Unlike some other, more rarefied genres of art, Korean folk painting, or minhwa, targeted the common people, and thus reflected their tastes, values and aspirations. In the traumatic 20th century, minhwa suffered from declining interest, but Korea’s growing cultural confidence has led the public to rediscover the genre. As local and even international interest in folk paintings grows, some artists are even reinterpreting the genre in a manner that appeals to contemporary sensibilities.

Also in this issue of KOREA, we venture off to the southern port of Tongyeong for some oysters with a side of culture, talk with underwater photographer Y.Zin, discover some of Korea’s top screenwriters and more.

_ Editorial staff, KOREA

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Oh Yeongwoo

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Cover Photo

Photographed by 15 Studio

Stylized by d. Floor (Bae Ji-hyun, Oh Seung-yeon)

Product

Artwork “Things,” Ink and colors on paper, Seo Hana, 2012 (seohana.com)

Peacock and Fenghuang painting screen, Ochae (minhwadeco.com)

Moon Flower, Listen Communication (listencom.co.kr)

Hanji flower pot and mug, KCDF Gallery (kcdfshop.kr)

Round ban and Naju chair, Ha Jihoon (jihoonha.com)

Wishing Turtle, Moran Cushion and Love Fish, Mono Collection (monocollection.com)

Tiger stool and chicken-shaped yeonjeok (water dropper), Naun Craft (nauncraft.com)

Flooring, LG Housys Z:IN (lghausys.co.kr)

Paint, Dunn-Edwards (jeswood.com)

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Cover Story | » | Written by Prof. Chung Byungmo, Department of Cultural Assets, Gyeongju University Photographed by 15 Studio Stylized by d. Floor

Folk Paintings of Korea

Art expresses hopes and desires of a people

From the 19th century to the early 20th century — that is, from the end of the Joseon Dynasty until the Japanese occupation period — folk paintings, called minhwa, enjoyed great popularity. These were the work of nameless painters who attuned their style to the tastes of the common people.

The tradition of folk painting in Korea, of course, is not limited to that period. Folk painting has a long history that goes as far back as the prehistoric petroglyphs, but it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries that this art form came under the spotlight. Why was that?

This development resulted from the collapse of a caste system that had remained firmly in place in Korea for more than 1,600 years, ever since the Three Kingdoms period. In the 19th century, there were frequent uprisings and commoners succeeded in elevating their status after a long struggle. Finally, with the Gabo Reform of 1894, the caste system was abolished altogether.

The folk painting tradition emerged within this historical context, but it did not remain a genre merely for commoners. The scholar-gentry class enjoyed it too, and ultimately this style of painting influenced court painters and proliferated as “art for the masses.” Images taken from folk paintings made their way into the decorative patterns of everyday art forms such as embroidery, ceramics, furniture and architecture.

Korea’s folk painting tradition seemed to have faded into the mists of history with the Korean War (1950–1953) and the Saemaeul Undong of the 1970s, also called the New Community Movement. But it is enjoying a second renaissance of late. Folk painting has become a popular hobby, proving that these paintings are not simply relics of times past.

What can account for this recent revival of a long-neglected tradition?

Well, for one thing, this art form accords well with the sentiments of the Korean people. Its bright and cheerful images turn a home into a happy and beautiful space. Furthermore, folk paintings hold symbolic significance as a way of praying for happiness. All these features set the minhwa genre apart from the rest.

Korean folk painting in a global context

Foreigners rediscovered Korean folk paintings, recognizing their immeasurable value and beauty long before Koreans did. John Baptiste Bernadou (1858–1908), a special investigator of Korean cultural artifacts for the United States National Museum (later renamed the Smithsonian Institution), brought this art form to the world’s attention in 1884. He purchased some folk craftworks, including a considerable number of folk paintings, on a visit to what was then Joseon, and they are now part of the Smithsonian’s collection in Washington, D.C.

Folk paintings were introduced to Europe seven years later when the French folklorist Charles Varat (1842/43–1893) donated his collection of folk art to the Guimet Museum of Asian Art in Paris (Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet). He had purchased the works, which included some folk paintings, during a 50-day journey in 1888 and 1889.

A practical form of art closely connected with the lives of the common people of old Korea, minhwa embraces the desires and hopes of the masses. A minhwa painting includes the various elements that represent realistic hopes. In particular, a bookshelf with books and writing implements represents the hopes and literary tastes of Korea’s old literati.

민화는 옛 민중의 삶과 밀접하게 연결되어 있었던 실용적인 예술로, 민중의 염원과 소망이 담긴 그림이다. 한 폭의 민화에는 현실적인 소망을 상징하는 다양한 소재가 담겨 있다. 특히 책과 문방사우 등을 담은 ‘책거리’는 당시 선비들의 학문적인 성취와 소망을 담았다.

Figure “Chaekgeori,” 19th century, painted on paper, 64 centimeters x 38 centimeters, collection of the National Museum of Korea.

It was Varat who had written the first critique related to Korean folk painting after acquiring a folding screen in Miryang decorated with munjado, a painting style featuring Chinese characters.

“From a purely artistic standpoint,” he wrote, “this folding screen is filled with highly valuable information about the fundamentals of Korean art.” Interestingly, his collection of folk paintings was classified and organized by Hong Jong-wu (1854–unknown), a student studying abroad in France who later gained fame by assassinating Kim Ok-gyun, a young Korean reformist of the late Joseon Dynasty.

Yet it was a Japanese aesthetician, Yanagi Muneyoshi (1889–1961), who was most active in making the world aware of the artistic value of Korean folk paintings during the Japanese occupation period. He first became interested in Korean art after receiving a gift from Takumi Asakawa, an elementary schoolteacher who worked near Namdaemun Gate in Seoul. The gift was a small “moon” jar — that is, a white porcelain jar — with a chipped edge. That simple jar changed the modern cultural history of Japan. Moved by its beauty, Yanagi quit his research on Rodin’s statues and immersed himself in the acquisition and study of Korean folk crafts. In doing so, he initiated the famous mingei (folk craft) movement. Yanagi’s love of the folk painting genre started a Korean folk painting boom in Japan.

In the winter of 2001, an event in Paris drew further international attention to Korean folk paintings. The Guimet Museum held an exhibition titled “Nostalgies coréennes” (“Korean Nostalgia”), which sent reverberations throughout the European art world and stunned media representatives, who had perceived the Joseon Dynasty as “the land of the morning calm” up to that point. They were truly astonished to discover a remarkable series of paintings that set the country apart from neighbors China and Japan.

In 2008, the Japanese publisher Heibonsha published “Paintings of Joseon, Korea,” a book on the history of Korean painting. The cover features a magpie and tiger painting — one of the most popular and representative Korean folk painting motifs. In addition to the minhwa paintings, the book deals with murals of ancient tombs, Buddhist paintings from the Goryeo Dynasty, literati paintings, decorative paintings of the court, and Buddhist paintings from the Joseon era. It is groundbreaking in that it treats folk paintings as an integral part of the history of Korean painting, but the emphasis on minhwa doesn’t stop there — even the table of contents is adorned with images taken from folk paintings. When one considers that books on the history of Korean painting published in Korea hardly touch upon folk painting, this comes as a surprise.

Nine years later, the author of that seminal textbook is organizing a chaekgeori exhibition tour titled “CHAEKGEORI: The Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens,” for renowned museums in the United States: the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Charles Wang Center in New York City; and the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, Kansas. It began in September 2016 and will continue until October 2017.

The appeal of Korean folk paintings

Folk paintings are not a mere relic of the past, but a cultural tradition that is abundant with modern appeal, replete with modern sentiments that might even close the colossal gap between then and now. The primary reason that folk paintings survived with such resilience is that they have that dual nature, demonstrating traditional Korean sensibilities and extremely modern aesthetics at the same time. This is no doubt why Korean folk paintings are drawing so much attention, why they are gaining recognition as a part of the world’s cultural heritage rather than simply a Korean art form. The fact that foreigners discovered the value of folk paintings before Koreans did, and started collecting them much earlier, is proof of that.

Paintings of natural objects, such as flowers, birds, animals, grasshoppers, wildflowers, fish, fruit and vegetables, are called “flower and bird paintings,” or hwajohwa. The peony, with its bright colors and countless petals, symbolized wealth and honor. Paintings of the peony were beloved during the Joseon Dynasty, from the royal court down to the commoner.

