Love Your Parents
Filial love is still a virtue worthy of praise
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Cover Story
Love Your Parents
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SPECIaL ISSUE
Daegu, Gyeongju to host 7th World Water Forum
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GREaT KOREaNS
Lee Joong-seop, the most-celebrated modern artist
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PEOPLE 1
The Broth of Life, Jeon Seong-geun
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CURRENT KOREa
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A Salutation to Side Dishes
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Master Bowyer, Kwon Mu-seok
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President Visits South America
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A Good Samaritan, Father Kim Ha-jong
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City of Light, Gwangju
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POLICy REVIEW
A New Future Through Innovation Two Years of The Park Geun-hye Administration
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Hangang River
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Healthy Temple Cuisine on Buddha’s Birthday
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Love Your Parents
We live in an era of nuclear families and even increasingly smaller families, but love for one’s parents is still highly valued. Although it is admittedly fading, little by little, society’s sense of extended filial love, where all senior citizens are considered parents
in the broad sense, remains alive and well.
WrITTEn BY Kim Nae-oN
korea / May Cover StorY
korea / May
Small communities used to erect memorial gates and stones at the entrance to the village in honor of those citizens who had been recognized for their deep, sincere filial love.
T
he poem “Concerned About My Mom” by Ki Hyong-do was recently trending heavily on social media. Kim was a genius who died 26 years ago at the age of only 29, and his poem goes as follows:Thirty bundles of young radishes on her head, My mom’d left for the market, but
She’d yet to come back
Though the sun had set long ago.
Left in my room like cold rice in a bowl, No matter how slowly I did my homework She’d yet to come back.
The pitter-patter of her footsteps, as soft as cab- bage leaves,
I could not hear, terrified and in the dark.
The silent sound of raindrops floating through
at Seoul Station and the family members put their memories about her together in hopes of finding her. The author moved to Seoul when she was 16 on a night train.
The reflection of her mother’s exhausted face in the window of the train remained in her heart and eventually prompted her to write this novel.
Filial love is not a one-way street, but grows in the rich soil of parents’ sacrificial love. Parents sacrificing for their children and children expressing their thanks and love for their parents are frequent themes of TV soap operas. Filial love is about chil- dren lovingly and respectfully serving their parents, who sacrifice for their children. It is one of the greatest values and virtues that has long governed people’s spirit and behavior.
TEaCHingS of ConfuCianiSM Confucianism is undoubtedly the single most important body of philosophy.
Roughly speaking, filial love according to Confucianism is about respecting, obeying and supporting your parents, restraining yourself from doing things that would cause them to worry when they are alive and cherishing your memories of them by performing memorial rites for them after their death. Inspecting the complexion of your parents in the morning and evening and checking whether their rooms are cool or warm as the season requires are also your obligations toward your parents.
In the past, people would mourn a par- ent’s death for three years by leading life in solemnity and lamenting the parent’s death.
During the three years, the children would stay in a shed near the parent’s tomb and ritually serve breakfast and dinner to the parent as if he or she were still alive. The shed also enshrined the deceased parent’s mortuary tablet. Children robbed of a parent by death were considered sinners for those three years, so they had to wear a spe- cial hat that would prevent them from seeing the sky. They were also prohibited from eating meat or imbibing alcohol.
the crack in the window
Found me alone in the empty room, prostrate and sobbing.
Days in the dim past
Which still move me to burning tears
Were in that season of my cold and distant child- hood.
He was born into a poor family. His father was sick and his mother struggled to support the family. Ki Hyong-do’s heart always ached for his parents, and it was from these feelings that he finally composed this beautiful poem. This poem was put to song by Jang Sa-ik, a singer renowned for pow- erfully expressing suppressed sorrow. The poem is especially heartbreaking because
the poet died when his parents were still alive. To die when one’s parents are still alive has long been considered one of the most unkind things one could do to one’s parents.
The uncontrollable, heartbroken love for one’s parents is a common thread that runs through many artists’ works, including songs by famed traditional singer Jang Sa-ik, songs by celebrated singer Lee Mi-ja and novels by renowned author Shin Kyung-sook. Shin’s novel “Please Look After Mom” sold more than one million copies in ten months after its publication in November 2008. The first line of the novel is “It’s been one week since Mother went missing.” In the novel, Mother goes missing
Traditionally, people mourned a parent who passed away for three years in order to express their gratitude for the parent’s love and care. © Hong Ha-yan
In the folk tale of Sim Cheong, the filial daughter lays down her life to the Dragon King of the Sea so that her blind father can see again.
korea / May
Opinion is divided as to why the mourning period was set at three years.
Some believe this was meant to repay the love and care that one’s parents gave a child in the first three years of life. Others reckon that it takes three years for a deceased man to reenter the cycle of reincarnation. Some children performed these three years of mourning more faithfully than others.
Among famous examples of people who were notable for sincerely mourning their parents are Jeong Do-jeon (1342-1398), who helped establish the then new dynasty of Joseon, and Yi Mun-gyu, a disciple and nephew of the prominent Confucian scholar Yi Hwang (1501-1570). Legend has it that Yi Mun-gyu wanted to stay near his parent’s tomb longer than the required three years and Yi Hwang had to discour-
Filial love is not a one- way street, but grows in the rich soil of parents’
sacrificial love.
age him from doing so.
The Royal Seal of King Deokjong, the Deokjong Eobo, was recently returned to the National Museum of Korea from the Seat- tle Art Museum. It is a powerful witness to the royal family’s filial love. This royal seal was the Joseon king’s ceremonial stamp. It was made on the orders of King Seongjong (r. 1469-1494) in memory of his father,
Crown Prince Uigyeong (1438-1457), who was posthumously honored as “King Deokjong” in 1471, though he never actu- ally formally ruled. The royal seal is in the shape of a dignified turtle, exquisitely carved, and bears the phrase, “Gentle and Civil King Uigyeong”(溫文懿敬王). King Seongjong is singularly well-known for his deep love for his parents, grandparents and other elders in the royal family. The Chang- gyeonggung Palace, located to the east of the Changdeokgung Palace, was built for his grandmother, mother and aunt, who were all queens as the wives of King Sejo (r.
1455-1468), his grandfather, “King” Deok- jong, his father, and King Yejong (r. 1468- 1469), his uncle.
A king of Joseon would perform a funeral involving more than 60 procedures
In 1471, King Seongjong (r. 1469-1494) ordered the creation of a royal seal in commemoration of his deceased father, Crown Prince Uigyeong, who was posthumously honored as ‘King Deokjong’ that same year. © Yonhap news
when his father passed away. He also enshrined his father’s spirit in a majestic royal tomb. More than 40 Joseon royal tombs remain intact, testifying to the royal family’s devotion to its parents.
