the last three years, by giving them 1 million won<br />
each month.<br />
“Art for Life” does not stop at helping others materially. The<br />
pair also help children learn and gain a better understanding of the<br />
arts. Seong buys the paintings the children make at 5,000 won<br />
(around US$4.50) per piece and hangs them in the cafe. He<br />
hopes to teach children that art is not free, but that it is a relationship<br />
of exchange and growth. “Children draw very well. After listening<br />
to music, we ask the children to draw their impressions and<br />
we get such unique paintings filled with their infinite imagination.<br />
These paintings are worth more than any piece of art in the professional<br />
world.” The paintings Seong has collected over the years<br />
from children are enough to cover all the walls of his cafe.<br />
Another method to expand a sense of community is to give visitors<br />
a chance to write poems. Providing people with the opportunity<br />
to recite verse about subjects which they never had a chance to<br />
express serves as a moving catharsis. Through this process Seong<br />
has grown close to his patrons, and once received a letter he will<br />
never forget. One woman, after arguing with her husband, wrote<br />
him a letter after deciding to take her own life. By the time Seong<br />
received the letter the woman had already passed away, but in her<br />
final moments she knew she could reach out to someone, and was<br />
not alone. Seong once again realized, upon reading the letter, the<br />
importance of connecting emotionally to others.<br />
After this incident, “Art for Life” started couples’ art therapy<br />
classes. The class “Ieum (connection)” helps estranged married<br />
couples re-establish a close bond. The intimate and raw emotions<br />
of the meetings have melted even the coldest of hearts, from<br />
wealthy business people to busy celebrities who are often<br />
detached from the lives of others.<br />
24<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
Art for Life<br />
COOKING CULTURE One of the main reasons Seong has an easy<br />
smile and optimistic lifestyle is his other half: Yong Mi-joong. The<br />
couple first met in an audition for the Seoul Philharmonic<br />
Orchestra (as an auditioning student and judges panel member),<br />
and later married. Though Yong is seven years younger than her<br />
husband, the couple work smoothly as a team, with Yong oftentimes<br />
taking charge with organizing and preparations. When Seong<br />
invites a large group of people without considering the circumstances,<br />
it is Yong who gets busy. The disciplined flutist prepares<br />
all the food, while also performing and conducting other duties.<br />
Yong says that she is happy to share her music and cooking<br />
with others. Throughout the interview with KOREA, the musician<br />
never once left the kitchen until discussions about food began.<br />
Lately, she says, she has been enamored with enzymes. The modest<br />
Yong says that she is still learning, but her exquisite cuisine<br />
belies her humble words. Enzymes, created by fermentation, can<br />
be called an ingredient that grows life. In the chef’s words, “food<br />
that embraces everyone” is closer to people’s hearts than any particular<br />
food trends. She began to study food philosophy and<br />
learned that cuisine that is healthy and natural caters to all<br />
palettes. Yong says her dishes are inspired by the Eastern philosophy<br />
of the Taoism, and that tastes and culture are reflected in<br />
one’s writing, music and cooking. She has started to read more<br />
about the unseen forces of connectivity and philosophy, and began<br />
to learn about meditation.<br />
Yong first developed a passion for food from a desire to cook for<br />
patients in hospices. As spicy and salty foods can be hazardous for<br />
the sick, she began to research and learn more about well-being.<br />
Quality ingredients and minimal seasoning are best — Italian cuisine<br />
is a case in point, as it is one of the world’s best-known health<br />
foods, she says. After Yong completed a professional course in<br />
Italian cuisine, she moved on to study French cooking. Next, she<br />
dreams of learning to prepare a variety of Korean cuisine from<br />
across the country, taking to heart recipes handed down from generation<br />
to generation. These gastronomic historians, people who<br />
have perfected their dishes after years of preparation and practice,<br />
are the true philosophers of food. These recipes contain not only<br />
ingredients, but the souls of people, and they incite inspiration,<br />
calm, anger and give strength to the weak — this is the level the<br />
dedicated chef strives for.<br />
When Yong cooks for visitors who have recently argued, she uses<br />
dried ingredients instead of fresh vegetables or fruits. “Raw dishes<br />
have a tendency to be rough. For people who have fought, these<br />
dishes will only add to their anger and not suppress it. In contrast,<br />
dried ingredients have a good taste and energy, giving the dish a<br />
gentle and soft feel.” A verse from The Book of Unholy Mischief by<br />
Elle Newmark describes the chef that she dreams of becoming.<br />
“Luciano, food has power. Each dish works its own magic, a kind of<br />
alchemy that changes our body and minds, but is easily consumable<br />
with no need to chew. So it helps ease a person’s mind.”<br />
Seong plays the oboe in the restaurant concert hall (opposite below). The name of the cafe<br />
is painted on a colorful wall (opposite top). Chidren’s paintings hung in the cafe (opposite<br />
above). Yong Mi-joong, 49, plays the flute (above).<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
25
TRAVEL<br />
A TRANSPARENT<br />
Winter Song<br />
Inje lies on the eastern edge of the Korean peninsula, an area where the mountains are<br />
higher and the valleys deeper. Each year, Inje takes its winter celebrations to heart. Once<br />
the fine crystal structures of snowflakes start to appear, they continue to fall endlessly from<br />
the sky, in all their ephemeral beauty. Similar to the local specialty, hwangtae (dried pollack),<br />
which deepens in flavor by melting and refreezing with the cold, visitors to the region<br />
must allow their hearts to open to new experiences, despite the sub-zero temperatures.<br />
by Cheon So-hyeon | photographs by Park Jung-ro
The Road to Baekdamsa temple
In December, when the temperature drops below<br />
minus 10C, the residents of Hwangtae Village in<br />
Inje begin to stir in an excited frenzy. On the<br />
same ground where the villagers raised corn and<br />
peppers just months before until autumn’s end,<br />
deok wooden frames are set up on which millions<br />
of myeongtae (a wall-eye pollack) are hung. The<br />
myeongtaes, which have been frozen and thawed<br />
every night and day for the past three to four<br />
months, become hwangtae once the lengthy<br />
cycle is completed. The process is similar to that<br />
of ice wine, in which grapes are repeatedly frozen<br />
and thawed. The rings on the skin of the hwangtae<br />
reflect the mercury dips of winter.<br />
When we arrived at Choi Yong-sik’s hwangtae<br />
deokjang (drying facility) for a visit, he was having<br />