꽃, 새, 동물, 풀벌레, 야생화, 물고기, 과일, 채소 등 자연물을 그린 그림을 ‘화조화’라 부른다. 그 중 화려한 색감과 풍성한 꽃잎을 가진 모란은 부귀영화를 상징하는 꽃으로 여겨졌다. 모란도는 조선시대 궁중부터 사대부, 서민층에 이르기까지 다양한 계층에서 사랑을 받았다.

63 Sky Art, a museum in Seoul’s landmark 63 Building, hosted an exhibit on contemporary Korean folk painting from November 2016 to February 2017. Contemporary folk painters have given birth to new forms and meanings by using free imaginations and modern techniques, even while employing traditional minhwa subjects and forms.

63아트 미술관은 2016년 11월부터 2017년 2월까지 우리나라 전통 민화를 현대적으로 재해석한 ‘아름다운 찰나, 영원한 염원’전을 열었다. 현대작가들은 전통 민화의 소재 및 형식을 차용하면서도 자유로운 상상력과 현대적 기법을 엮어 새로운 조형과 의미를 탄생시켰다.

Folk paintings are the quintessential Korean paintings. They reflect the sentiments and tastes of the Korean people and the stories of the Korean people. While they owe much to the motifs of court paintings and literati paintings, they are not mere derivative works. Any motif or technique inspired by those genres and incorporated into the minhwa tradition was transformed into something uniquely Korean. Folk paintings are the product of truly Korean sensibilities — of the passions that welled up in Koreans’ hearts — and in this way can be said to embody the heart and soul of the Korean people.

Images in folk paintings are simple. The painters rejected showy techniques, instead preferring to awaken an innocent quality within the observer. Just as we smile at the innocence of young children, who move through the world without any ulterior motives, the imagery in these paintings speaks to the core of our selves, to the childlike innocence that has been suppressed. Ho-yeon Kim, a researcher of folk paintings, views this sense of innocence as an important theme for anyone who wishes to understand Korean folk paintings.

Tradition is another important aspect of folk paintings. There was a revival of colored paintings in the Joseon Dynasty, when ink-and-wash paintings (sumukhwa) predominated. During the Three Kingdoms period, when Korea began to develop its own painting tradition in earnest, colored paintings had been the mainstream tradition, as seen in the tomb murals of Goguryeo. After that, colored paintings dominated the art world of Goryeo, with Buddhist paintings at the center. However, things took a sharp turn with the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty. Ink-and-wash paintings were regarded highly, while colored paintings were looked down on. This is because the former harmonized better with the national ideology of Joseon, which advocated frugality and simplicity. Yet, by the 19th century, as the Joseon Dynasty was winding down, the ancient tradition of colored paintings began to resurface in folk paintings. The instinct for color, which had been sleeping in the minds of Koreans, had been reawakened.

It would be a mistake to regard folk paintings as musty old paintings. I would go as far as to say that, among the traditional genres, there is hardly anything as modern as Korea’s folk paintings. The simple, two-dimensional and compositional expressions, evidence of the revival of traditional techniques, show great power to reconnect with modern sensibilities. Pierre Cambon, the chief curator at the Guimet Museum, commented on the modern aesthetics of folk paintings, saying they “testify to the Koreanized sense of modernity.” In other words, they come from the imagination freely expressed on paper, unbound by any norms or limits. Folk paintings are unrestricted by time, space, scale, custom or social constraints. They cross the boundaries of past and present, utilize space flexibly, and adjust size and scale as the occasion demands. In addition, a rich and colorful world of the imagination unfolds in the folk paintings. It is a world vastly different from that of court paintings and literati paintings, which aim for a strict solemnity and a noble dignity.

Folk painting themes draw on custom, but the expression of those themes manifests the painters’ imaginations. On one side, there is “the world of mannerism, which is at times causing dizziness.” Meanwhile, on the other, there is “an astonishing transformation.” Folk painters’ imaginations blossomed on the borders between two contradictory worlds, showing the crossover to the world of dreams and fantasies. The walls that separate dream from reality are torn down and the two worlds are amalgamated into one. The images are not depicted realistically — meaning not as they look to the naked eye — but are expressed freely as one “knows” and “feels.” In this way, the abstract composition reveals an alternative reality.

Since the days of old, minhwa played both a decorative function in beautifying the home and an aspirational one in symbolizing the family’s desire for peace and blessings. Minhwa’s practicality is growing even more popular as it fuses with modern lifestyle design.

예부터 집 안에 걸린 민화는 장식적인 기능과 함께 삶의 안녕과 복을 비는 의미를 담았다. 이러한 민화의 실용성은 현대적인 생활 디자인과 만나 더욱 인기를 얻고 있다.

Product Artwork “Vase and Peonies,” colors on paper, Nam Jungye, 2009 (namjungye.com) Console desk, red and white porcelain jar with grape patterns, wedding goose, NAUN CRAFT (nauncraft.com) Incense jar, magnolia kobus table mat, liquor bottle set, KCDF Gallery (kcdfshop.kr) Bar stool, Seoul Bund (seoulbund.com) Flooring, LG HOUSYS Z:IN (lghausys.co.kr) Paint, Dunn-Edwards (jeswood.com)

Major motifs in folk painting minhwa

Munjado

Paintings depicting Chinese characters

A style of painting that depicts stories or patterns associated with the Chinese characters representing the eight Confucian virtues: filial piety, brotherly love, loyalty, truthfulness, propriety, righteousness, integrity and shamefulness. Filial piety means honoring one’s parents. Brotherly love means honoring one’s brothers. Loyalty involves being loyal to one’s king. Truthfulness is keeping faith with one’s friends. Propriety involves observing decorum. Righteousness means living righteously. Integrity means living by one’s principles. Shamefulness suggests having a decent sense of shame. It is likely that munjado came about for the purpose of propagating Confucian values and culture among the populace. The genre was very popular nationwide, with regional variations that distinguished each city and province. Early munjado paintings took the form of figures from fables or events associated with particular Confucian virtues — figures that could be painted inside the related Chinese characters. However, with time, some changes in style occurred as certain strokes making up the Chinese characters in question eventually became characters in the narrative.

Figure: “Munjado,” 19th century, painted on paper, 90.2 centimeters x 34.2 centimeters, individual collector

Chaekgeori

Paintings depicting books and associated objects

This still-life genre from the Joseon Dynasty focuses on books, but also depicts items such as ceramics, bronze ware, writing paraphernalia, vases and other household items. The Korean word geori implies a plurality of whatever precedes it and can be loosely translated as “things.” Hence, the word chaekgeori can be interpreted as books and any number of objects associated with books. There were still-life paintings of books in China and the West as well. However, Korea is perhaps the only country where such paintings came to symbolize an era. After their introduction during the reign of King Jeongjo (r. 1776–1800), chaekgeori remained popular for almost 200 years, fading from view just before the Korean War (1950–53). In Korea, the tradition of painting books became established as a distinct genre, one born out of Koreans’ great love of books and the immense value that King Jeongjo assigned to them because the monarch so admired their exquisite beauty and variety.

Figure: “Chaekgeori,” 19th century, painted on paper, 90.5 centimeters x 42.5 centimeters, collection of the Musée national des arts asiatiques Guimet

Hwajohwa

Paintings depicting flowers and birds

Hwajohwa is a painting tradition that centers on natural objects such as flowers, birds, animals, insects, wild flowers, fish, fruits and vegetables. The range of natural objects depicted in hwajohwa is extensive. From the rare and precious objects that constitute the 10 traditional symbols of longevity to the wildflowers of the fields; from imaginary animals such as the dragon and phoenix to tiny and insignificant bugs; from the peony that flaunts its glamorous beauty to ordinary vegetables; from nature’s rarest and most valuable beings to its smallest and most trifling ones; from those found only in paradise to those found in our daily lives — all sorts of natural objects made their way onto the drawing paper, depending on the occasion and the painter’s taste. This is why hwajodo was the most popular of all folk painting styles, and the most frequently practiced.