Nobody’s filial love should be less noble or sincere than a king’s. Today, you can spot a monument in a sunny spot at the entrance to many rural villages called a
“filial son monument,” or hyojabi. Filial son monuments were set up in memory of the filial love of those who expressed their love for their parents in an exceptional manner.
For example, one may have stayed near his parent’s tomb for a long time, or another may have prayed earnestly to heaven when his father was critically ill and who then recovered.
filial lovE ToDay
Filial love has been the utmost virtue in people’s psyche for centuries and has been demonstrated in many ways. A case in point is names. The syllable hyo, which signifies
“filial love,” is commonly used in names, such as Hyo-suk or Hyo-seop. Those who generally believe that children should leave their parents’ home to seek economic and social independence at the age of 20 or so may find this strange, but many young people choose to continue living with their parents. In some households, there are three or four generations living together. Some
cities pay a “filial love allowance” to fami- lies where four generations live together.
Yangju City in Gyeonggi-do Province pays such an allowance to families where four generations have lived under one roof for at least one year, including one person of at least 70 years of age. Changwon City in Gyeongsangnam-do Province grants a
“filial love encouragement allowance” to any family of four generations that lives together.
On Seollal Lunar New Year’s in the spring and on Chuseok in the autumn, the two most important traditional holidays, many people who left their towns of birth to pursue their studies or a career in the capital or some other big city visit their parents with bundles of gifts. They cause a
A family of four generations introduces itself during a festival in Daejeon last year to promote filial love.
© Yonhap news
Young people help their seniors get out of the car. © Yonhap news
korea / May
nationwide traffic jam on the highways in what is popularly known as the Great National Migration. The voyage can easily take two to three times longer than usual.
Yet, people still willingly set out on such a journey, to and from their parents’ homes.
This reveals their love for their parents.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infra- structure and Transport, a whopping 33.5 million people—65 percent of the popula- tion—joined in the Great National Migra- tion this past Seollal.
May, MonTH of CarnaTionS
One’s love for one’s parents should be sin- cere throughout every month of the year.
Nonetheless, it is true that May carries par- ticular importance. May 8 is Parents’ Day.
Most people present carnations or other gifts to their parents. Many also dine with
them. For its part, the government holds events to encourage filial love. May 8 was designated as Mother’s Day in 1956, but became Parents’ Day in 1973 to include fathers and other senior citizens as people to whom younger people should express their thanks and respect.
As seen in the example of Parents’ Day, filial love is not only for mothers or fathers, but is extended to include respect for all seniors. On the subway or bus, young people are expected to give up their seats to seniors. In many cases, people call any senior citizen “Mother” or “Father.” It was not a coincidence that Joseon was dubbed the “Eastern Country of Manners,” and there is evidence throughout history that people have traditionally emphasized respect and care for one’s parents and other senior citizens.
During Joseon times, filial love started with love for one’s parents, but expanded to engender respect and care for all seniors, and even for one’s ancestors, who gave them life, as well as to the worship of heaven in the abstract, which created the universe and everything in it. The ancestral ritual to commemorate one’s ancestors and to pray for health and happiness was rooted in filial love. The concept of filial love was combined with the concept of loyalty. This gave rise to the belief that those who prac- ticed filial love at home could make great contributions to society. In other words, filial love was not only a natural family virtue, but also a social norm and obliga- tion. It stemmed from people’s notion that
families are fundamental units of society.
After all, filial love was deeply steeped in the fundamentals of morality and in the principles of the universe and of existence.
olD iDEa in nEW forMS
The essence of filial love remains the same, but society has since undergone great change throughout the years. Extended families have given way to nuclear families and even smaller family units, requiring modern interpretations of filial love. Many children have given up on their personal pursuits and goals to meet their demanding parents’ definition of success. Many parents have sacrificed their enjoyment of life to
Filial love is not only for mothers or fathers, but is extended to include respect for all seniors.
People put together paper carnation bouquets as gifts for their parents.
On Parents’ Day, May 8, children pin carnations onto their parents’ or grandparents’ chests to express their thanks. © Yonhap news Droves of people visit their parents on traditional
holidays in what is dubbed the Great national Migration, causing a nationwide traffic jam.
Shin Kyung-sook’s novel ‘Please Look After Mom’ has been published in 22 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Poland and Thailand . © KL Management
korea / May korea / May
Children shout, ‘I love you, mom and dad!’ © Yonhap news The musical ‘Story of Cheong’ reinterprets the
traditional Sim Cheong myth and poses many questions about filial love. © Yonhap news
support their children. Painful self-reflec- tion reveals that an obsession with filial love can force people into hierarchical relation- ships, creating chasms between the genera- tions. Professor Lee Jin-woo of the Divi- sion of Humanities and Social Sciences at POSTECH says that it is now time to re- examine Confucian values, which in some respects can be oppressive. A more flexible, healthy way of expressing filial love must be found, he says.
It is likely for this reason that artists have drastically reinterpreted the traditional tale of the filial daughter Sim Cheong.
Some famous performances of the story of Sim Cheong combine dance and tradi- tional pansori music, a genre where a vocal- ist, accompanied by a percussionist, sings and chants a story. Modern versions of the
interview
tale bare new, critical interpretations, but in a polite, witty manner, posing such provoc- ative questions as, “Was Sim Cheong, who chose to die so that her blind father could see again, really a filial daughter?” The musical “Taming Father” humorously depicts Sim Cheong’s father as an imma- ture, spoiled person.
Nevertheless, filial love is still a virtue well worthy of praise that adds shine to society. What underpins filial love is to give others’ parents the same respect as one’s own parents and to love others’ children the same as one’s own children. This involves both humanism and philanthropy and makes us more expectant of the new ways to show filial love as we move forward in the 21st century.
Dad and i
What do young people think about filial love? Let’s meet Kim Jae-hyeon, who created the video clip “Dad and I,”
which received first prize at the third Nonsan Youth Filial Film Contest last year.
InTErvIEWED BY Kim Nae-oN
N
onsan has traditionally been known as a city of loyalty and filial love. In 2012, the Nonsan Cultural Center launched an annual contest where teenagers submit videos about filial love, hoping to inspire youth to reflect on their relationship with their parents. Last year, when the contest marked its third year, Kim Jae-hyeon, a then high school senior, created a short video entitled “Dad and I” with a running time of around three minutes. He wrote, filmed and edited the video himself.Filmed in Kim’s house, four of his friends helped out with the acting during their free time when Kim’s parents were out of the house.
Due to the weighty and somber topic of filial love, you might assume that the video must be serious and boring, but it is not. Instead, the video is quite witty and humorous. The rebellious and irritable pro- tagonist mysteriously switches bodies with his father and then comes to understand his father’s genuine concern and love for him.
“You can’t really express your love and respect for your parents well enough in your everyday life,” says the young man. “I
wanted to show my heart to them.”