a meal with his employees on their last day of<br />
hanging the local grub. This winter Choi dried<br />
2.7 million of the fish. Yongdae-ri village, population<br />
of 550, has 30 deokjang, and an annual<br />
production of 17 million hwangtaes — or 70 percent<br />
of the total hwangtae consumption in Korea.<br />
A PASSIONATE LIFE In Nam-myeon, Inje, where<br />
the arms of the Soyanggang river slow with the<br />
cold, a large-scale bingjang, or ice plaza, is created<br />
every winter. Many people wait for the cold<br />
season to visit the area, so that they can fish for<br />
bingeo, or smelt. The annual Inje Icefish<br />
Festival, now in its 14 th run, has become a<br />
regional event. The key to enticing friends to<br />
come out to the site is the thrill of ice fishing, an<br />
activity which can’t be done just anywhere in<br />
Korea. Once a person masters the gentle motion<br />
of the catch, strings of bingeo no bigger than<br />
your index finger can be pulled from the small<br />
holes in the ice in no time.<br />
The skin of bingeo is translucent, showing the<br />
entirety of their inner structures. The small fish<br />
are typically eaten with gochujang, red pepper<br />
Hwangtae deokjang (drying pollack facilities) in Inje (above). Inje’s<br />
mountains and valleys are seen from Misiryeong pass (oppposite).<br />
28<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
18<br />
KOREA<br />
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2010
paste, right after they are caught. If the raw meal<br />
seems too bold, bingeo can also be prepared<br />
cooked and seasoned. You don’t have to look too<br />
far for restaurants — there is a line of snack bars<br />
shielded from the chilly winds by tents pitched<br />
around the festival venue on Soyangho lake.<br />
Though the 2010 Icefish Festival was held from<br />
January 28 to 31, die-hard bingeo afficionados<br />
start visiting the frozen rivers from mid-January<br />
to early February, when the river starts to freeze.<br />
Mount Seoraksan was the fifth mountain to be<br />
designated a national park in Korea. When people<br />
hear the name, they might think of its main<br />
gateway city, Sokcho, but the inland region of<br />
this mountain is actually located in Inje. Mount<br />
Seoraksan is divided into Naeseorak (Inner<br />
Seorak), Waeseorak (Outer Seorak), and<br />
Namseorak (South Seorak). Naeseorak is located<br />
in Inje, Waeseorak in Goseong and Sokcho, and<br />
Namseorak in Yangyang and Inje. The mountain<br />
peaks and ridges have become the natural borders<br />
dividing the regions, creating different traditions<br />
and lifestyles for each. There are 96 mountains<br />
in Inje and some 91 percent of its total<br />
area consists of peaks and rivers, creating the<br />
depth of its valleys.<br />
Though the fiery-hue of autumnal foliage is<br />
typically the first image to grace people’s minds<br />
when they hear Mount Seoraksan mentioned, the<br />
landscape is actually pure white and snowy for<br />
most of the year. The mountain’s snow cover<br />
remains for so long, in fact, that is said that<br />
snow from Chuseok (the Korean harvest holiday<br />
in September) doesn’t melt until Dano (the fifth<br />
day of the fifth lunar month, around mid-June of<br />
the solar calendar). This is how it earned its<br />
name, which in Korean means a snowy mountain<br />
that is difficult to climb.<br />
A SPIRITUAL WINTER On a recent winter’s day,<br />
heavy snowfall froze all roads and stopped all<br />
shuttle buses. Visitors to the area were told that<br />
they would have to walk 14km to reach<br />
Baekdamsa temple. The suddenly-limited traffic<br />
saw Baekdamsa return to its past, when it was<br />
once a secluded temple with few visitors. After<br />
walking along the solitary valley for two hours, it<br />
feels as if the world had widened and broadened.<br />
There are few people willing to take on the<br />
mountains, and the chirping of the birds<br />
becomes defined and clear. On the snow, the<br />
footprints of a rabbit skipping to look for spring<br />
water are imprinted like a winter shadow. Only<br />
after crossing two bridges and climbing three<br />
hills — causing sweat to caress my forehead —<br />
does the Iljumun gate appear. I cross the last<br />
bridge, the Susingyo, and finally I arrive at the<br />
Baekdamsa temple.<br />
One of the founding temples of the Jogye<br />
Order of Korean Buddhism, only 40 people a<br />
year undertake the challenge of pursuing the<br />
temple’s strict teaching — the first step to<br />
becoming a monk. To catch a glimpse into a<br />
monk’s life without the six months of training,<br />
visitors can easily participate in a temple stay.<br />
The short program offers lessons on meditation,<br />
the 108 bows, dado (tea ceremony),<br />
balwu-gongyang (eating practices) and yoga. For<br />
those who can’t stay long, relax for a warm cup of<br />
green tea and add a stone on the pagoda at the<br />
temple’s entrance, which symbolizes leaving<br />
behind one’s worries.<br />
My footsteps climbing down the mountain are<br />
lighter, the weather warmer. It’s a delight to see<br />
the animals, invisible from a car’s vantage point,<br />
while walking the silent wintry road. Winter in<br />
Inje — this is spiritual training.<br />
HOW TO GO<br />
> By Bus Take a bus at Dong (East)<br />
Seoul Bus Terminal ([02] 446-8000) or<br />
Sangbong Bus Terminal ([02] 323-<br />
5885). The ride takes around two<br />
hours and 20 minutes to Inje.<br />
> By Car Take Gyeongchun<br />
Expressway from Seoul through Donghongcheon<br />
to Inje (an hour and 30<br />
minutes), or Youngdong Expressway<br />
through Wonju and Hongcheon to Inje<br />
(two hours and 30 minutes). You must<br />
take National Road No 44 from<br />
Hongcheon. For more information, call<br />
the Inje Tourism Information Center on<br />
1588-6226, [033] 460-2170 or visit<br />
<strong>www</strong>.inje.go.kr.<br />
HWANGTAE FESTIVAL, YONGDAE-RI<br />
> Date Feb. 26-Mar. 1, 2010<br />
> Address Yongdae 3-ri, Inje.<br />
For more information, call [033] 462-<br />
4808 or visit <strong>www</strong>.yongdaeri.com.<br />
BAEKDAMSA TEMPLE<br />
> Address 690 Yongdae-ri, Bukmyeon,<br />
Inje. For more information, call<br />
[033] 462-6969, Temple Secretariat<br />
[033] 462-5565 or <strong>www</strong>.baekdamsa.org.<br />
> Temple Stay Fee Rest for one day<br />
(30,000 Korean won [US$27.27]), two<br />
days & one night (70,000 won<br />
[US$63.63]), three days & two nights<br />
(100,000 won [US$90.90]), etc.<br />
The water of Soyanggang river lies frozen (above). The bell of<br />
Baekdamsa temple (opposite top). A woman is enjoying ice fishing<br />
on bingjang, ice plaza in Inje (opposite bottom).<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
31
MY KOREA<br />
Singin’<br />
in the<br />
ROOM<br />
----------<br />
Noraebang<br />
Nights<br />
Just how can<br />
Koreans derive such<br />
joy from<br />
gathering in a dimly<br />
lit room, blasting a<br />
synth-cheese<br />
version of their<br />
favorite pop song,<br />
and then singing<br />
and dancing with<br />
face-twisting<br />
abandon?<br />
by Niels Footman<br />
photograph by<br />
Kim Nam-heon<br />
illustrations by<br />
Jo Seung-yeon<br />