Figure: “Lotus flower,” 19th century, painted on paper, 90.4 centimeters x 37.2 centimeters, collection of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum

Kkachi horangi

Paintings depicting magpies and tigers

This genre has tigers standing under or near a pine tree on which magpies are perched. Magpie and tiger images are a representative folk painting motif — it is these images that immediately come to mind when Koreans think of folk painting. Many tigers inhabited the mountainous areas of Korea, which led to a flourishing tradition of tiger stories and paintings. In other genres, tigers were generally depicted with a sense of authority, as the tiger was considered king of the beasts; however, in folk paintings, as a general rule, tigers appear almost clownish and silly. This is because tigers symbolized power and magpies stood in for the common people — such depictions satirized the hierarchical structure of a feudal society.

Figure: “Magpie and tiger,” first half of the 20th century, painted on paper, 76 centimeters x 55 centimeters, collection of the Mashiko Reference Collection Museum

Geumgangsando

Paintings depicting Mt. Geumgangsan

This painting tradition depicts the scenery of Mt. Geumgangsan. In the first half of the 18th century, Jeong Seon (1676–1759) took a trip to Mt. Geumgangsan and left the masterpiece “Geumgangsando,” which became an archetype for the genre for generations to come. Nameless folk painters brought the dreams and stories associated with Mt. Geumgangsan to those who could not afford to go there, or even dare dream of going. Their paintings usually depict stories that the painters had heard about Mt. Geumgangsan, rather than the realistic landscapes they would have seen if they had actually gone there.

Figure: “Geumgangsando,” late 19th century~early 20th century, color on paper, each 56×31.5cm, Kim Sejong Collection, Korea

Travel | » | Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

Naples of the East

Scenic beauty, culture and culinary delights abound in Tongyeong

The sun sets over Tongyeong’s oyster farms.

It’s not easy to leave a poet dumbstruck, but when poet Jeong Ji-yong (1902–1950) saw Tongyeong, he was at a loss for words.

“I lack the ability to describe in words the natural beauty of the scenery of the Tongyeong and Hansando region,” he said. “When you climb to the peak of Mt. Mireuksan and look out over the Hallyeosudo Waterway, all you can do is declare that there could never again be natural beauty like that of the port of Tongyeong and Hansando.”

Hidden away in Korea’s highly irregular southern coastline, the port city of Tongyeong is indeed a place so beautiful it can leave you speechless. A harmonious medley of mountains, inlets, islands and open sea, the city possesses a scenic magnificence that has inspired creative copywriters to label it the “Naples of the East.”

Colorful Dongpirang Village looms above Tongyeong’s old waterfront.

At the Park Kyongni Memorial Hall, visitors can learn more about the renowned author who penned the landmark historical saga “Toji.”

The old home and workshop of Jeon Hyuck Lim, one of Korea’s first abstract painters, is now a museum.

16th-century admiral Yi Sun-sin fought one of his most important battles in the waters off Tongyeong.

Green mountains and deep blue sea

Tongyeong is a small but mountainous peninsula that hangs from the southeastern town of Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, into the galaxy of islands big and small that makes up the Hallyeosudo, the waterway that connects the town with the southwestern port of Yeosu. The city has about 150 islands, 41 of which are inhabited.

As the poet Jeong Ji-yong noted, you can enjoy inspiring views of Tongyeong and its surrounding waters from the peak of Mt. Mireuksan, which is a short drive from the waterfront. Observation decks at the peak give you panoramic looks over the port and the innumerable islands of the Hallyeosudo. At dawn, the islands look like mountain peaks jutting out from the clouds. A cable car takes tourists to the peak in comfort, but if you’re going to catch the sunrise, you’ll need to hike it.

The islands of the Hallyeosudo waterway appear like mountain peaks sticking out of the clouds.

City of history and culture

Due to its strategic location, Tongyeong has long been of naval importance. During the Imjin War (1592–1598), one of the most important naval engagements of the conflict was fought there. On Aug. 14, the renowned Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin led a fleet of 54 warships against a Japanese fleet of 73 warships in the waters just off Hansando Island. In the subsequent battle, Yi’s forces sank 47 enemy warships and captured another 12. The Koreans, meanwhile, lost not even a single ship.

Yi’s presence is felt throughout the city. On the island of Hansando itself, you can visit Jeseungdang, a wartime command post and now a shrine to the great admiral. Moored at the old waterfront are replicas of the so-called turtle ships, or geobukseon, innovative vessels designed by Yi himself that may have been the world’s first ironclad warships. The Tongje Sayeong, the old naval commandery for southeastern Korea, overlooks the waterfront from a nearby hill.

For a city of just 140,000 people, Tongyeong has had a surprisingly prominent impact on Korea’s arts and culture scene. In the 20th century, when the town gave rise to the so-called “Tongyeong Renaissance,” the port produced poets Yu Chi-hwan and Kim Chun-soo, author Park Kyongni, abstract painter Jeon Hyuck Lim and composer Yun I-sang. You can learn more about some of these figures in the museums that have been established in their honor. In the traditional arts, Tongyeong is renowned for its ottchil, or Korean lacquerware. The place to appreciate that art form is the Ottchil Art Museum.

A much more recent artistic endeavor is Dongpirang Village, a charmingly rustic neighborhood on a hill overlooking the old waterfront. Once threatened with redevelopment, the community got a new lease on life in 2007, when artists beautified its maze of alleyways with colorful murals. Today, the mural village is one of Tongyeong’s most popular tourist destinations.

Tongyeong produces many tasty oyster dishes, including this rice-cake soup made with oysters and maesaengi seaweed.

Tongyeong accounts for 70 percent of Korea’s oyster production.

Oysters, gimbap and honeyed bread

Tongyeong boasts a rich local cuisine that has won over the taste buds of epicureans nationwide.

Oysters are the dish with which the city is most commonly associated. The waters off Tongyeong are responsible for 70 percent of Korea’s oyster production. Many people enjoy eating oysters raw. You can also enjoy steamed oysters and rice, fried oyster pancakes, sweet and sour oysters, and even oyster and rice cake soup prepared with silky seaweed, or maesaengi. Another oyster-related specialty is gul samhap, a dish of pork, kimchi and oysters.

If oysters aren’t your thing, try Chungmu gimbap. This simple meal consists of thin, unseasoned rice rolls served with a side of spicy sliced octopus and radish kimchi. You can find many places serving it around the Jungang Market near the old waterfront.

No discussion of Tongyeong’s food scene would be complete without mentioning honeyed bread, or kkulppang. These fried, donut-like balls of goodness are coated with a thin layer of honey and topped with seeds and other toppings. Common fillings include red-bean jam, sweet-potato jam and yuja, a Korean citrus fruit similar to a lemon. The street in front of the Jungang Market is literally lined with competing shops offering their own unique twists on the favorite snack.

Where to eat

Jungang Market, located near the waterfront, is a popular place to score raw seafood. The waterfront street is home to many restaurants selling Chungmu gimbap and kkulppang. Ttungbo Halmae Gimbap is reportedly the originator of Chungmu gimbap. Omisa Kkulppang, located across the bay in Bongpyeong-dong, invented the honeyed bread in 1963. If you’re looking for oyster cuisine, try the excellent Tongyeong Myeongga near Dongpirang Village.

Where to stay

The old waterfront area is home to several small and medium-sized hotels. One of the more time-honored places is the Napoli Hotel, which offers beautiful views of the waterfront.

Getting there

Buses to Tongyeong depart from the Seoul Express Bus Terminal. Travel time is just over four hours.

People | » | Written by Hahna Yoon Photos courtesy of Y.Zin

Y.Zin, the Photographer Who Could

Korea’s first National Geographic underwater photographer is a case study in passion and determination

Ask underwater photographer Y.Zin where she got her positive attitude and she might tell you this story of her father.

“When I was younger and I would tell my dad, ‘I can’t,’ he would remind me that until I tried, ‘I can’t’ was just all in my mind.’”

Korea’s first National Geographic underwater photographer, who is often associated with the haenyeo sea women or female divers of Jeju Island, whom she photographs, is as radiant in person as one might guess from looking at her work. Y.Zin recalls standing outside Zena Holloway’s home in London in the early days of her photography career, cleaning bathrooms, liaising with A-list celebrities, and dreading her weekly swim classes. She often uses the term “good fortune” to talk about the blessings in her life, but the more you get to know her, the more you realize that determination and passion are at the heart of her success.

Unfit for the sea

Y.Zin hesitates when you ask her about swimming.