What did his parent say about his video?
“They said, ‘Good job, son.’” He adds that he took his parents out to dinner with the prize money.
In fact, it wasn’t Kim’s first entry. A year earlier, he submitted a video in which the main character awakes one morning only to realize that his parents are gone. The character is confronted with the imminent challenge of living alone and ultimately learns that parents are precious.
“The video fell a bit short in terms of workmanship,” confesses this latest contest winner. “So I decided to try again.”
Unlike the father and son in the video, Kim has a very good relationship with his father.
“We are like friends,” brags this happy son. “I have heart-to-heart conversations with my dad about my future. We used to go to the gym together before I left home for school earlier this year. We also used to go out for dinner, leaving my mom and sis- ters at home.”
What mainly inspired the content of
the video were news stories about adoles- cents becoming angry or violent toward their parents when told, for example, to cut down on playing video games. He thought parent-child relationships could improve if kids put themselves in their parents’ shoes.
One of the four actor friends saw the video with his dad and now, as a result, has a better relationship with his father.
Regarding traditions of filial love, Kim clearly distinguishes between what we should keep from the past and what should be reinterpreted to keep up with the times.
He believes a child’s unconditional obedi- ence to his or her parents has to give way to mutual understanding based on communi- cation. However, he hopes that more youth will respectfully give up their seats to the elderly on the subway or on buses. If given another opportunity to make a video about filial love, he wants to make one focused on filial love from the grandparents’ point of view.
What does he anticipate for this upcoming Parents’ Day?
“I would like to visit them and have dinner together.”
korea / May PeoPLe
T
he rich, milky broth of ox bone soup (seolleongtang) has a singular flavor, and the warmth of the beef soup lingers in your mouth. Just when it feels slightly oily, the sharp taste of the spring onions adds a kick of freshness. A bite of radish kimchi (kkak- dugi) then renders a perfect finish to this mild, calcium-rich soup. The harmony of sweetness, acidity and richness is irresistible.The soup bowl will be empty before you know it.
Soul fooD froM SEoul
The Imun Seollnongtang restaurant in Jongno in central Seoul was originally called the Imun Sikdang. It was established way back in the early 20th century. The owner of the Imun Sikdang sold the busi- ness during colonial times (1910-1945), and the second owner of the restaurant sold it in 1960 to the mother of the current owner, who passed it down to her son, Jeon Seong-geun. According to many food col- umnists, the Imun Sikdang was the face of ox bone soup throughout colonial times.
The first owner, Hong Jong-hwan, fre- quently made headlines for providing free rice cake soup to laborers who worked in the area.
It was not so long ago that this beef soup was a popular delivery food, like pizza today. Police stations and government offices were regular customers. The Jongno Police Station near the Imun Sikdang ordered it almost every day. Even suspects who were brought into custody were given a bowl of the soup before interrogation.
Most ox bone soup restaurants were open 24 hours, so it was an ideal food for police officers given their long, irregular duty hours.
olD iS gooD
The recipe for ox bone soup is simple: put beef in a big pot of water and simmer it for several hours. The process is not complex, but the water temperature, cooking time, the water-beef ratio and different beef parts are each equally important factors in creat-
Jeon Seong-geun’s Broth of Life
The fourth owner of the restaurant Imun Seollnongtang preserves the original 1904 recipe of his ox bone soup.
WrITTEn BY Kim HyeoN-tae PHOTOGrAPHED BY HoNg Ha-yaN
ing the savory broth. The cook must stand by the pot at all times.
“Time is a key factor in making this soup. We use beef parts, including the ox’s head, tongue, spleen and brisket. We cook the bones for 12 hours, the brisket for four and a half hours and the spleen for one hour and ten minutes. Our customers often tell us that our broth is too bland, but that is because we add no seasoning. I could season the broth, but my job is to preserve the original taste of the soup as it was 111 years ago, just as my mother taught me.”
It is a simple food made with love.
According to Jeon Seong-geun, there are no secret ingredients in the broth. “If there is anything special, that would be the spleen.” When it is cooked, cow spleen has a particular smell and a squishy texture.
People either love it or hate it. With great pride, Jeon Seong-geun insists that once people sample the real taste of well-cooked cow spleen, they cannot resist it.
“Regular customers have been eating here for decades. They are the best judges of the taste of our ox bone soup.”
Even after the lunch hour rush, cus- tomer after customer continues to walk into the Imun Seollnongtang restaurant for a hot bowl of soul food. Most customers are in their 60s or 70s. “Thirty years is not enough to qualify you as a long-time regu- lar here,” the owner says. The list of regulars during colonial times is incredible. It included Lee Si-yeong, Korea’s first vice president, Kim Du-han, the famous Jongno mob boss-turned-lawmaker, and Sohn Kee-chung, the first ethnic Korean to win an Olympic gold medal when he won the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a member of the Japanese team.
Jeon Seong-geun’s favorite customer was linguistics scholar Lee Hui-seung. “He was my mother’s professor in college. He loved ox bone soup very much and fre- quently ate at our restaurant. In his later years, even when he could no longer come here to eat, his children would come by and order it for him to go.”
A bowl of ox bone soup is served with kimchi on the side.
‘We cook the bones for 12 hours, the brisket for four and a half hours and the spleen for one hour and ten minutes’, says Jeon.
korea / May PeoPLe
Archery teaches basic manners and how to live in harmony with others,” says Kwon.
Unlike the bows used in the West, the bows used in Korean traditional archery are soft and flexible. The softness and flexibil- ity are not from the material, nor are they achieved by any kind of processing of the materials. They, in and of themselves, simply embody the true spirit of the tradi- tional bow.
onE yEar, 1,000 STEPS
The Kwon family has been making tradi- tional horn bows for 12 generations. Kwon Mu-seok had considered other job options earlier in life, but he eventually chose to be a bowyer. His son, Kwon O-jeong, is also following in his father’s footsteps. “Tradi- tional horn bow-making is a challenge. A year’s work only yields about 50 bows, and it takes a full year to completely finish a bow,” says the bow master. The Korean tra- ditional bow is a composite bow made from water buffalo horn in the “belly,” the surface of the bow that faces the archer.
Throughout the year, a bow master pro- cesses his bows one step at a time. He obtains water buffalo horn and harvests and bakes oak for the handle. For the core of the bow, he puts mulberry wood in boiling water, letting it simmer for 12 hours, and then dries the wood for over a month. The glue to hold the bow together is made from the air bladder of a fish. The entire bow making process requires about 1,000 steps over a one year period.
Kwon is also an archer. He often takes his bow and arrows for a round of shooting and teaches youths, too, many of whom consider archery as only an interesting sport and not as an important tradition.
Many students mistakenly believe that shooting an arrow is nothing more than technique. He has, in fact, taught archery to many celebrities, and he welcomes anyone desiring to learn archery from the basics.