32<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
Ask a Korean the biggest cultural oddities facing a Westerner in his country, and<br />
you will likely hear a commentary on terrifyingly spicy food, unfailing reverence<br />
for the elderly or the perils of trying to master chopsticks. Ask a Westerner, however,<br />
and the list transforms. What the heck is with these devil-may-care drivers?<br />
They will demand. Why do older people barge through me as if I didn’t exist?<br />
And how can Koreans gather in a small room, and sing and dance with facetwisting<br />
abandon? True enough, karaoke, or noraebang (literally “song room”)<br />
as it is known here, is one of those oddities, but it is far from unique to Korea.<br />
My earliest brush with it actually took place in Hong Kong, where I lived and<br />
worked for three years in the mid-’90s.<br />
My first time, as such things tend to be, was unforgettable. Though a lifelong<br />
lover of rock and pop music, and a passionate bathroom and mirror-front singer,<br />
I had never for a second countenanced going out with friends to a karaoke, much<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
33
less singing at one. After much prompting, and emboldened by generous amounts of<br />
beer, I finally summoned the courage to unleash my debut song — Abba’s “Dancing<br />
Queen,” if memory serves — on an expectant public. Gradually shedding my stiff<br />
British reserve, my voice grew from a timid crackle to a triumphal bellow, drawing<br />
whoops of approval from my companions. It was nothing short of liberating. Having<br />
been thus blooded in karaoke, I was at something of an advantage when the noraebang<br />
call inevitably came in Korea. In my earliest visits there, I could see much of<br />
what I recalled from my previous karaoke experiences: the disco lights, cavern-esque<br />
rooms and tinny musical accompaniments were all present and correct.<br />
Yet things were a bit different here, too. For one thing, the song lists, while containing<br />
the usual English-language standards, also had strikingly outré inclusions<br />
(who could resist a singalong to metal titans Helloween or Pantera?). For another, in<br />
a country not known for its abstemiousness, most noraebang were, and still are,<br />
completely dry (although, thankfully for my own singing career, some places do sell<br />
booze). And crucially, thanks to the relative ease of learning the Korean alphabet,<br />
34<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
PROFILE<br />
In his eight years in<br />
Korea, UK native Niels<br />
Footman has taught<br />
English, taken a<br />
Master’s degree, edited<br />
at a local newspaper<br />
and magazine, and is<br />
now working in public<br />
relations. When he’s<br />
not hard at work for<br />
his company, he loves<br />
writing, reading, getting<br />
outdoors and, of<br />
course, the occasional<br />
visit to the noraebang.<br />
hangeul, I was able from a very early stage to sing a song or two in Korean,<br />
which, for an audience unaccustomed to hearing a foreigner speak Korean, never<br />
mind sing it, was often met with something approaching hysteria.<br />
Subsequent noraebang visits with local friends yielded glimpses of Korea that<br />
no guidebook, and certainly no visit to the usual tourist sights, could ever provide.<br />
For me, this was especially the case after I took up a job in a big publishing<br />
firm, where all the other staff were Korean. Every few weeks our department or,<br />
on bigger occasions, the entire office would troop off for the infamous hoesik, or<br />
after-work food and drinks, gorge on barbecued pork and soju (the local grog)<br />
and then, with thudding certainty, make our way to the nearest noraebang.<br />
The change in these people I worked with was often extraordinary. On coming<br />
into contact with a mic, a squelchy soundtrack and a backing video depicting<br />
unfeasibly happy people bounding through a Swiss hamlet, the sternest of clients<br />
and middle-aged office managers would transform into louche rockers or heartfelt<br />
crooners. The daintiest, most introverted young women would open their<br />
mouths to reveal lungs of fire. And while the famous Korean office hierarchy persisted<br />
even in these unceremonious surroundings — the most junior staff would<br />
sing first, drinking etiquette was scrupulously maintained and no one left until<br />
the boss did — there was, at least through the mist of several shots of whiskey too<br />
many, an undeniable sense of camaraderie, a feeling that tonight, at least, everyone<br />
was as one in the crucible of behaving very foolishly indeed.<br />
On the times I subsequently went in groups including newly arrived foreign<br />
friends, though, I was newly reminded of just how alien karaoke was to many of<br />
them. Some would refuse outright to sing, while others would flick endlessly<br />
through the pages of the song catalog, never quite finding the right one. Still<br />
others would choose a song, raise the mic to their mouths, then freeze and shrink<br />
back into their chairs. Having never experienced the joys of karaoke at home,<br />
these greenhorns were consumed with the kind of deep-rooted dread that only<br />
singing in front of their peers could inspire: A fear that their voice would be so<br />
bad, it would make a gaggle of alley cats sound like a barbershop quartet.<br />
As I had once done, though, the karaoke refuseniks were rather missing the<br />
point. As I’ve discovered through my many visits, there can be few places anywhere<br />
where notions of making a fool of yourself are not so much disregarded as<br />
simply irrelevant. While a few of my Korean noraebang companions have been<br />
accomplished singers who clearly put in a bit of practice, the overwhelming<br />
majority were unashamedly poor, murdering everything from K-pop songs to<br />
old, maudlin Korean ballads to Gloria Gaynor with the same relentless vigor and<br />
effort. But just by taking to the floor, and warbling along as best they could, they<br />
invariably prompted claps, cheers and equally woeful dancing among the onlooking<br />
crowd. In just this way, I have had some of my most hilarious nights out in<br />
Korea (the best ones, admittedly, helped along with a drink or six).<br />
I’ve done P-Diddy in my native Scottish accent. I’ve sung late-night Scorpions<br />
duets with old friends. I’ve pogoed to A-ha’s “Take On Me.” And, most stirringly<br />
of all, I’ve stolen the show with stuttering renditions of Korean pop songs. Just<br />
as my friends back home would find moments of genuine poignancy by getting<br />
sloshed on beer, putting their arms around each other’s shoulders and howling<br />
along to the jukebox, Koreans, it has always seemed to me, find a real sense of<br />
togetherness in their song-room serenades. And as mystifying as karaokes may be<br />
for the uninitiated, the friendships formed over drunken, cacophonous noraebang<br />
nights may just be the ones that stay with you the longest.<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
35
SUMMIT DIPLOMACY<br />
KOREA TO BUILD NUCLEAR<br />
POWER PLANTS IN THE UAE<br />
Led by the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) consortium,<br />