“When I was in high school, I was getting tested for pneumonia and accidentally found out that my heart was in the center of my body (instead of in the normal position on the left) and that my lungs are the size of a baby’s.”

The doctor advised her that in the event of an emergency, CPR might kill her as her rib cage might get pushed into her organs. Her inability to excel at swimming suddenly began to make sense.

“For 10 years, my mother had sent me to swimming classes, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t swim. I was incredibly afraid of it. I just couldn’t breathe the way that my teacher told me to.”

Y.Zin works 100 meters below the surface.

A haenyeo takes a break from work.

Learning from the best

Staying far from the water, Y.Zin pursued design in college. Her classes led her to become a stylist for the stars in her sophomore year, working for names like Rain and BoA.

“At that time in my life, for four to five years, I didn’t even take off one Sunday,” she says.

It got to the point where she really needed a break. While deciding what to do next, she took time to visit some colleagues she hadn’t seen in a few years — including a reporter who happened to be interviewing Kim Jung-man, arguably Korea’s most famous photographer. By chance, Kim browsed through a camera she still had from her stylist days and commented, “Your pictures aren’t bad.” He advised her to take classes and she was excited to know what he saw in her.

“I wanted to learn from Mr. Kim so badly, but he kept telling me ‘I’m too expensive for you’ and refused to teach me.”

Thus began Y.Zin’s housecleaning days, as she realized Kim would offer a few tips if she stuck around long enough.

Slowly but surely, Kim began to give her pointers and discovered that she had a knack for taking portraits. He recommended that she learn under Bae Bien-U, a respected photographer famous for his portraits of pine trees. She points to her apprenticeship there as the official start of her education in photography.

“That’s when I learned about developing film,” she says. “In the age of DSLR, film development is a lost art. I learned the best of commercial photography from Kim and the small details of fine art photography from Bae. I was so lucky to be able to learn the best of analog and contemporary.”

A haenyeo gathers sea snails in the waters off Seongsan.

Never say “Nevermind”

Not only did Y.Zin dive into the technical aspects of photography — she also thought long and hard about the direction she wanted to take with her artwork.

“During this time, I went home, and, while laying in my room, I noticed Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ album cover from my junior high school days. I began to wonder how the camera went underwater and how that baby was shot so well.”

Since there was virtually no information in Korean about underwater photography in 2008, Y.Zin convinced her friends abroad to do some research for her and found out about Zena Holloway (to whom the famous “Nevermind” cover is credited) and underwater camera housings. When Holloway didn’t respond to the hundreds of emails that Y.Zin sent, she decided to visit the famous photographer in person — spending the last of her finances to travel to London, getting arrested when Holloway mistook her for a stalker, and eventually being officially introduced through a British police officer.

“I was the first outsider who got the opportunity to watch Holloway shoot at her home,” Y.Zin says, explaining that Holloway took the time to give her pointers over the next few days. “But she added, ‘don’t just show up at my house next time,’” Y.Zin says with a laugh.

Hesitation and happiness with the haenyeo

In 2010, Y.Zin signed a contract with National Geographic Korea and a year later, she started her Happy Haenyeo project during a trip to Jeju Island.

But the divers refused to be photographed at first.

“I am so ashamed of how I look,” they told her.

Y.Zin learned that they had spent a lifetime being ridiculed for their career path. She began to wonder about something.

“They’re so bright — very naughty, always making sexual jokes. But how come none of the photos I had seen of them had shown their girlish spirit?”

She eventually convinced them of their own beauty by showing them photos of themselves under water and told them, “I want to show people all over the world how proud I am of the haenyeo that you can only find in Korea.”

It was the first time for the haenyeo to be photographed by a fellow woman.

“Of course, they were frustrated whenever male photographers came to capture them with 60 kg on their backs, with hair all over their faces,” Y.Zin says, explaining that most of the pictures she chose to take were of the divers at their best — under water. “If I do take a picture of them on land, I always ask if it’s OK that I take their photo, if they would like to fix their hair or put on some lipstick.” Y.Zin explains that, as a woman, she was able to better understand their concerns.

As Y.Zin attended the Asia Dive Expo in Singapore, she didn’t like the way that the haenyeo were likened to the Japanese ama. Raising the funds on her own, Y.Zin decided to take two of the women (in their 80s) to Singapore with her.

“It was their first time going on a plane, and even getting a passport. They were scared, and I was scared of them too!”

However, once in Singapore, the reception was warm and the haenyeo were met with a standing ovation as well as autograph requests.

“When the women got off the stage, they cried and thanked me. ‘Thank you so much for allowing me to feel proud and giving me the opportunity to have this experience before I die,’ they said.

Y.Zin sits with a haenyeo on Marado Island..

Haenyeo prepare to dive off the coast of Udo Island.

Just good fortune?

Today, Y.Zin continues to work on the Happy Haenyeo project. She also breaks records, works on commercial and noncommercial projects, teaches classes, and develops her skills as a technical diver. In 2015, she became the first woman in the world to dive 101 meters in a side-mount diving competition. She is currently working on a campaign to save the sharks and has been appointed as leader of Shark Savers Korea. In March, she will be releasing her first photo book on the haenyeo. Recently, the brand SNRD released “haenyeo glasses,” a collaborative project between the brand and Y.Zin with sunglass frames featuring haenyeo designs.

When asked if she ever gets afraid of the deep sea, she says one should always be cautious when working with nature. However, Y.Zin adds that if she has to cite one lesson she’s learned from the haenyeo, whom she calls “Mother,” it’s their positive attitude.

“One of the haenyeo, Mother Kim Chun-ja, always tells me, ‘If you tell yourself this is easy, you can make it so,’” she says.

Korea & I | » | Written by Michael Sidney Timpson Illustrated by Kim Min Ho

Jongmyo Daeje

Royal memorial rites bring observers back to old Korea

When I visited Seoul for the first time, I was astonished by its modernity as one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world. Its citizens carry on busy lives, with technology leading to constant multitasking. From children to the elderly, I saw that everyone attends to continuous telecommunications at all hours and during all activities. It’s a life of nonstop hustle, surrounded by modern buildings decorated by giant HDTVs. Nevertheless, I began to notice that beneath it all is evidence of an ancient time. I could see this around Gwanghwamun Square, where you can find Gyeongbokgung Palace and roads leading to historical sites. It was Jongmyo Shrine, however, that truly opened my eyes. One of the most significant monuments in Korea, the shrine was where kings and queens paid homage to their lineage. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the shrine, built in 1394, represents a most important aspect of Korean culture through the Jongmyo Daeje, the royal ancestral ceremony, which unlocks the values and sensibilities of Korea’s past.

A bridge to the an earlier age

During the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), the Daeje was held five times a year. Nowadays, it is held every first Sunday in May. Experiencing this daylong event, I found it to be far more than a spectacle. It was a bridge connecting the present to life in Korea in an earlier age, as if I had been transported through time.

The ceremony began with the royal procession from Gyeongbokgung Palace to the shrine. I could see marchers dressed in colorful Joseon-era garments. Members of the old royal family were flanked by officiants, musicians and dancers, forming a grand parade. The slow pacing was in great contrast to my everyday life.

I saw the events at the shrine unfold as if I were a royal subject. Upon arrival, the royals invited the ceremonial officiants to slowly assemble in the main pavilion. The ceremony can be divided into several sections. At the start of the ceremony, members of the court purify themselves, invite the spirits, and offer liquor to the gods of heaven and earth. Then they make offerings of 63 different kinds of food and wine to the spirits, along with a recitation of prayers written on prayer scrolls. Lastly, the spirits are sent off to heaven through the sharing of food, the clearing of the table, bowing by the officiants, and the burning of the prayer scrolls.

Otherworldly music and dance

The accompanying music, the Jongmyo Jerye-ak, was most significant to me, as it was unlike any music I had known in the West. An ancient form of court music, it moved at a glacial pace and almost without rhythm. The music features sustaining wind and bowed string instruments, along with struck pitched and unpitched percussion. Of all the instruments I could see and hear, the most astonishing were large sets of stone chimes called pyeongyeong and bronze bells called pyeonjong. Along with singers, there were two large orchestras, one placed on the stage and the other on the ground. The Jerye-ak was extremely slow moving. From note to note, single tones were subtly inflected in intonation and sound. The music felt motionless, floating like nature, absorbing me into its world. This was not a concert. Here, as an audience member, I became part of its sonic atmosphere.