He has also initiated a campaign to preserve the traditional sport, held archery competi- tions and written books. The Yecheon
Master Bowyer Kwon Mu-seok
Meet the master of crafting traditional horn bows
WrITTEn BY yooN Se-euN
Traditional horn bows made by masters can shoot arrows 300 to 400 meters.
Traditional horn bows are made partly from water buffalo horn.
World Archery Festival, the first of which was held in October last year in Yecheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, was also the work of Kwon Mu-seok.
aiMing for THE WorlD
Kwon wants to make archery a well- known sport that is representative of Korea.
Toward that end, he has toured mainland China, the U.S., Europe and South Amer- ica to put his bows on display and to teach archery. His most recent trip was to Buda- pest. Many people there, even some ethnic Koreans, were fascinated by the Asian tradi- tional bows.The positive response Kwon received in Budapest shows that he is on the right track to make his dream come true. “I will continue to promote tradi- tional archery so that people from all across the world can associate it with Korea and try the bow if they visit the country,” says Kwon with passion.
The Chinese character for “bow” means,
“to save people.” Kwon Mu-seok says that the time he has devoted to bow-making has taught him how people should live. He adds that the bow has kept him healthy through- out the years. At 74 years of age, he can still read the newspaper without glasses.
A
rchery has been practiced for thou- sands of years. Education in the literary arts and training in the martial arts were both considered extremely important in ancient times, and mounted archery was the repre- sentative martial art. The bow was the pri- mary weapon of the military until the six- teenth centur y. In f act, many kings throughout history, including King Dong- myeong of Goguryeo (r. 37 B.C.-19 B.C.)and King Taejo of Joseon (r. 1392-1398), were renowned archers themselves.
To be a good archer requires more than simply aiming well or hitting the bull’s-eye. According to Kwon Mu-seok, a maker of traditional horn bows and Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage person No.
23, archery is about training your mind and body and learning about basic manners.
One must concentrate on many things
simultaneously while shooting. Pinch the end of the arrow between thumb and index finger and your hand should not be strained. Breathing steadily, release the arrow.
“Archery has rules of etiquette. All archers must obey these rules. ‘Show love and kindness. Be faithful and honest. Be careful in all your actions. Do not blame your defeat on others or their arrows.’
korea / May trAveL
City of Light
Gwangju is getting ready for its busiest year to date as it prepares to host the Summer Universiade and the Design Biennale.
WrITTEn BY Kim Nae-oN PHOTOGrAPHED BY mooN DuK-KwaN
S
hin Suk-ju (1417-1475), a renowned Joseon scholar and statesman, once said of Gwangju that, “It is a place of extraordinary grandeur in the southern region, where the old traditions remain. It has a temperate climate and expansive plains. Its villages have long been known for their beautiful scenery, and they are also home to numer- ous high-ranking officials.” Dubbed the“City of Light,” it captures the pleasant ambience of the region that emanates from Mudeungsan Mountain. Gwangju has long represented liberty and equality and is today also a symbol of art and youth.
The city of Gwangju has hosted the Gwangju Biennale since 1995. Founded to commemorate the spirit of civil uprisings and the 1980 democratization movement,
the Biennale celebrates Korean history, aes- thetics and commercialism. Previously, the Gwangju Design Biennale had been held as part of the Gwangju Biennale, but this year it is being held independently, by the Gwangju Design Center. The overarching theme is not just design. The event will explore all forms of art, philosophy and life itself.
korea / May
The “City of Light” assumes a com- pletely different façade at night. To see the twilight transformation, one needs only go to the Daein Art Market. This traditional open-air market is now an art exhibition space where young artists display and sell their works. Structures designed by artists such as Seo Do-ho and Rem Koolhaas as part of the Gwangju Folly urban revitaliza-
tion project are scattered throughout the city, inspiring a different state of mind.
THE 28th SuMMEr univErSiaDE This year, Gwangju brims with youthful exuberance in the lead-up to the Summer Universiade, to be held from July 3 through 14. Over 12,000 athletes from 170 coun- tries will compete in 21 different sports and
olD TEMPlE anD
THE uijaE MuSEuM of KorEan arT Located on the wester n foothills of Mudeungsan Mountain, Jeungsimsa Temple is the representative Buddhist temple of Gwangju. Founded in 517 during the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D.
935), the temple was burned down during Hideyoshi’s invasions of Korea between 1592 and 1598, and was reconstructed in 1609. It underwent several restorations before being destroyed again by fire during the Korean War (1950-1953). It was restored to its current state in 1970.
The Uijae Museum of Korean Art was established in memory of famous Korean artist Heo Baek-ryeon (1891-1977). Built to mimic the curve of the gentle slope of Mudeungsan Mountain, the museum sits in harmony with its natural surroundings.
Heo’s old home and his tea garden adjacent to the museum remain intact, much as they were in his day.
yangniM-Dong HiSTory anD CulTurE villagE
Also refer red to as the “Jerusalem of Gwangju,” Christian missionaries from the U.S. and Canada settled in Yangnim-dong when they first arrived in Korea some 100 years ago. The village was designated as a significant historic site because of its his- tory and singular atmosphere that com- bines Western-style houses and Korean tra- ditional buildings. There are numerous his- torical sites there, including the former home of missionary Robert Wilson, who went by the Korean name U Il-seon. His home was the first Western-style brick building in Gwangju. There is also the Owen Monument and Memorial Hall, built in 1914 in memory of U.S. missionary Clement Owen, and the house of Lee Jang- woo, an upper-class, tile-roofed home that is representative of late Joseon architecture.
Street murals by young ar tists from Gwangju give the neighborhood a modern touch.
revel in their global friendship. The slogan for the Gwangju 2015 Universiade is,
“Light Up Tomorrow,” which, appropri- ately, connotes both the host city’s charac- ter and the vitality of youth. The excite- ment of the collegiate athletics competi- tion is sure to make Gwangju even more vibrant and enjoyable.
MuDEungSan MounTain
East of downtown Gwangju, Mudeungsan Mountain hovers over the city like a guard- ian. The mountain embraces the beauty of southwestern Korea, famous for its fine seaside shores and rich traditions. Accord- ing to folk legend, the mountain’s name, mudeung, is derived from mudeungdeung, a name that refers to Buddha, meaning that its natural essence is unfathomable and incomparable. Hexagonal stone pillars near the peak, called the Jusangjeollidae Cliffs, add to the mountain’s mystique. These rocks, including Ipseokdae and Seoseokdae, were formed over 70 million years ago by rapidly cooling magma. Ko Gyeong- myeong (1533-1592), a militia leader from the mid-Joseon period, said that the rocks resemble high-ranking officials wearing
traditional hats. The Uijae Museum of Korean Art won the Korean
Architecture Award in 2001.