Korea won the right to build and operate four nuclear power plants in<br />
the United Arab Emirates worth US$40 billion. It’s the largest deal of its<br />
kind for Korea, nearly six times bigger than the deal to build a second<br />
phase of the Libyan waterway in the 1980s. by Kwon Kyeong-hui<br />
36<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
Nuclear power plants in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla<br />
Province, Korea (above). Construction of nuclear<br />
power plant in Gori, Korea (right).<br />
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd<br />
Multibits Image<br />
The UAE nuclear power plant deal is<br />
being hailed as a gold mine that will<br />
raise the country’s national profile. After<br />
setting its first nuclear power plant in<br />
motion in Gori in 1978, with the aid of<br />
US technology, Korea will now get to<br />
export its indigenous nuclear power<br />
plant (APR 1400) for the first time, ushering<br />
in a renaissance of nuclear power.<br />
Korean President Lee Myung-bak says<br />
China plans to build 100 nuclear power<br />
plants, with 400 additional plants by<br />
2030 worldwide and about 1,000 more<br />
in the long term. “Korea has joined the<br />
likes of the United States, Japan, France<br />
and Russia as exporters of nuclear power<br />
plants,” Lee said.<br />
“President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed<br />
Al Nahyan and I discussed building comprehensive<br />
and strategic partnerships in<br />
nuclear power as well as in education,<br />
the latest technology and security,” Lee<br />
added. “Our relations with the UAE<br />
should bring us the second Middle East<br />
boom. Unlike in the past, we should<br />
make headways in high value-added<br />
industries, centered on plants.”<br />
The UAE deal includes the construction<br />
of the first 1,400-megawatt reactor<br />
by 2017 and a total of four reactors, in<br />
the capital Abu Dhabi and Sila, 330km<br />
to its west, by the year 2020. Over the<br />
next 10 years, the construction contract<br />
will amount to US$20 billion, which<br />
would equal the amount generated by<br />
exporting 1 million units of mid-sized<br />
sedans or exporting 180 units of major<br />
oil tankers weighing 300,000 tons.<br />
Another US$20 billion will be earned<br />
during the 60-year lifespan of the reactors<br />
as Korea would oversee operations<br />
and replace equipment as necessary.<br />
“The UAE order will generate<br />
110,000 jobs over 10 years,” a Blue<br />
House official said. “Considering other<br />
effects related to construction, equipment<br />
manufacturing, architecture,<br />
nuclear technology development and<br />
financing, the deal will have an impact<br />
on the nation’s economy as a whole.”<br />
President Khalifa expressed hopes for<br />
cooperation with Korea in various fields.<br />
Mohamed Al Hammadi, CEO of the<br />
Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation,<br />
said, “We were impressed by the worldclass<br />
safety the KEPCO consortium presented<br />
and that’s why we selected it.”<br />
Hammadi, who will oversee the country’s<br />
first nuclear power plant project,<br />
added that the deal will be an important<br />
starting point for the UAE nuclear power<br />
industry, which will continue to develop<br />
into the future.<br />
“In the bidding, we regarded safety as<br />
the most important factor,” Al Hammadi<br />
explained. “The KEPCO consortium<br />
received higher marks in safety than its<br />
competitors. Whether the leading consortium<br />
company could be held accountable<br />
for participation of its partners and<br />
whether the companies could honor the<br />
deadline were other important criteria,”<br />
the CEO added. “The consortium convinced<br />
us that it could deliver the knowhow<br />
for 30 years of successfully operating<br />
nuclear power plants.”<br />
Al Hammadi then added that ENEC<br />
and KEPCO will form a joint venture to<br />
operate the UAE nuclear power plants,<br />
adding, “The two companies will be able<br />
to create other joint ventures in areas<br />
such as fuel supply. We’re also considering<br />
sending our personnel to Korean universities<br />
or institutes to develop our<br />
nuclear technology. The UAE is trying to<br />
reduce carbon emissions and use<br />
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes for<br />
sustainable growth,” Al Hammadi continued,<br />
“We expect the two countries to<br />
maintain a long-term relationship.”<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
37
NEW REACTOR TECHNOLOGY The APR<br />
1400, the nuclear reactor to be built in<br />
the UAE, is the fruit of long-term nuclear<br />
power development in Korea. It’s a<br />
third-generation light-water reactor<br />
based on the design, construction and<br />
operation of the OPR 1000, the Korean<br />
standard for nuclear power plants.<br />
To produce the APR 1400, the<br />
Korean government launched a project<br />
to develop next-generation nuclear reactor<br />
technology in 1992. By 1999, the<br />
basic blueprint was completed and the<br />
name APR 1400 came to be. In 2002, it<br />
won national design certification, and<br />
five years later, the standard was applied<br />
to nuclear reactors in Korea.<br />
The 1.4-million kW unit has an operational<br />
lifespan of 60 years and can be<br />
built in 54 months. This reactor is said<br />
to suffer less than one core damage per<br />
1 million years. It has 10 times the safety<br />
and economical benefits of OPR<br />
1000. In terms of economics, among the<br />
third-generation reactors based on OPR<br />
1000, APR 1400 has the most competitive<br />
overnight cost per kilowatt at<br />
US$2,300. In comparison, the figures<br />
for the French reactor (EPR) measured<br />
at US$2,900, while those for the<br />
Japanese (ABWR) and the US (AP 1000)<br />
models were US$2,900 and US$3,582,<br />
respectively.<br />
It’s also convenient to operate and<br />
maintain. There is twice as much time —<br />
up to eight hours from four hours — to<br />
respond to the halting of operations,<br />
while the amount of time workers are<br />
exposed to radiation has been reduced.<br />
A system to make maintenance and<br />
inspections more convenient has also<br />
been bolstered. Currently, APR 1400<br />
construction works are under way for the<br />
New Gori Nos 3 and 4, the first commercial<br />
reactors, and for New Uljin Nos 1<br />
and 2. A new model of APR 1400 for<br />
the European market is in development,<br />
and Korea is also trying to win US design<br />
certification in order to enter the<br />
American market.<br />
Yonhapnews Agency<br />
A brand-new nuclear power plant built in Gori,<br />
Korea, on February 28, 2009 is shown (above).<br />
Korean President Lee Myung-bak and the UAE’s<br />
President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced<br />
the results of the Korea-UAE Nuclear Power Deal<br />
at Abu Dhabi on December 27, 2009 (below).<br />
Yonhapnews Agency<br />
38<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
GLOBAL NUCLEAR PLANT BUILDING PROSPECTS<br />
(Unit: MW, number of plants in parentheses)<br />
CURRENT GLOBAL USE OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND PROSPECTS<br />