A feast for my eyes came when ceremonial dancers began the Munmyo Jerye-ak. This featured 64 dancers moving slowly through differing positions, including raising their arms. The dance’s nearly inert movements created a sense of peace and tranquility.

The whole event lasted around seven hours. Nonetheless, the ceremony transported me through time to the Joseon Dynasty. Through its mesmerizing rituals, the audience became one with the experience. To experience the Jongmyo Daeje is to be lifted out of the modern world into ancient Korea and all its grace.

Arts & Entertainment 1 | » | Written by Chang Iou-chung

Late Poet Resonates Among Today’s Youth

The thoughts and life of Yun Dong-ju remembered on the centennial of his birth

Reproduction of the first edition of “Sky, Wind, Star and Poems”

Still cut from the film “Dongju: Portrait of a Poet”

Korea’s literary world got a big surprise in 2016 when novelist Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize. But that wasn’t the only surprise: A poetry collection appeared on the list of the top 10 best-selling books. Despite the beauty and depth of the literary form, poems have not done well in the Korean book market for a long time. The book in question was “Sky, Wind, Star and Poems,” an anthology by the poet Yun Dong-ju, who lived from 1917 to 1945.

A beloved poet

Yun lived during colonial times and his life ended at the very young age of 28. He’s being remembered in 2017 upon the centennial of his birth, and he’s often described as one of the most beloved Korean poets. He’s known as a “resistance poet” and a patriot because he insisted on writing in Korean, a violation of the colonial Japanese government’s policies. He died in a prison in Fukuoka, where he was being held for anti-Japanese activities.

His legacy, however, goes further than his resistance fight and his death at a young age. His lyrical, self-reflective poems were inspired by the time and place in which he grew up, and are enjoyed by a wide range of people regardless of era, age or class.

It was just the beginning when Yun’s poetry collection became a best-seller, partly the result of a successful low-budget film, “Dongju: Portrait of a Poet.” The movie is based on Yun’s life and that of his cousin Song Mong-gyu, and examines the different life choices the two young men made. Despite competing with blockbusters, the movie drew good reviews and also did well at the box office.

Celebrating the life of an artist

The commercial success of the book and the movie, just in time for the centennial, seem perfectly timed. The poet and his works have continued to inspire others, and people all over the world will now be invited to join the celebration.

In January, a hip-hop song inspired by the poet was released: “Your Night,” created as part of a project for the TV show “Infinite Challenge,” instantly topped the charts on music-streaming sites. The lyrics go, “Tonight is dark and your poem will be the stars, the stars that shed a light on the plaza.” The song makes use of borrowed phrases from Yun’s poems, and it is a hit even among 20-something music fans, who generally don’t follow early-20th-century Korean poetry. There has also been a musical, “Yun Dong-ju Shoots the Moon.” First staged a couple of years ago, it will return to the stage in March. The story covers the last eight years of the poet’s life, when he was developing his own literary style and writing poems every night under the moonlight, fighting a colonial reality that didn’t allow him to write in his mother tongue. The theater director said he wanted to depict the struggles faced by young Koreans who dreamed of independence under colonial rule.

The musical “Yun Dong-ju Shoots the Moon” recounts the poet’s life.

Writer inspiring writers

While the movie, song and musical all focus on Yun being a “resistance poet,” novelists have used their imaginations a bit more freely to weave ever more creative tales about what Yun’s life may have been like.

Lee Jung-myung has reconstructed a fictional final year of the poet’s life, in jail in Fukuoka, in his novel “The Investigation.” Critics at The Independent, a British newspaper, have said the novel “celebrates the power of poetry, of books and of reading, to lend us a ‘sixth sense’ that can heal and transform, even in the harshest of times.” The novel was long-listed for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

Also using the wellspring of his imagination, Gu Hyo-seo has recreated elements of the poet’s life with his novel “Dongju.”

In addition to these novels, academic research into the poet and his poems will be published throughout 2017.

Join us as we celebrate the centennial of the birth of one of the most revered modern poets to write in the Korean language.

Arts & Entertainment 2 | » | Written by Lee Jungjin

Scriptwriters Lead Korean Wave

Top-quality writing turns soap operas into ratings gold

tvN’s “The Guardian” is a love story between an immortal goblin, or dokkaebi, and a “dokkaebi bride” who could end his suffering.

It’s been almost 20 years since the term “Hallyu” was coined to describe the popularity of Korean pop culture across Asia and beyond. Korean dramas are still at the forefront of the Korean Wave, which doesn’t seem to be dying down as these shows evolve with a new driving force: scriptwriters. Here are three successful writers who mesmerize viewers at home and abroad.

Kim Eun-sook

For Kim Eun-sook, 2016 was a big year. Starting with “Descendants of the Sun,” which captivated female viewers with sexy men in uniform, she drove many young Koreans to go home and sit in front of the TV on Friday and Saturday nights (during the year-end season, no less) with her latest work “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.” Known for creating dialogue full of witty banter and catchy lines, Kim Eun-sook burst onto the scene in 2004 when “Lovers in Paris” swept the nation, recording a peak viewership rating of 57.6 percent. Her hot streak hasn’t stopped: Since penning “On Air” in 2008, she has captivated fans with “Secret Garden” in 2010, “A Gentleman’s Dignity” in 2012 and “Heirs” in 2013, all of which became extremely popular.

One of the secrets to her success is her ability to pick the right actors.

“I’ve been rejected for five years,” said Kim in a press conference describing how long she had her eye on Gong Yoo to play the male lead in “Guardian,” an unbeatable war hero who is killed by his own king and cursed to be an immortal god waiting for a mortal bride to end his life. As one of the most sought-after writers, Kim was asked about a new project even before “Guardian” ended. She said she would take a break for three whole months and come back with her next work earlier next year.

The SBS program “The Legend of the Blue Sea” is a love story involving a mermaid.

“The Producers” is a soap about people working in KBS’s variety department.

Korean scriptwriters are driving Hallyu with a string of wildly popular TV soap operas.

tvN’s “Signal” is a police procedural with a time travel-twist.

Kim Eun-hee

Don’t be sad about Kim Eun-sook’s absence. Kim Eun-hee will come back soon. Although they have similar names, they focus on totally different genres.

“When she goes to a new place, Kim Eun-sook gets ideas for a beautiful love story; Kim Eun-hee thinks about how to kill a person,” said Jang Hang-joon, a movie director who is married to Kim Eun-hee. It was a joke, but it perfectly summed up the differences between the two popular scriptwriters.

Since her debut with the mystery comedy series “Harvest Villa” in 2010, Kim Eun-hee has written “Sign” (2011), “Phantom” (2012), “Three Days” (2014) and “Signal” (2016), proving that well-made thriller/investigation dramas are fully capable of succeeding in a country where many equate TV dramas with romantic comedies. She also made her way into other Asian countries: “Signal,” a time-travel investigation series inspired by unsolved crimes, was viewed 61 million times on the Chinese video service website Tencent during the first month of service last year, becoming one of the 10 most popular dramas provided by the paid platform. Her next project? All we know for now is that it will be a historical thriller and is scheduled to air this summer. Let’s wait to find out.

Park Ji-eun

No one except Park Ji-Eun can move with such ease from one genre to another, covering the lives of housewives but also creating time-travel romance. She entered the entertainment industry in 1997, and it was “Queen of Housewives” (2009) that brought her recognition, topping the ratings charts and sparking new fashion and makeup trends. This series comically portrayed a housewife who struggles to help her husband climb the corporate ladder. Along the way, she encounters friendship, rivalry, and all the small stuff that confronts anyone in everyday life.

After writing two more family-themed works, Park penned “My Love From the Star” starring Jun Ji-hyun and Kim Soo-hyun. This romantic comedy series with a touch of fantasy sparked the fried chicken and beer craze in China, a combination that the female lead enjoyed on the day of the first snow. Her next work, “The Producers,” was a fresh surprise as it adopted a reality show/drama format. Park’s second fantasy series, “The Legend of the Blue Sea,” which ended its run in January, fared well. Her ceaseless efforts to try new things have left viewers eagerly awaiting whatever is next.