The Owen Memorial Hall is named after Missionary Clement Owen who was martyred in 1909.
Jeungsimsa Temple is a representative Buddhist temple from Silla times (57 B.C.-A.D. 935).
Jeungsimsa Temple is the oldest Buddhist temple on Mudeungsan Mountain.
WHaT To EaT Gwangju specialties include minced and seasoned beef ribs (tteokgalbi), set meals of Korean traditional cuisine (hanjeongsik), duck soup, kimchi and barley served with a variety of greens (boribap). Barley restaurants at the foot of Mudeung- san Mountain are renowned for their delicious and plentiful side dishes. The best place to sample the true taste of kimchi is the Jeonbuk Sikdang (T: 062- 227-1449; 414 Ullim-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju), owned by a kimchi master. Pan-fried sliced beef (yukjeon) is another Gwangju delicacy, and the Dae- gwang Sikdang (T: 062-226-3939; 90-5, Bullo-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju) makes amazing pan-fried sliced beef using cross-cut hind shanks.
WHErE To STay If you want to stay in a modern hotel, the ramada Plaza Gwangju is a good choice.
If you are looking for a different experience, try Ogaheon, a 77-room traditional Hanok home built in 1866. It is ideal for large groups and offers set meals with three, five or seven side dishes.
gETTing THErE The new high-speed KTX train connecting Seoul and Gwangju opened in April 2015. A one-way ticket costs KrW 46,800, and travel time is only about 90 minutes. You can also take a Gwangju-bound bus from the Dong Seoul (East Seoul) Bus Terminal or from the Central City Bus Terminal. A ticket costs between KrW 20,000 and 40,000, depending on the type of bus, and the ride takes about three and a half hours.
Gwangju
Korean traditional cuisine (hanjeongsik)
Busan Seoul
90 min
korea / May SPortS
W
e all know about the gods of ancient mythology: the god of love, the god of war and the god of intelligence, just to name a few. In the coaching world of sports, there are only two gods: the god of baseball and the god of volleyball. Who are they, and what have they done to deserve such divine acclaim?The god of baseball is Kim Seong- geun, manager of the Hanwha Eagles. The god of volleyball is Shin Chi-yong, man-
ager of the Samsung Fire Bluefangs. They both ear ned their fame due to their extraordinary leadership.
Turning DEfEaT inTo viCTory Baseball’s Kim Seong-geun has often said, half-jokingly, that he never had any luck with his teams. This cannot be denied, because he has always led one of the weak- est teams in the league, ever since he man- aged his first team, the OB Bears, in 1984.
His teams, on the other hand, have always had good luck with their manager. In every case, the team miraculously began to win once Kim was appointed manager.
The secret to Kim’s leadership is intense training and excellent tactics. Teams man- aged by Kim train twice or three times more than others. The day usually starts at around 7 a.m. and does not end until 9 p.m.
Players run and slide back and forth, sweat- ing profusely. They gasp for air the entire
Sports Management
Two renowned managers share what their leadership is all about.
WrITTEn BY ParK DoNg-Hee
day. Kim watches them from the side with an unmoving face. “You play sports with your body, not your head. Your body should react first, without even thinking, in order to handle fast-moving balls and bats. Hard training is the only way to train your body to react and to move fast,” says Kim.
As important as it is, extreme training is not the only element of Kim’s leadership.
Kim tries to change his players’ mindset about their careers. “To be good at baseball, players need to be able to answer funda- mental questions, such as why they are playing the sport and why they have to be good. The first step to finding the answers is to push themselves to the limit. Players who complete the intense training never- second-guess themselves, even under chal- lenging circumstances, because they believe in their potential.”
Kim does much more than stand on the sidelines during and after training, however. At 72 years of age, he still hits fungos for hitters during practice and per- sonally coaches pitchers in the scorching sun. After field practice, he returns to his office to analyze data to find relationships that back up his philosophy about training.
In fact, he often stays up all night in his hotel room during the season, studying data and planning tactics for the next game.
Baseball players have the utmost respect for Kim Seong-geun and rely on his wisdom, because he is as passionate and hard-working as any active player. Speaking of a leader’s role, he says, “It is about finding the reason to keep fighting, rather than finding the reason to give up. Baseball is like tightrope walking. It becomes danger- ous if you are standing still.” Each day, Kim Seong-geun works hard alongside the play- ers to find a reason to continue fighting.
STaying on ToP
In volleyball, the word “defeat” is not in Shin Chi-yong’s lexicon. He has been the manager of the Samsung Fire Bluefangs since 1995. The Bluefangs so rarely lose a game that it makes news when they actu-
ally do. The team’s glorious history is attributable to the excellent players of unparalleled skill, such as Kim Se-jin and Shin Jin-sik, but the decisive factor has always been coach Shin Chi-yong. He helps star players focus on the team instead of on personal glory, and he encourages partnerships between players rather than competition. Shin also remembers to employ back-up players who are often not given enough chances to play, while encouraging them to persevere and wait until their time comes. The patience of sev- eral of these back-up players pays off in the future. In fact, many have actually since become big stars. This is precisely the reason why the Samsung Fire Bluefangs have been able to stay at the top of the league for the past 20 years.
Neither Kim Seong-geun nor Shin Chi-yong were famous as players, but they have become irreplaceable as managers.
The lessons we can learn from these two great leaders is simple: nothing is impossi- ble if a manager is respected and supported by his players, and that the manager must work harder than the players to be respected and supported.
“Players need to keep training to improve their reflexes.” Kim Seong-geun is a strong advocate of boot camp training.
Shin Chi-yong treats every game as his final game.
Kim Seong-geun is the subject of therecent documentary ‘Foul Ball’.
korea / May entertAinMent
of macho star Cha Seung Won. He easily prepared meals not commonly cooked at home. The program also highlighted the effort and meaningfulness that goes into each meal, which won the hearts of busy city-dwellers who miss home-cooked meals.
‘Please Take Care of the Refrigerator’
on JTBC features amateur and professional chefs who compete by cooking using ingredients from a celebrity’s refrigerator.
The chefs use oridinary ingredients found in the celebrity’s refrigerator, as opposed to using ingredients in a proffessional kitchen, and cook dishes within 15 minutes. View- ers watch to identify recipes they can repli- cate at home.
“CooKing broaDCaSTS” anD MEn Interestingly, all of the stars of these “cook- ing broadcasts” have been men. The male stars attract female viewers and give men confidence that they, too, can cook. This is indeed refreshing in a traditionally Confu- cian country where it was long taboo for men to be in the kitchen at all. Only time will tell how much impact the “cooking broadcasts” will have.
the transition
from eating to cooking
The food fad continues, now with a focus on cooking.