(Unit: number of plants)<br />
ASIA<br />
US<br />
25,000MW(19)<br />
RUNNING UNDER CONST. FINALIZED PLANNED<br />
109 35 94<br />
148<br />
EUROPE 197 13 20 93<br />
N. AMERICA 122 3 15 22<br />
OTHER 816 32<br />
POLAND<br />
10,000MW(5)<br />
ENGLAND<br />
6,000MW(4)<br />
ITALY<br />
17,000MW(10)<br />
UKRAINA<br />
27,000MW(20)<br />
UAE<br />
15,500MW(11)<br />
DAWN OF THE NUCLEAR AGE The global<br />
nuclear reactor market is expected to<br />
double over the next two decades.<br />
Today, 31 nations are running 436 reactors.<br />
By 2030, an additional 430 reactors<br />
are expected to be built. The United<br />
States will resume building reactors after<br />
a 30-year hiatus. Italy, which stopped<br />
building new reactors after a 1980 referendum,<br />
will join the party in 2013.<br />
France, one of the leading nuclear<br />
states, will rely on nuclear power for 78<br />
percent of all its electricity. Japan is also<br />
trying to expand its scope.<br />
China, the world’s largest emitter of<br />
greenhouse gases, is ahead of everyone<br />
else in nuclear power plant construction.<br />
It plans to increase its nuclear energy<br />
generation to 40 gigawatts by 2020 so<br />
that up to 6 percent of all its electricity<br />
will come from nuclear power.<br />
The world is turning its eyes toward<br />
the resource because alternative renewable<br />
energies have been secured, and no<br />
other form of fuel can effectively reduce<br />
greenhouse gases. Though nuclear power<br />
accounts for only about 15 percent of<br />
electricity production, it can only<br />
increase from here as countries continue<br />
to expand their industries.<br />
Even considering the massive construction<br />
costs, risks of casualties and<br />
INDIA<br />
20,000MW(15)<br />
CHINA<br />
79,000MW(90)<br />
VIETNAM<br />
8,000MW(8)<br />
Source: World Nuclear Association<br />
RUSSIA<br />
36,680MW(37)<br />
contamination through radiation, and<br />
problems with disposing of nuclear<br />
waste, there is hardly any doubt that<br />
nuclear power — with no carbon emissions<br />
— will replace oil and coal as the<br />
major source of energy. Nuclear reactor<br />
technology has reached a point where<br />
dangers can be controled and “carbon<br />
neutrality” has emerged as the new<br />
value for all nations.<br />
Many countries are in stiff competition<br />
for contracts to build reactors. To<br />
construct reactors in Vietnam, Japan has<br />
been lobbying the government and civilians<br />
for 20 years. To make up for its loss<br />
over the UAE deal, France will be in hot<br />
pursuit of the Vietnam order. France has<br />
also reportedly told Kenya that it would<br />
like to join the African country’s first<br />
reactor construction in five years.<br />
Russia is known to have signed deals<br />
or to be in negotiations for deals with the<br />
likes of Vietnam, Egypt, Morocco,<br />
Malaysia, China, Brazil and Algeria over<br />
nuclear reactor construction or uranium<br />
exports. Canada and India have recently<br />
completed negotiations with Trinidad<br />
and Tobago over nuclear power cooperation<br />
and are finalizing a deal.<br />
The nuclear reactor market is competitive<br />
and the national strategies and support<br />
will be the key determinant. In an<br />
attempt to raise its competitiveness in<br />
an increasingly fierce market, the<br />
Korean government plans to invest<br />
around US$350 million through 2017<br />
to turn nuclear plant construction into<br />
a new export industry.<br />
Using the UAE deal as the stepping<br />
stone, Korea wants to develop this niche<br />
industry and place it on par with semiconductors,<br />
shipbuilding and automobiles<br />
— the leading export industries.<br />
The government aims to export 10 reactors<br />
by 2012, and 80 by 2030, assuming<br />
20 percent of the global nuclear<br />
power plant construction market.<br />
The additional 80 reactors would be<br />
worth US$400 billion. That’s more than<br />
the entire Korean export level last year of<br />
US$363 billion. Building these plants<br />
would create 75,000 jobs annually for a<br />
total of 1.56 million new jobs. Revenue<br />
for small and medium enterprises related<br />
to nuclear power plant equipment<br />
could reach more than US$24 billion. If<br />
Korea can achieve all these goals, it<br />
would become one of three leading<br />
exporters of nuclear power plants.<br />
Today, France, the US and Japan<br />
make up the top three. Westinghouse<br />
and GE account for 28 and 20 percent<br />
of the market, while Areva of France,<br />
which has pursued deals in the past several<br />
years, has a 24 percent share. Japan<br />
entered the fray when Toshiba took over<br />
Westinghouse in 2006.<br />
To develop this into an export industry,<br />
the Korean government will concentrate<br />
on the following areas: customizing<br />
exports and aggressively reaching out to<br />
nuclear power plant operation and maintenance<br />
markets; making technology<br />
independent and promoting global competitiveness;<br />
nurturing technical experts;<br />
securing fuel for power plants; bolstering<br />
export capabilities of core materials and<br />
equipment; and strengthening export<br />
industrialization.<br />
“By forming strategies to turn nuclear<br />
power plant construction into an export<br />
industry, we’ve laid the ground work for<br />
what will feed us over the next 50<br />
years,” said Minister of Knowledge<br />
Economy Choi Kyung-hwan. “We will<br />
concentrate our efforts on constant technological<br />
innovation and the nurturing of<br />
new talent.”<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
39
GLOBAL KOREA<br />
INDIA’S MAMMOTH MARKET<br />
OPENS UP TO KOREA<br />
The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)<br />
between Korea and India took effect January 1. It is Korea’s first<br />
free trade agreement with a member of the BRIC group of nations.<br />
CEPA covers a wide range of exchanges, including goods, services,<br />
investments and economic cooperation, and has the same effects as<br />
an FTA. by Kwon Kyeong-hui<br />
James P. Blair / National Geographic Image Collection
With the CEPA in effect, the tariffs on<br />
automobile parts will drop from 12.5<br />
percent to 1-5 percent within eight<br />
years. And over the next decade, tariffs<br />
on 85 percent of the goods will fall, thus<br />
opening up the export market for Korean<br />
companies. With a 1.15 billion population,<br />
India represents the world’s second<br />
largest market for Korea. The nation’s<br />
“economic map” has grown larger.<br />
This agreement, called a virtual FTA,<br />
or Free Trade Agreement, will accelerate<br />
the pace with which Korean companies<br />
have already been entering India. India<br />
is the next giant of the global economy,<br />
hotly pursued by Japan and the<br />
European Union. As of 2008, India had<br />
the world’s second biggest population,<br />
and the 12 th -largest gross domestic product<br />
at US$1.2 trillion. It’s the<br />
fourth-largest consumer market behind<br />
only the United States, China and Japan.<br />
“India is a country with tremendous<br />
growth potential, so much so that it<br />