Korean Culture in Brief | » |

UK Meets Korea

The Golden Dragon by Music Theatre Wales

Though it may still feel as if it only just started, the year 2017 has already taken shape as a rich one not only for Korea’s engagement with the world, but for the world’s interest in Korea as well. Perhaps the most high-profile series of events exemplifying that will happen under the banner of the 2017–2018 Korea–U.K. Year, a celebration of cultural exchange between Korea and the United Kingdom, which runs from February of this year to March of next.

Announced in London last March at the U.K. –Korea Creative Industries Forum, the 2017–2018 Korea–U.K. Year, which bears the title “Creative Futures,” follows the 2015–2016 Korea–France Year, which brought a host of French cultural events to Korea and Korean cultural events to France. It comes as part of a larger pledge for cooperation between the cultural-content-producing startup sectors of Korea and the United Kingdom — especially in the areas of fashion, craft, film, broadcasting and art.

The happenings of the Korea–U.K. Year in Seoul, Busan, Cheongju, Jeonju and Gangneung lean toward music and the other performing arts, having kicked off Feb. 20 with a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra. The fun continues with a short run of Music Theater Wales’ show “The Golden Dragon” at the end of March and the beginning of April, and in May will involve a performance by Random Dance, the company founded by acclaimed English choreographer and director Wayne McGregor. Other events include an exhibit of the work of contemporary ceramicist Neil Brownsword in April and May and a retrospective of the late painter and collage artist Richard Hamilton in November.

Korean Work Wins Award at French Comics Festival

“Bad Friend”

Cartoonist Choe Gyeong-jin’s comic book “Bad Friend” received the Prix Revelation at the 44th Angouleme International Comics Festival in France. The festival, held this year from Jan. 26 to Jan. 29, is one of the world’s largest celebrations of comics. The Prix Revelation award is given to outstanding new cartoonists who have published less than three comic books in French. Choe’s winning work, “Bad Friend,” tells the story of two runaways teens, and deals with the difficulties of adolescence. Jean-Louis Gauthey, an official from Cornelius, which published the French edition of the comic, told the JoongAng Daily newspaper, “Prix Revelation is a very prestigious award that could help the winner receive a great amount of attention from all over Europe.”

Tourism Goes Virtual

For an even deeper look into the future, visitors to Korea and residents of Korea alike can, from this year on, stop by one of several newly opened locations offering portals into virtual reality. Korea Telecom’s “GiGA VR Experience Zones” at KT Square in Gwanghwamun and Lotte FitIn in Dongdaemun aim to provide a full 360-degree digital sensory experience of Hallyu, or the “Korean Wave” of pop culture currently making its way across the world, combining the simulated presence of K-pop stars – in this case the members of girl group Twice – with the simulated surroundings of some of the country’s best-known tourist attractions, from the bustling shopping streets of Myeongdong to Busan’s sunny Haeundae Beach to the tranquility of the Boseong Green Tea Plantation.

Of course, you can’t bring up tourism in Korea, foreign or domestic, without bringing up Jeju Island, Korea’s very own tropical paradise. It has even received its own virtual-reality tourism venue with the opening of an additional GiGA VR Experience Zone at the Jeju Play K-Pop theme park in February. Seoul will also get a third one later in the year, to be conveniently located at MBC World in Seoul’s Digital Media City, a must-see corner of the city for any visitor interested in the future of Korean content.

A New Generation’s Interest in Older Art Forms

Korean content of the past has also been proven enduring: The mid-20th-century comics “Rabbit and Monkey” and “30,000 Ri to Finding Mom,” among the first such works ever to be officially recognized as cultural assets by the Cultural Heritage Administration, have appeared in exhibits and been distributed in reproduced editions to over 100 venues around the world, exposing them to younger international audiences at home and abroad.

Southeast Asia Stays Tuned In

Vietnamese production of “Oh! My Baby”

Korea has strengthened its cultural connections with its neighbors in Asia. tvN Movies, CJ E&M Corporation’s cable television channel offering Korean cinema 24 hours a day, has established itself in Southeast Asia, a market already known for its love of Korean television dramas. As this year began, a Vietnamese adaptation of the Korean celebrity parenting show “Oh! My Baby,” a collaboration between the Korean network SBS and local production company Lime Entertainment, began airing under a title that translates to “What Star Did You Come From?”

Literature | » | Written by Barry Welsh, host of the Seoul Book and Culture Club Photographed by 15 Studio Illustrated by Kim Yoon-myung

The Meaninglessness of Life

Kim Young-ha embodies the seismic cultural shifts that Korean society experienced in the 1990s and 2000s

Kim Young-ha has won praise for choosing trendy subject matter with universal appeal.

Kim Young-ha exploded onto the Korean literary scene in 1996 with the publication of his debut novel, the provocatively titled “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself.” A short story called “Paging,” published the previous year, had caught the attention of critics, but it was the ironic and at times nihilistic tone of his debut novel that really put him on the map and announced the arrival of a major new voice in Korean literature. The 26-year-old Kim had written a novel that dealt with death, sex, suicide, and the role of art in an increasingly consumerist Korean society. Kim has frequently said in interviews that the mid-’90s were a time when suicide and what he terms “the meaningless of life” were becoming hot topics in Korea. His debut sought to capture the ennui and alienation of modern urban life in 1990s Seoul. Since its publication, critics at home and abroad have tended to see Kim’s work as embodying the often seismic cultural shifts that Korean society experienced in the 1990s and 2000s.

In “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself,” Kim’s unnamed narrator wanders the streets of Seoul helping the lonely, the jaded and the desperate to commit suicide. He designs the deaths of two women over the course of the novel and celebrates each by taking trips around Europe where he indulges in sex and art in equal measure. After he helps the women commit suicide, he eulogizes them in short stories that try to make sense of the decision they made. One of the women, Judith, is romantically involved with two brothers who have dramatically different ways of surviving modern life in Seoul. The other woman is a performance artist one of the brothers is briefly infatuated with. The interlinking stories reveal the emptiness at the heart of modern life in an ultraconsumerist society. “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” was praised for its deranged creativity, joyful cynicism and general sense of perverse imagination.

Kim Young-ha is one of Korea’s most celebrated fiction writers with a body of work that includes seven novels, two short-story collections and an award-winning screenplay. He has won most of the major Korean literary awards, been translated into at least a dozen languages, and seen several of his stories adapted into films.

Kim Young-ha’s work certainly marked a departure from the types of narratives that had dominated Korean fiction in previous decades. One of the traditional themes in Korean literature up to that point had been the importance of the hometown. It’s a theme that Kim was uniquely unable to connect to, due both to an itinerant upbringing as the son of a military family and a bizarre childhood accident. Kim and his mother were poisoned by gas fumes from a coal briquette when they were living on a military base. As a result of the accident, Kim has no memories of his life before the age of 10. This, coupled with moving around the country depending on where his father was stationed, meant Kim essentially had no town to call home. He always had to adapt and survive in new environments and couldn’t write about many of the things Korean writers had typically written about. This nomadic lifestyle as a child shaped his approach to writing. The overarching themes of his work, he has said, are loneliness and adaptation — his novels are full of people adapting to new environments and dealing with some form of loneliness or social exclusion. They are themes that fit well with Korea, and especially with Seoul in the 1990s as the country continued to move from a rural society to an increasingly urbanized one.

Twenty-one years later, Kim Young-ha is one of Korea’s most celebrated fiction writers with a body of work that includes seven novels, two short-story collections and an award-winning screenplay. He has won most of the major Korean literary awards, been translated into at least a dozen languages, and seen several of his stories adapted into films. “Quiz Show” was made into a musical, “Your Republic Is Calling You” was made into a play, and his side projects are numerous. They include a popular TED talk, a successful podcast, and a stint as a columnist at The New York Times.

Nevertheless, Kim doesn’t yet seem to have crossed over with international audiences in the way that contemporaries like Han Kang and Shin Kyung-Sook have. It’s difficult to understand why mainstream success has eluded Kim. His novels and short stories are very accessible, modern, and usually incorporate genre elements as well as provocative subject matter like sex, death and crime. In his two other novels translated into English, “Black Flower” and “Your Republic Is Calling You,” Kim explores different aspects of Korea. “Your Republic Is Calling You” reads like a cross between James Joyce and John Le Carré, and was inspired by the North Korean propaganda broadcasts he had heard as a child living next to the demilitarized zone. The central character is a North Korean spy embedded in South Korea for decades who one day receives the order to return home. Now a stereotypical middle-class South Korean salaryman with an indifferent wife and troubled teenage daughter, Ki-yong spends a day traveling around Seoul struggling to decide whether to stay in the South or return North. Kim says the novel reflects the idea that Koreans have an internalized psychological diaspora due to the divided nature of the country and the aftereffects of the Korean War and Japanese colonization. For English readers, it is a startling evocation of both modern Seoul and Korean identity politics.