WrITTEn BY JuliaNNa CHuNg
U
ntil recently, people were in awe of the “eating broadcasts” food fad, or the“meokbang” fad, featuring online channels live-streaming people eating massive amounts of food for a living. Now, how- ever, the focus on food has shifted from consumption to cooking.
THE originS of
“EaTing broaDCaSTS”
“Eating broadcasts,” or “meokbang”, is a portmanteau of the Korean verb “to eat,”
meokda, and the noun “broadcast,” bangsong.
It started around 2008 on the website Afreeca. Individuals known as “broadcast jockeys” would stream themselves eating live, while interacting with their viewers.
Fans would watch the amateur foodies eat, put in their requests and chat, all while sending donations in Internet currencies, the source of the broadcasters’ income. Fol- lowing this trend, television programs introducing famous restaurants where celebrity hosts eat and provide commen- taries emerged. “Eating broadcasts” also became part of non-food entertainment
shows, such as “Superman Returns” on KBS, featuring celebrity kids eating enor- mous amounts of food.
“CooKing broaDCaSTS” on THE riSE Building on that trend, now we see more people watching “cooking broadcasts,” or cook-bang, a portmanteau of the English word “to cook” and the Korean noun
“broadcast,” bangsong. The main difference between traditional cooking shows and
“cooking broadcasts” is that “cooking broadcast” chefs can either be professional
Kim Sungjoo and Jung Hyungdon rummage through a celebrity’s refridgerator in JTBC’s ‘Please Take Care of the refrigerator’. © JTBC
Singer Sung Shi Kyung and comedian Shin Dong Yup debate the second step of cooking kimchi stew in O’live’s ‘What Shall I Eat Today’? © CJ E&M
or amateur chefs, as well as celebrities who are not necessarily talented cooks. These chefs show how to cook simple one-of-a- kind everyday dishes with basic ingredients.
This appeals not only to housewives, who are still generally the main cooks in Korean households, but also to those who would like to try their hands at cooking for the first time. The programs also fulfill people’s interest in healthy cooking and introduce cooking as a fun hobby, rather than a household chore. These new cooking shows are especially great hits among people who live alone.
‘What Shall I Eat Today?’ on channel O’live stars Shin Dong Yup and Sung Shi Kyung, two male gastronomes. They cook simple meals by instinct alone. There are no recipes or professional guidance. By watch- ing the whole process and witnessing the triumphs and failures of the two cooks, viewers start to relate with them and to learn from them.
A recently ended hit series, ‘Three Meals a Day’ on tvN, starred three celebri- ties living in a rural and secluded fishing village. They had to cook their meals com- pletely from scratch. They had to harvest, catch and prepare their own ingredients.
The show became a hit due to the presence
All of the stars of
“cooking broadcasts”
have been men.
Macho actor Cha Seung Won transforms into a sexy kitchen maid in tvn’s ‘Three Meals a Day’.
© tvn
korea / May
F
rom April 12 to 17, the cities of Daegu and Gyeongju in southern Korea hosted the seventh World Water Forum, the world’s largest forum for the discussion of water and water resources. Over 30,000 participants from around the globe came together to find solutions to water security and to the global water shortage.The U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals, set in 2000, are coming to a close, and 2015 marks the next step in the global development process for the cause of water.
The seventh World Water Forum, therefore, played a pivotal role as the starting point for
the post-2015 U.N. Sustainable Develop- ment Goals, which the global community will seek to achieve over the next 15 years once they are laid out.
THE WorlD WaTEr foruM anD THE WorlD WaTEr CounCil
The World Water Forum has been held tri- ennially since 1997. Experts from the public and private sectors, academia and industry gather and discuss how to resolve water challenges. It is organized by the World Water Council, an international organization that aims to promote aware-
ness, build political commitment and trig- ger action on critical water issues. It aims to facilitate the efficient conservation, protec- tion, management and use of water in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Headquartered in Marseille, the Council brings together around 300 member orga- nizations from more than 50 countries.
PoliTiCal, rEgional, THEMaTiC anD SCiEnTifiC PrEParaTion Necessitating two years of collaborative preparation with stakeholders from around the world, the forum involved four prepa-
The legacy of the seventh World Water Forum included: moving from solutions to implementation: linking science and tech- nology to water issues: and ensuring a sig- nificant place for water in the U.N.’s Sus- tainable Development Goals.
EvEnTS
During its six-day run, the seventh World Water Forum ran various associated pro- grams, including the International Expo &
Fair at the Daegu EXCO convention center. It showcased water policies and cut- ting-edge water technologies from many different countries. The Citizen’s Forum hosted organizations, youth, women and children from around the world as they dis- cussed the use and management of water.
This sub-forum has been recognized as being quite effective in raising public aware- ness of the importance of clean water.
The 2015 World Water Challenge Ceremony was held on Apr. 15 in Daegu. © Yonhap news
ratory processes to catalyze collective action and positive change: the Thematic Process, the Political Process, the Regional Process and the Science & Technology Process. The Thematic Process discussed solutions to current water challenges. The Political Process facilitated discussion among heads of state, ministers, legislators and local and regional authorities to call for political action. The Regional Process enabled participants to discuss solutions on continental and regional water challenges, including water management and political mobilization. Finally, the new Science &
Technology Process allowed for a discus- sion of the development of needed tech- nology and the dissemination of that tech- nology to address water issues from a scien- tific perspective.
CorE valuE of ‘iMPlEMEnTaTion’
Under the themes of, “Water Security for All,” “Water for Development and Pros- perity,” “Water for Sustainability: Harmo- nizing Humans and Nature,” and, “Con- structing Feasible Implementation Mecha- nisms,” the seventh World Water Forum focused on the implementation of solu- tions identified during the sixth meeting in Marseille in 2012.
The Soyanggang Dam in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Provice is a rock-fill dam built with mud, sand and gravel.
The seventh World Water Forum focused on the implementation of solutions that had been identified during the sixth forum meeting in Marseille in 2012
Daegu, Gyeongju to host 7 th world water Forum
The world gathers in Korea to tackle global water challenges.
WrITTEn BY JuliaNNa CHuNg
SPeCiAL iSSue
korea / May
I
n Joseon-era Korea, a gentleman was expected to master four arts: calligraphy, music, painting and the game of go, known in Korean as baduk. To a Western audience, this classic board game resembles a cross between checkers and chess. Dating back 3,000 years to ancient China, the earliest known account of Korean go is from 475, during Korea’s Three Kingdoms Period (57 B.C.-A.D. 668).To win a game of go, one must grab as much territory and as many of the enemy’s stones as possible, while protecting one’s own pieces and space on the game board.