managed a positive growth despite the<br />
global economic recession,” said a<br />
researcher at the Korea Institute for<br />
International Economic Policy. “Reaching<br />
the CEPA with India is significant<br />
for Korea in that it has given our<br />
exporters the opportunity to secure the<br />
huge emerging market with nearly 1.2<br />
billion people.”<br />
India has reached free trade deals<br />
with only Singapore, Sri Lanka and<br />
Thailand, among others. Most are small<br />
countries and major economic powers<br />
aren’t among them. India is negotiating<br />
with Japan and the EU, but Korea is the<br />
first nation with economic sway to have a<br />
free trade deal with the country.<br />
From this perspective, the signing of<br />
the Korea-India CEPA has laid the foundation<br />
for Korean exporters to beat others<br />
to the massively growing market.<br />
“Korea has signed the CEPA ahead of<br />
other competing powers such as China<br />
and Japan,” said Lee Seong-han, head<br />
of the FTA Promotion and Policy<br />
Adjustment Authority under the Ministry<br />
of Strategy and Finance. “Exports are<br />
expected to grow by four times the<br />
amount of imports.”<br />
The main reason why India is called a<br />
land of opportunity is its seemingly infinite<br />
growth potential. Since 2005, India<br />
has maintained around a 9 percent<br />
annual growth rate. From April 2008 to<br />
March 2009, during the global economic<br />
downturn, India averaged a 6.7-percent<br />
growth per month. Last year, the<br />
Indian economy is estimated to have<br />
grown 6.5 percent and is expected to<br />
grow 8 percent this year.<br />
Its per capita income soared from<br />
around US$400 in 2000 to US$1,000<br />
last year. Its middle class is expanding,<br />
making it an even more attractive emerging<br />
power with a potentially major consumer<br />
market. The middle class consisted<br />
of 50 million (5 percent of the total<br />
population) this year and could rise more<br />
than tenfold to about 583 million (43<br />
percent) by 2025.<br />
India’s economy is driven more by<br />
domestic consumption than by export,<br />
which makes it less sensitive to global<br />
economic shifts. The Indian government<br />
focuses on stimulus measures through<br />
tax breaks and supplying liquidity.<br />
The growing middle class is a huge<br />
strength for India, since consumption<br />
has also increased. Compared with<br />
China, it has just gotten on track for<br />
economic development. With sustainable<br />
growth, foreign investments that<br />
left India previously are returning. The<br />
BSE Sensex index, which nosedived to<br />
8,000 in 2008 because of the exodus<br />
of foreign capital, has climbed back up<br />
to 20,000, the pre-economic downturn<br />
level.<br />
“The biggest appeal about India is<br />
that its economy is growing rapidly,”<br />
said an official at the Korea Institute for<br />
Industrial Economics and Trade. “The<br />
economy is about US$1 trillion today<br />
but it should surpass US$2 trillion by<br />
2020, when India will become the<br />
sixth-largest economy in the world.”<br />
Other experts say India is growing so<br />
fast that in 20 years, it could trail only<br />
the United States, China and Japan.<br />
We have to keep in mind that the<br />
CEPA with India has given Korean companies<br />
an upper hand in the Indian market.<br />
Prices are so important in India that<br />
companies there will choose cheaper<br />
options over its partners for 10 or 20<br />
years. As tariffs on most goods are eliminated<br />
thanks to the CEPA, our products<br />
will have that much of an edge.<br />
Yonhapnews Agency<br />
India is a country with great potential; it is the<br />
fourth largest market in the world, and also<br />
attracts lots of foreign tourists for its beautiful<br />
landscapes and cultural heritage, as shown by<br />
above and opposite images of Taj Mahal.<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
41
KOREA-INDIA BILATERAL TRADE<br />
(Unit: US$)<br />
5.48 billion<br />
6.71 billion<br />
9.17 billion<br />
11.22 billion<br />
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008<br />
Source : Korea International Trade Association<br />
Yonhapnews Agency<br />
15.56 billion<br />
Mahabodhi Temple is a famous symbol of architecture<br />
in India (above). Hyundai Motor is the second<br />
largest company in India’s auto sector (opposite).<br />
LEADING TO MORE COMPETITION<br />
Likely thanks to this prospect, Korean<br />
companies are flocking to India. There<br />
are an estimated 400 Korean companies<br />
there — 200 in New Delhi, 150 in<br />
Chennai and 50 in Mumbai. Among<br />
them, about 150 went to India within<br />
the last three years. And with the CEPA<br />
in effect, the number of Korean firms in<br />
India is expected to skyrocket.<br />
Under the CEPA, 85 percent of<br />
Korea’s leading export goods will either<br />
be free of tariffs or have them reduced.<br />
Of 5,227 goods, 202 had their tariffs<br />
scrapped immediately, 180 will see their<br />
tariffs abolished over the next five years,<br />
and another 3,358 goods over the next<br />
eight years.<br />
The automobile industry is the biggest<br />
beneficiary. The 12.5 percent tariff will<br />
be cut to 1 to 5 percent within eight<br />
years. Hyundai Motor, which is No 2 in<br />
the Indian market, should eat into the<br />
lead currently held by Suzuki of Japan.<br />
“The Indian market is structured so<br />
that you secure your <strong>net</strong>works, it’s difficult<br />
for latecomers to break into them,”<br />
said an auto parts industry figure. “The<br />
CEPA will give us an upper hand over our<br />
existing competition and over companies<br />
from countries that try to reach a deal<br />
with India later.”<br />
The two sides agreed to open the service<br />
sector to a higher degree than would<br />
be done according to the Doha<br />
Development Agenda currently under<br />
negotiation. In other words, Korea would<br />
have an expanded opportunity to enter<br />
medical, communication, energy retailing,<br />
shipping, construction, distribution<br />
(excluding retailing), advertising and<br />
entertainment markets.<br />
The financial market has also opened<br />
up so that Korean banks can add up to<br />
10 Indian local branches within the first<br />
four years of the CEPA.<br />
The economic effect following the<br />
CEPA agreement is significant. The<br />
Korea Institute for Industrial Economics<br />
and Trade forecast that the manufacturing<br />
export would grow by an average of<br />
US$177 million (3.9 percent) over the<br />
next 10 years, while the import by<br />
US$37 million (1.6 percent) and the<br />
trade surplus by US$140 million over<br />
the same span.<br />
The Korea Institute for International<br />
Economic Policy estimated that the<br />
trade volume would rise by US$3.9 billion<br />
and the GDP by 0.18 percent<br />
(US$7.78 trillion), while about 50,000<br />
jobs would be created. The two institutes<br />
picked automobiles, machinery, chemistry,<br />
electricity and electronics as<br />
industries that would benefit from the<br />
CEPA. Also, though they aren’t currently<br />
exporting, diesel engines, locomotive<br />