Kim’s third novel, “Black Flower,” was seen by many as a radical departure. It is an ambitious, sweeping historical epic based on true events. In 1905 over 1,000 Koreans were duped into traveling to Mexico, where they were forced to work on the infamous haciendas in brutal conditions. Unable to return home because Korea was soon colonized by Japan, they were swept up in the Mexican Revolution in 1910. For a brief historical moment, the displaced Koreans set up a tragically short-lived Korean nation in the jungles of Guatemala. It’s an incredible story that sheds light on a little-known part of Korean history, and Kim stylishly weaves in a romance reminiscent of the film “Titanic” and savage violence reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy. Reading these novels, one can understand why Kim is praised for his vast range, the ingenuity of his imagination, and the sheer variety of voices he has breathed into life. Kim has a magpie-like tendency to draw inspiration from anywhere and everywhere and, taken together, his novels and short stories form a mosaic of contemporary Korean society — love, sex, death, shopping, music, career, relationships, friendship, movies, technology and art are all recurring themes.

Kim Young-ha’s three novels and numerous short stories available in English translation provide international readers with a unique window through which to view Korean culture. Furthermore, expectations are high for Krys Lee’s English translation of “I Hear Your Voice,” due to be published in July this year. It is interesting to note, however, that in recent years Kim has stepped back from his reputation as Korea’s most transnational or international writer. Living in New York for two years made him realize that he is at heart a Korean novelist. He has also grown somewhat ambivalent about translations of his work, saying that they are like old ex-girlfriends who turn up at his door holding a baby — it’s nice to see them, but he can never be sure the baby is his.

I always take a trip when I’m paid at the completion of a job. This time, I will go to Paris. These few lines in the travel guide are enough to pique my curiosity. I will spend the days reading Henry Miller or Oscar Wilde or sketching Ingres at the Louvre. The man who reads travel guides on a trip is a bore. I read novels when I’m traveling, but I don’t read them in Seoul. Novels are food for the leftover hours of life, the in-between times, the moments of waiting.

At the library, I flip through magazines first. Of all the articles, the interviews interest me the most. If I’m lucky, I find clients in them. Reporters, armed with middlebrow, cheap sensibilities, hide my potential clients’ characteristics between the lines. They never ask questions like, “Have you ever felt the urge to kill someone?” And obviously they never wonder, “How do you feel when you see blood?” They don’t show the interviewees David’s or Delacroix’s paintings and ask them their thoughts. Instead, the interviews are filled with meaningless chatter. But they can’t fool me; I catch the glimmer of possibility in their empty words. I unearth clues from the types of music they prefer, the family histories they sometimes reveal, the books that hit a nerve, the artists they love. People unconsciously want to reveal their inner urges. They are waiting for someone like me. (“I Have the Right to Destroy Myself,” Harcourt, 2007, p. 6).

Policy Review | » | Written by Lee Kijun

Making Korea’s Cities New Again

Ambitious urban renewal projects foster green, sustainable communities

Busan’s Gamcheon Culture Village has become a major tourist destination thanks to urban regeneration.

Gamcheon, a hillside village in southern Busan, was a poor rural community populated by refugees who had been displaced during the Korean War. As more and more of its residents abandoned their homes and moved to the city, it became a slum full of vacant houses and shanties. Today, however, Gamcheon is a major tourist attraction visited by 100,000 people a year. On weekends, its streets are teeming with people.

This transformation occurred in 2009, when the Korean government initiated an urban revitalization project and hired artists to paint murals on the village’s old walls. Renowned architects like Seung Hyo-sang and Francisco Sanin remodeled abandoned homes and turned them into creative spaces for artists. Now many of them are art galleries full of inspiring works.

Gamcheon’s renewal has received extensive international media coverage. Major global news media outlets such as CNN, Le Monde, Al Jazeera and NHK introduced the world to the beauty and charm of the village.

“Each alley leads to a different surprise,” CNN reported, “from bird sculptures on roofs to Murakami-like playful installations in abandoned houses.”

The government is planning to create additional arts villages, modeled after Gamcheon, all over the country. On Jan. 16, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport gave the green light to 18 urban revitalization projects, in which it intends to invest KRW 4.9 trillion by 2021. Project sites include a business incubator center in Seoul’s Dobong-gu area, Bookstore Alley in the Jung-gu district in Busan, and an eyewear industry cluster in Daegu.

Murals in Busan’s Gamcheon Culture Village

Never-ending renewal

In a sense, present-day Korea is the result of massive urban renewal projects. Korean cities have experienced drastic changes, especially in the decades following the Korean War. In the 1960s and 1970s, then-President Park Chung-hee undertook extensive development projects, including the construction of a heavy industry cluster in the Daegu area. Seoul also underwent many changes in the course of similar projects. Nowadays, however, urban renewal projects often target the sites of earlier projects. Their focus is to nurture eco-friendly, sustainable urban communities.

The clearest example is Cheonggyecheon Stream, which underwent construction in 1411 to improve drainage and prevent flooding. In 1937, the Japanese government covered the stream and built a road over it to reduce traffic and alleviate hygiene problems. After Korea’s liberation from Japan in 1945, the city completely covered the stream with a concrete overpass. But in 2002, former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak removed the overpass and uncovered the waterway underneath. It was a megaproject and the nation’s first landmark urban renewal project.

Another successful example of urban renewal is Chang-dong Art Village. The addition of murals and other works of modern art has helped transform a declining commercial district in the gritty southern port of Masan into a popular travel destination. Previously spooky alleyways are now full of cafes and art spaces. The project has helped spark the so-called Masan Renaissance, turning the industrial city into a place of art and culture.

The Chang-dong Art Village has transformed previously spooky alleyways into fun spaces.

Seoul’s High Line?

Seoul has another revitalization megaproject underway, the construction of an overpass and pedestrian park that some have predicted will rival New York City’s High Line Park. The new park, Seoul-lo 7017, will stretch for about a kilometer and link seven of the city’s most heavily trafficked areas — including Seoul Station and Namdaemun Market — to some 17 pedestrian walkways. It will feature 254 types of trees, shrubs and flowers from inside and outside Korea, as well as cafés, flower shops, street markets, a botanical library, and a stage for performances.

Furthermore, road work underway in Jongno-gu will create bus lanes at least 10 meters wide stretching nearly 2.8 kilometers, and pedestrian areas will be improved to make walking a more pleasant experience.

The Seoul Station 7017 Project turns an old overpass into a pedestrian walkway and garden.

“By building more bus-only lanes and reorganizing the environment for crosswalks, it will be (possible) to provide joy to people who walk in the area and keep traffic convenient for citizens, along with a cleaner townscape,” said Kim Junki, an official from the city’s public safety division.

This is Pyeongchang | » | Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

Flavor Born of Snow, Wind and Cold

Pyeongchang’s famous dried pollack, or hwangtae, is a culinary gift from nature

The cold, windy mountains of the Daegwallyeong region are perfect for freeze-drying pollack.

If there’s a dish Pyeongchang is most closely associated with, it’s freeze-dried pollack, or hwangtae.

Hwangtae was originally a specialty of the Wonsan area, in what is today North Korea. The cold, snowy and windy regions of northern Korea lent themselves to the process of freeze drying pollack caught in the freezing waters of the East Sea. During the Korean War, many people from the Wonsan area fled south, where they settled in the mountainous regions of the South Korean province of Gangwon-do, which was not only close to North Korea, but also topographically and climatically similar. In towns such as Pyeongchang, Inje and Goseong, they set up deokjang – sprawling farms of simple wooden racks, where freshly caught and gutted pollack were hung by the thousands to freeze dry in the cold and the wind.

In Pyeongchang’s Daegwallyeong region, a highland plateau famous for its deep snow and fierce winter winds, you can find many deokjang near the hamlet of Hoenggye-ri. The best known is Hwangtaedeokjang Village, a collection of farms near the Songcheon Stream. The receding racks of drying fish, stark against the snowy white hills beyond and the cobalt blue of the Korean winter sky above, make for a dramatic sight.