Two opponents battle each other: white versus black. The story goes that King Jang- su of Goguryeo (r. 413-491) ordered his
top go player, the monk Dorim, to enter the rival Baekje Kingdom under the guise of an exile. Dorim managed to become close to King Gaero of Baekje (r. 455-475), and the king followed the monk’s advice to allocate state funds for costly projects, such as the construction of palaces. When the Baekje Kingdom’s coffers dried up, the monk notified his true master, King Jangsu, who swiftly attacked the weakened state.
Victory was declared in a week, all with minimal bloodshed. As in the battlefield and as on the game board, the winning stroke in the game of go is often planned well in advance of its execution, and often has been hidden right under the oppo- nent’s nose all along.
MaSTEring THE gaME of lifE The game of go today retains its old-fash- ioned image by showing up most fre- quently in front of two elderly players or among family members during moments when not distracted by computer games or television. Many households are now dust- ing off their old go boards and giving them new life as a learning tool for children. This new go craze is underpinned by the belief that mastering its concepts can help one master the game of life.
The post-modern Korean mother, famous for trying anything to give her offspring an edge in life, seems particularly drawn to the idea that one activity can raise cognition and create a fully functioning member of
society. An increasing number of children, especially those in pre-kindergarten and elementary school, attend afterschool enrichment programs specializing in the game of go. These extracurricular schools, commonly known as hagwon, promise that go will transform youngsters by giving them new skills ranging from increased concentration to improved manners.
an EDuCaTion in THE gaME of go In the tony Gangnam district, one cram school even claims that parents can expect to see a change in their children’s behavior after only one or two months, and new strategic abilities and sharpened focus after six months. To get to this level, go is taught just like any other playtime game. The key is connecting fun with the process of learn- ing the rules, says Sung Ki-chang, author of over 250 books on the game of go. Most texts, he says, focus on memorizing and repeating moves. Sung notes that this strat- egy fails to foster independent thinking.
New books written specifically for chil- dren, along with specialized instructions, are keeping minds focused on this age-old game.
Although go is played one-on-one, children are not merely thrown into the game and left to fend for themselves. For youngsters, the game of go is usually taught in a group format. The classroom is divided into two teams where a teacher leads the game. Each group can decide together how their next move should be made. Decisions of the group versus individual instincts can be tested, and participants learn to be effec- tive team players while also sometimes being the leader who comes up with the winning move.
The children assume an aura of little schol- arly ladies and gentlemen as they medita- tively turn the smoothed stones between their fingertips. The occasional burst of childhood exuberance is all that reminds you of their youth. However, it can’t be denied that the game is very much a “mind
Go
Mastering life through the game of go
WrITTEn BY SeaN lim
sport,” and that this explains the rising interest in it. Inquiries for enrollment at the Myongji University Lee Se-dol Baduk Academy in southern Seoul have more than tripled since late last year, after the cable network tvN’s surprise hit program,
‘Misaeng,’ or, ‘Incomplete Life,’ captured close to 10 percent of the national viewer- ship in its time slot. The game of go is fea- tured on the show.
go goES MainSTrEaM
TV audiences were captivated by the story of Jang Geu-rae, played by Yim Si-wan, a member of the pop group ZE:A. He plays a go apprentice who fails to become a pro- fessional player. Confronted by the need to make a living, our protagonist, by a stroke of fortune, manages to get a job at a major stock trading company. Woefully unpre- pared for the office jungle of corporate finance, he at first is an outcast and is disre- garded by his coworkers. However, drawing on his go training, he eventually finds his own footing and adapts to his new life.
The show was especially a hit among view- ers in their 20s and 30s. They quickly understood how this traditional board game could give them some tools to sur- vive in the fast-changing global world.
“Your life is the aggregate result of your choices,” is among the many truisms of
‘Misaeng’. Experienced go players will tell you that obvious attacks can backfire and that the game’s fortunes can be completely reversed at a single stroke. Moreover, how one plays the game quickly reveals one’s personality and character. In the end, how- ever, the outcome is a result of all the moves and choices the player made throughout the game.
Such knowledge and skills are assets for the next generation. They will not only have to consider competition at home but also abroad. As many go, or baduk, players before them have learned, the game will teach you how to handle life’s complexities with grace and composure.
Current KoreA
1 - Young students play the game of go. © Yonhap news
2 - Jang Geu-rae (left), the protagonist in the popular Tv soap opera
‘Misaeng,’ which aired in 2014, uses the lessons he learned from over 20 years of playing go to navigate office politics at a large company. © tvn
1
2
korea / May SuMMit DiPLoMACY
President’s diplomatic efforts bear fruit
President Park Geun-hye returned on April 27 from her visit to four South American countries: Colombia, Peru, Chile and Brazil.
EXCErTED FrOM Korea.Net
A
ccording to Cheong Wa Dae, the visit expanded the president’s diplomatic efforts to include South America and strengthened the country’s partnership with Pacific Rim nations. This milestone, Cheong Wa Dae said, has now established partnerships that will create high value- added trade opportunities, a common market and will foster the sharing of each nation’s knowledge and experience.ConfirMaTion of laTin aMEriCa’S STrong WillingnESS To
CooPEraTE WiTH KorEa
The president’s visit to the four Latin American nations helps form a basis to fur- ther strengthen current business and trade activities, and to expand partnerships across various fields. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos stressed that it is his dream to replicate Korea’s education system in Colombia. President Santos said he consid- ers Korea to be the ideal partner for devel- oping the Colombian education system, one of the three main goals of his National Development Plan. He expressed his will- ingness to promote bilateral cooperation on education and to expand access to col- lege education.
Peruvian President Ollanta Humala called on the Korean ambassador to Peru after President Park’s visit and asked about the Korean side’s evaluation of the visit. He expressed his willingness to implement measures discussed during the bilateral summit between Korea and Peru.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff greatly appreciated Korea’s economic suc- cess, innovation and technological compe- tence and said she hopes to develop a stra- tegic partnership with Korea.
ExPanSion of ParTnErSHiP froM TraDiTional arEaS To HigH valuE- aDDED SECTorS
During the visit, President Park agreed with the South American leaders that they need to reestablish the foundation of their bilateral cooperation. In particular, they discussed cooperation not only on tradi- tional trade, but also on high value-added sectors, including the defense industry, security, online government services, health and medical services, education, human resources and the arts. Korea and the South American nations signed many memo- randa of understanding (MOUs) and founded the legal basis for mutual coopera- tion and co-existence.
Antoni Estevadeordal, a manager in the Integration and Trade section of the Inter-American Development Bank (BID), wrote in a column in Portafolio, a Colom- bian economic daily, that Korea is fast becoming one of the biggest strategic part- ners for Latin America and that Korea and Colombia are expected to develop an
President Park Geun-hye(left) and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos(right) shake hands at the presidential palace in Bogota on April 17. © Yonhap news
President Park Geun-hye(left) and Brazil’s president Dilma rousseff(right) shake hands before their summit. © Yonhap news
She signed
numerous MOUs
with the four
nations to further
expand economic
ties, seeking closer
cooperation in
areas where Korean
technology can be
used to enhance
development and
trade.
korea / May
investment and trading model that will create many mutual benefits.