trains and elevators are thought to be<br />
new industries that will thrive under the<br />
CEPA.<br />
The CEPA’s impact doesn’t stop at<br />
increased sales and investments. The<br />
deal also tears down the invisible barrier<br />
between the two economies. The construction<br />
of POSCO’s Indian steel mill,<br />
set to produce 12 million tons per year,<br />
has been delayed for years due to problems<br />
in compensating the local residents<br />
and with the local authorities’ lukewarm<br />
responses.<br />
After three and a half years of stalemate,<br />
POSCO finally began the work on<br />
the US$12 billion mega integrated steel<br />
plant in Orissa province last October.<br />
POSCO explained that the central Indian<br />
government’s insistence that investments<br />
by a Korean company must be put<br />
through under the CEPA-helped construction<br />
get started.<br />
Korean companies are thriving in<br />
India already. Samsung Electronics and<br />
LG Electronics are battling for top spot<br />
in the Indian consumer electronics market.<br />
Hyundai Motor is the second largest<br />
player in the auto sector.<br />
According to figures from January to<br />
September last year, Korea has zipped<br />
past Britain, Russia and Canada in<br />
terms of exports to reach No 9 in the<br />
world, climbing three spots from 2008.<br />
It ranked 85 th in 1950, 26 th in 1980 and<br />
then hovered around 11 th and 12 th from<br />
the 1990s.<br />
Since the 1950s, only Japan and<br />
China were new entries in the top 10 in<br />
terms of exports. And solid export figures<br />
compared to its competition helped<br />
make Korea bounce back quickest from<br />
the economic crisis among OECD member<br />
nations. The trade surplus of US$42<br />
billion last year was a record high, bigger<br />
than that of Japan.<br />
42<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010
Seoul Economy Daily<br />
SEARCHING FOR THE BLUE OCEAN In<br />
India, Samsung mobile phones are<br />
known as a symbol of wealth. They sell<br />
like hot cakes. When rivals such as<br />
Motorola lowered their prices, Samsung<br />
targeted the middle class with<br />
higher-end products and successfully<br />
carved its own niche. Thanks to this<br />
success, Samsung is right on the heels<br />
of the market leader Motorola.<br />
Based on thorough market research<br />
to separate itself from the competition,<br />
Samsung accurately predicted that the<br />
rising middle class would lead to the<br />
expansion of a consumers market, and<br />
introducing customized products was<br />
right on the money.<br />
“The painstaking field research, covering<br />
from top to bottom helped us nail the<br />
potential consumer group, and that<br />
played an important role in entering the<br />
market,” said a Samsung official. “In<br />
particular, high-end, customized products<br />
appeared to have captured consumers’<br />
hearts.”<br />
Aside from mobile phones, Samsung<br />
is the Indian market leader for color<br />
television, LCD TVs and PDP TVs. LG<br />
Electronics is the No 1 seller.<br />
Samsung maintains the lead in sales<br />
revenues, which goes to prove how luxurious<br />
of a brand Samsung is in India.<br />
“To attack the Indian market and its<br />
unlimited potentials, we will continue<br />
to maintain premium strategies in<br />
production and in marketing,” said an<br />
official of Samsung’s Indian branch.<br />
“At the same time, we will pursue<br />
localized strategies to satisfy Indian<br />
consumers to bolster our standing as<br />
the No 1 in the market.”<br />
Korea, which has become a strong<br />
trade nation, is considered a passionate<br />
champion of free trade. It has FTAs with<br />
Chile, Singapore, the European Free<br />
Trade Association and ASEAN.<br />
According to the Ministry of Knowledge<br />
Economy, Korea’s trades with these<br />
nations jumped by as little as 20.5 percent<br />
and by as much as 31.6 percent<br />
after the FTAs took effect.<br />
In addition, Korea’s FTAs with the<br />
United States and the EU are poised to<br />
take effect. Korea would be the only<br />
nation to have free trade deals with the<br />
two major pillars of the world economy.<br />
When these two deals take effect,<br />
Korea’s FTA partners would account for<br />
34 percent of all Korean trade, compared<br />
to 11 to 12 percent today.<br />
Also, Korea is preparing to reach<br />
FTAs with China, Japan, Gulf<br />
Cooperation Council and other 15<br />
economies. Korea stands to become the<br />
nation who trades with most major<br />
economies virtually free.<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
43
NOW IN KOREA
Wild With<br />
WINTER<br />
SPORTS<br />
Not even the harsh cold weather can freeze<br />
Koreans’ love of winter sports. The year 2010<br />
began with a blanket of white snow covering the<br />
entirety of Seoul, accompanied by temperatures<br />
below minus 10C, resulting in one of the coldest<br />
winters in recent memory. Despite the unbearably<br />
cold weather of late, the season is filled with activities<br />
nobody wants to miss. From amateurs to pros,<br />
many are braving the elements to enjoy winter<br />
sports. by Oh Kyong-yon | photographs by Kim Nam-heon<br />
A snowboarder jumps off a slope at Phoenix Park ski resort.
AP Photo / The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese / Yonhapnews Agency<br />
On December 11, 2009, an unusual scene was observed in the<br />
heart of Seoul, the capital city of the Republic of Korea. In<br />
Gwanghwamun Square, a 34m-high and 100m-long jump ramp<br />
was built and covered with snow, and top the world’s top snowboarders<br />
came to show off their skills. The 2009 Seoul Snow Jam,<br />
co-hosted by Seoul City government and the Korea Ski Instructors<br />
Association, is a snowboard competition that caught the attention<br />
of about 200 media channels in 100 countries around the world.<br />
The following night, Kim Deok-kyeong, who came from out of<br />
town to watch the competition, commented, “The place is so<br />
crowded with spectators it’s a little hard to enjoy.” But he gave it<br />
the thumbs up because “it’s a unique opportunity to see snowboarders<br />
live, jumping from up in the skyscrapers.” For those keen<br />
to get involved rather than just watch, there are plenty of winter<br />
sports to enjoy in Seoul. Ice skating at Gwanghwamun Square,<br />
World Cup Park and Olympic Park is both fun and affordable —<br />
about US$0.90 per 60 to 90 minutes.<br />
Lee Se-na, who has been skiing since she was five years old, is<br />
well-known as a ski fanatic among her friends. She can’t stand the<br />
cold but every year she waits for winter. “Until I was in college, I<br />
always bought a season pass and went skiing every weekend. But<br />
now that I have a job, I can’t come so often,” Lee said. When<br />
asked what attracted her to the sport, she said, “the fresh feeling<br />
46<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
The landscapes of Phoenix Park ski resort (top left). World figure skating champion Kim Yuna<br />
carried the Olympic flame in Hamilton, Canada, on last December (top right). Summer<br />
Goh from Singapore, in the middle, says that she likes having ski lessons in Korea (above).
when I slide down the slope. I try out new techniques every time I<br />
descend. Carving is a popular technique now and once I master<br />
that, I can’t say enough how accomplished I will feel.”<br />
There are more than 20 ski resorts throughout the country,<br />
many in the snowy, mountainous region of Gangwon Province. Ski<br />
resorts are not just for skiers and snowboarders but are also the<br />
perfect place for families and workshop attendees, because they<br />
are designed as entertainment complexes that offer accommodations.<br />
According to statistics, an estimated 6.7 million people will<br />
visit ski resorts in Korea this winter.<br />
A haven for skiers, Gangwon Province has many destination<br />
cities such as Pyeongchang, Hongcheon, Jeongseon and Wonju.<br />
KOREA headed to Pyeongchang, a county with a well-developed<br />
infrastructure that is currently making its third bid to host the<br />
Winter Olympics. Phoenix Park ski resort in Pyeongchang, a place<br />
that’s loved by younger generations and often called “Phi-park,” is<br />
crowded with skiers and snowboarders on every slope — even on<br />
weekdays. The resort has eight lifts and gondolas, all of them busy<br />
transporting skiers and snowboarders to the top. Panorama Slope<br />
and the beginners’ course have a total length of 3,350m. The<br />
region also boasts the famous “Extreme Park,” Korea’s very first<br />
snowboard park designed by the country’s top world-class snowboarder<br />
Park Hyun-sang. The various courses and slopes at<br />
Phoenix Park are more than enough to attract winter sports enthusiasts,<br />
from beginners to professionals.<br />
Hyundai Sungwoo Resort, located in Hoengseong, near<br />
Pyeongchang, is a popular destination for families because of its<br />
various attractions, particularly, “Snow Adventure” featuring the<br />
longest bobsleigh slope in Korea, a dogsled park, carriage rides<br />
and much more. It is a well-known hotspot for anyone looking to<br />
experience a diverse range of unique outdoor events.<br />
Ski resorts in Gangwon Province also attract international visitors.<br />
In Asian countries like Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and<br />
Malaysia, Korea is a popular destination for winter getaways.<br />
Whether it’s an individual trip or a group tour package, international<br />
visitors come to Korea for ski vacations, to try local Korean cuisine<br />
and to relax. We ran into a group of international skiers at the<br />
top of a slope. Summer Goh, from Singapore, told us that it was<br />
her first visit to a ski resort and that she was having a great time.<br />
“It’s my first time getting a ski lesson but I haven’t fallen and I am<br />
really enjoying it,” she said, adding that she would melt away the<br />
fatigue by relaxing at a spa in the hot springs later that night.<br />
Winter sports, though set on snowy slopes with biting winds,<br />
also make for a perfect opportunity for families to get together. We<br />
saw a father who had taken his boys out for a few days on the<br />
slopes while his wife was still at work. The father, Choi Jong-seok,<br />
Yonhapnews Agency<br />
A beautiful night scene from the International Ski Federation’s Snowboard Big Air World<br />
Cup held at Gwanghwamun Square, in Seoul, on December 13, 2009 (above).<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010<br />
47
while holding hands with his sons Chung-rak and Seong-rak, said,<br />
“[I am] usually so busy at work and have no time to play with my<br />
kids. But [my kids] have been skiing ever since they were little,<br />
so I try my best to come out with them every year for a family<br />
vacation.”<br />
CROWDS OF EXCITED ENERGY Pyeongchang’s Alpensia Resort<br />
was the setting for last year’s hit movie Take Off, also known as<br />
National Athlete. On our way back from a look from the dizzying<br />
heights of the ski jump, we met a group of skiers ascending a<br />
fierce slope. Some of them wore uniforms bearing a taegeukgi<br />
(Korean national flag), and, just as we expected, they were<br />
cross-country skiers training for the 2010 Vancouver Winter<br />
Olympics. The athletes were in their final weeks of rigorous<br />
training before they will travel to Canada to compete at the<br />
Games. Coach Ahn Jin-soo said, “Unlike slope descents where<br />
you just slide down from top to bottom, cross-country skiing has<br />
ups and downs. It requires as much energy and strength as<br />
marathon running.”<br />
Even for mountaineers, winter is a heart-racing season. When<br />
winter arrives and waterfalls freeze, mountain climber Lee<br />
Hyeong-mo always ventures out, geared up with his climbing irons,<br />
picks and ropes to climb the frozen faces. Though the concept of<br />
ice climbing was not popular among Koreans until a few years ago,<br />
the sport has already grown in popularity. In regions all over Korea,<br />
artificial ice climbing walls are created by pouring water over rocks<br />
and waiting for it to freeze. Towangseong Falls of Mount Seorak is<br />
the most famous for its natural ice wall: it’s about 300m high and<br />
boasts three different levels, which has made it well-known to<br />
mountaineers from across Asia. Eoreumgol Valley Ice Wall in<br />
Cheongsong County and the artificial ice wall in Wonju are similarly<br />
popular. For beginners, artificial ice walls are recommended<br />
because of they are wider and more easily accessible.<br />
Lee’s love for ice climbing isn’t just based on the adrenaline<br />
rush. The avid climber says the activity has health benefits and<br />
that the exercise outside in the cold weather is invigorating. “Time<br />
is of the essence, you can only ice climb from December to<br />
mid-February when the falls are frozen. Imagine, it’s a struggle<br />
against gravity! I never forget the thrill that I feel when I reach the<br />
top. That is why I look forward to winter every year.”<br />
The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics start this month, an event<br />
that stirs excitement in both the athletes in competition, as well as<br />
the spectators who cheer them on. The world’s attention will be on<br />
the best winter sports athletes from across the globe, including<br />
Kim Yu-na, who many are predicting will win the gold medal in<br />
women’s figure skating. Who will win at the Games will be on<br />
everyone’s minds, but, win or lose, we should applaud all the athletes<br />
who have endured the rigors of training in extreme conditions<br />
to prepare themselves for the Games. As they do every year, sports<br />
will heat us up this winter.<br />
Yonhapnews Agency<br />
Climbers brave Gugok Fall’s ice wall in Chuncheon (top).<br />
Cross-country skiers glide at Alpensia Resort (above).<br />
48<br />
KOREA<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2010