President Park’s visit to Peru created a new model for cooperation that expands their bilateral partnership to include high value-added industries, as the president witnessed the successful joint production of the KT-1P, a trainer airplane, after a two- year long partnership, and its virgin flight.
President Park and President Ollanta Humala agreed to extend their partnership further to include the joint production of the FA-50, Korea’s multipurpose advanced trainer jet.
ExPanSion of bilaTEral
ExCHangES To inCluDE THE arTS, SPorTS, EDuCaTion anD HuMan rESourCES
The president’s visit also focused on expanding bilateral exchanges to include education, the arts, sports and human resources. In Peru, there was a concert for traditional music of both Korea and Peru.
Korean pop groups performed in Chile, and fashion shows and more pop concerts were held on the same stage in Brazil. Pres- ident Park met with representatives of Korean pop music fan clubs in Peru and helped to raise the level of closeness through other such cultural exchanges. The Americano Economia, a Chilean newspa- per, reported on April 21 that the “Korean Wave,” referring to the growing popularity of Korean pop music and mass media, is not a trivial cultural phenomenon but is a new engine to promote all things Korean.
The MOU covering the short-term science and engineering university intern- ship program, the invitation to Korea of Chile’s national scholarship recipients and Brazil’s Science Without Borders program are all meaningful in terms of the expan- sion of educational exchanges and the exchange of human resources.
An MOU was signed to cover work- ing holidays in Chile and Korea. It is expected to expand youth exchanges and contribute to the improvement of mutual understanding. The science and engineer- ing university internship program is likely to expand exchanges of talented young people and reinforce the foundation for cooperation on science and technology.
STrEngTHEning THE ParTnErSHiP rEgarDing THE KorEan PEninSula anD rEgional anD global iSSuES The president’s visit was also an opportu- nity to reaffirm the four nations’ support for South Korea in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear weapons and human rights abuses. It allows for the expansion of multi- lateral cooperation on the international stage. President Park asked for continuous support and cooperation on efforts to encourage North Korea to make true changes in its attitude, to give up nuclear weapons program and to open its door to the international community. The four South American leaders said they support South Korea’s policies toward the North, as well as Korean reunification, and will take
Korea joined the alliance as an observer in June 2013, and suggested the establishment of the Korea-Pacific Alliance Vision Group.
Colombian President Santos stressed the importance of Korea as a partner for the alliance during the Trans-Pacific Summit in early March.
Chilean President Bachelet said she hopes to seek cooperation between the Pacific Alliance and observer countries, including Korea. The Pacific Alliance is expected to increase competitiveness through free trade, encourage foreign investment and expand cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region, and lead economic development in Latin America.
President Park Geun-hye(left) and Peruvian President Ollanta Humala(right) attend a ceremony to mark the joint production of Korea’s KT-1P trainer plane at a private aviation school at Las Palmas Air Base in Lima on April 21. © Yonhap news
President Park Geun-hye (not pictured) attends fashion show and K-pop concert for Korean Wave fans in Sao Paolo, Brazil on April 25. © Yonhap news
part in efforts to denuclearize the North and to improve its human rights. The visit is expected to spread the international con- sensus in support of South Korea’s policies for the peaceful reunification of the penin- sula.
President Park and the four leaders exchanged opinions on how to strengthen their cooperative partnerships in a new Pacific Rim era.
The president agreed with the need for efforts to strengthen multilateral coop- eration through the “Pacific Alliance.” The Pacific Alliance is an economic bloc launched in 2012 to boost competitiveness, attract foreign investment and expand eco- nomic cooperation through free trade among Colombia, Peru, Mexico and Chile.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (right) presents a pen to be used during the MOU signing ceremony to President Park Geun-hye (left). April 22. © Yonhap news
korea / May
Working tirelessly for peace and
prosperity at home and for countries around the world, President Park Geun-hye has
helped Korea stand out as a force for good in these hard times.
PoLiCY review
P
resident Park Geun-hye has shattered glass ceilings, has been selected as the World’s 11th Most Powerful Woman by Forbes and ever since her inauguration in February 2012 has been working tirelessly at home and abroad for peace and prosper- ity. Her administration has focused on four main strategies to strengthen the nation and to help change the world: Reinvent the Nation; Economic Innovation; Cultural Enrichment; and, Building a Foundation for Unification.ouT WiTH THE olD, in WiTH THE nEW The Reinvent the Nation initiative’s aim is to eliminate corruption and unacceptable or abnormal practices through law and order, and to enact a new wave of innova- tive policies in order to create a safer and more efficient national administration. The initiative focuses on public sector reform, rooting out corruption and bolstering disaster-response and safety awareness across the populace.
The Park Geun-hye administration aims to reform the public sector through a new wave of innovative policies. State-run enterprises are in urgent need of oversight are now subject to strict debt-reduction plans, as the government seeks to reduce the total amount of debt held by such insti- tutions by USD 104 million between now and 2017. Also, irrational practices that have come about due to lax management at public enterprises are to be identified and phased out. To stop corruption, stern mea- sures have been taken to break collusive ties and to ensure thorough investigations into both public officials and business people who operate in the state-run sector.
An overall plan to prevent the misuse of government subsidies is being devised, with legislation being drafted that would prevent fraud. It is called the “Act on the Prohibition of Improper Solicitation and the Offer and Acceptance of Money, Gifts, Etc.”
There are also many noteworthy steps are being taken to bolster disaster-response
and safety. A disaster response system to deal with accidents and catastrophes, stricter control of maritime traffic and other safety-related organizations and sys- tems will all be realigned to increase their effectiveness. In regard to safety, manage- ment guidelines for the treatment of potentially harmful chemicals will also be reassessed to ensure a professional and sys- tematic approach in dealing with chemi- cal-related accidents.
PrEParing for 30 MorE yEarS of ECoMoMiC groWTH
While the world’s economic recovery has stagnated since the global economic down- turn began, the Korean economy has con- tinued to improve under the Park adminis- tration. In line with its three-year plan for economic innovation, the administration has broadened the reach of Korea Inc.
through free trade agreements with five more countr ies. It has also cor rected abnormal processes and what used to be customary malpractices, all while working to balance domestic consumption and exports.
By late 2014, the debt-to-equity ratio at major public institutions had gone down to 220%, credit ratings rose. GDP growth
President Park showing a big smile after delivering a speech. © Yonhap news President Park enjoys a Korean traditional performance with global leaders. © Yonhap news
A Future of innovation
A New Future Through Innovation : Two Years of the Park Geun-hye Administration
EXCErPTED FrOM tHe KoreaN Culture aND iNformatioN ServiCe