It takes about three to four months — December to March or April — to turn a freshly caught pollack into hwangtae. In December, the pollack, now mostly caught in the cold waters around Russia, is gutted and cleaned in the fishing ports of the East Sea coast such as Jumunjin. Then they are immediately shipped to the deokjang of the Daegwallyeong, where workers hang them up on the wooden racks. At night, the fish freezes as nighttime temperatures in the Daegwallyeong frequently fall below minus 10 C. The fish thaws during the day, but it freezes again at night. This process of repeated freezing and thawing, which continues until the spring winds begin to blow, not only dries the meat, but also tenderizes it as the fish repeatedly shrinks and expands. It also turns the flesh a beautiful golden hue. It is important that the fish remain dry throughout the process. While snow poses no threat, rain will cause the meat to rot.

In March, the dried fish are packed in net bags and aged for another month. Then they are send to markets, restaurants and shops across the country to be savored by hungry diners.

Rows of frozen pollack hang from wooden frames.

Rich, tasty and healthy

Hwangtae has a rich flavor and fluffy texture. Accordingly, it lends itself to many culinary applications.

One of the most popular hwangtae dishes is grilled hwangtae, or hwangtae-gui. The fish is split, opened up and brushed with a baste of soy sauce and sesame oil that re-hydrates the meat. Then the meat is brushed with a red pepper sauce and grilled. The resulting meat is soft, flavorful and makes the perfect side dish for alcoholic beverages like soju.

Hwangtae also makes the perfect hang-over preventative. People believe hwangtae cleanses the body of toxins and protects the liver. After a night in the cups, nothing makes you feel better than a nice bowl of hwangtae hangover prevention soup, of hwangtae haejangguk. Hydrated hwangtae meat is stewed in a rich, hearty soup prepared with bean curd, mushrooms, bean sprouts, shrimp sauce, salt, pepper and other seasonings. A bowl of this will certainly keep most post-revelry regrets away.

Hwangtae Hoegwan

Pyeongchang has many restaurants where you can enjoy hwangtae dishes like hwangtae-gui and hwangtae haaejangguk. One of the most popular, however, is Hwangtae Hoegwan (T. 033-335-5795), located in Hoenggyeri. With a history dating back 30 years, the restaurant offers the full range of hwangtae dishes. It also operates its own hwangtae deokjang.

Hwangtae is often shredded and served as a snack for beer or other alcoholic beverages, similar to how peanuts are served in some bars. You can purchase hwangtae by the bag at most supermarkets nationwide.

Current Korea | » | Written by Eugene Kim Photos courtesy of the Visit Korea Committee

Bringing the World to Korea

Visit Korea Year 2016–2018 boosts inbound tourism through warmth, convenience and fun

The K-Smile Campaign encourages Koreans to greet foreign tourists with warmth and a smile.

“The world keeps coming back to Korea.”

That’s the vision for Visit Korea Year 2016–2018, the Korean government’s three-year push to make Korea an even more popular travel destination than it already is. Based on the success of Visit Korea Year 2010–2012, which succeeded in drawing over 10 million inbound tourists, Visit Korea Year 2016–2018 aims to bring over 20 million international visitors to Korean shores while simultaneously improving the tourist experience. Park Sam Koo, the chairman of the Visit Korea Committee, says, “Seizing the opportunity of the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, we are also planning various nationwide programs for South Korea to be a leading country in the tourism industry.”

Multifaceted, SMART approach

To achieve its goals, Visit Korea Year 2016–2018 is taking a SMART approach to tourism promotion. SMART stands for Smile, Memorable, Awesome and Reliable Tourism. By making visits to Korea friendlier, simpler and, of course, more awesome, authorities hope to not only bring more first-time visitors to the country, but also to get tourists to keep coming back.

Each year of the promotion has its own specific focus. In 2016, authorities strove to improve customer service and make Korea a more welcoming travel destination through the so-called K-Smile Campaign. With the slogan “Korea smiles and the world smiles back,” the ongoing K-Smile Campaign seeks to enrich the tourist experience by improving the hospitality environment. While initially focusing on tourist-related businesses such as restaurants, shopping facilities and accommodations, the campaign encourages Koreans in all walks of life to embrace visiting tourists with friendliness and a warm smile. In December 2016, the Visit Korea Committee even assembled a so-called “Workers’ National Smile Team” consisting of 132 members who work in points of contact with inbound tourists.

This year, tourism authorities are focusing on providing a wide range of incentives to encourage visitors to choose Korea. One key promotion is the Korea Tour Card, which not only makes using Korea’s public transportation network even easier, but also offers foreign visitors a wide range of benefits at many travel destinations and tourism-related businesses, including shops and duty-free stores, attractions, restaurants and performance facilities. Another initiative that aims to make visitors’ lives easier is Hands Free Service, which lightens shoppers’ loads through overseas delivery and baggage storage services. The Korea Grand Sale, the biggest event on the shopping calendar, was held in January and February. Visitors can also take advantage of the many online coupons being offered.

Next year, Visit Korea Year will focus on making the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games a success.

Shopping paradise

Held annually, the Korea Grand Sale is a major event that promotes Korean sightseeing and shows through shopping. The sale offers benefits and discounts at department stores, duty-free shops, hotels and other accommodation, entertainment, food, transportation and other tourism-related sites and businesses. Organizers also provide other services as well, including interpretation services, information services, free WiFi and giveaways.

This year’s sale, held for 40 days from Jan. 20 to Feb. 28, was a more diversified event in keeping with preparations for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In particular, organizers provided shoppers with a wealth of tourist information pertaining to Gangwon-do, the host province, and offered visitors a range of tourism packages featuring Gangwon-do’s winter festivals.

“The Korea Tour Card” provides a wide range of benefits for shopping, sightseeing and entertainment.

“Hands Free Service” provides various delivery and storage services to free travelers from carrying their purchases.

Organizers also held a number of arts and entertainment events, including a pop concert in Seoul on Jan. 19 and a concert featuring songs from the soundtracks of popular Korean soap operas in Pyeongchang on Feb. 18.

Global Korea | » |

Tokyo

Tokyo Gets Korean Beauty

Gallery Mi, the art space of Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo, paid tribute to the beauty found in everyday Korean art with an exhibit of “K-Ribbon Selection” products. The exhibit, held Dec. 15 to Jan. 17, included 37 examples of foodstuffs, traditional clothing and handicrafts of particular appeal to Japanese consumers. The “K-Ribbon Selection” is the Ministry of Culture’s brand used to designate especially outstanding heritage products. Some 144 products have been recognized so far.

About 1,500 spectators visited the exhibit. According to the Korean Cultural Center, visitors were especially impressed that the beautiful items on display were not pure works of art but functional, everyday items.

Washington, DC

Exhibit Spotlights Works by Korean-American Artists

The Korean Cultural Center in Washington hosted an exhibit of work by 30 Korean-American artists from Jan. 11 to 26. The exhibit, titled “Life Infinite,” included works of traditional painting, contemporary visual art, calligraphy, metalcraft and sculpture. The show was divided into two sections. The first section focused on spiritual development, the second on inspiration from nature.

Some 80 Washington-area cultural figures and other individuals attended the exhibit’s opening night. Many visitors praised the opportunity to see a wide range of work by Korean-American artists active in the Washington area in one spot.

New York

Korean Groups Star at APAP

Korean music groups Black String, the Han Chungeun Band and SsingSsing took part in “SORI: The Global Sounds of Korea,” a special showcase of Korean music held during this year’s Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference in New York. APAP’s annual conference, held since 1953, is one of the world’s largest showcases of the performing arts as well as a major discussion and networking opportunity. The Korean event took place at Manhattan’s Rockwood Music Hall on Jan. 5.

The three groups represented a fusion of the traditional and the modern. Black String brings together Korean traditional instrumental music with contemporary improvisation. The Han Chungeun Band adds Korean bamboo flutes to contemporary folk music. SsingSsing brings traditional shamanist elements to rock music.

Also representing Korea at the APAP conference was Korean dance troupe JJbro, which performed “Jimmy & Jack” at a showcase of Northeast Asian contemporary dance on Jan. 6 and 7.

Spain

Korean Food Represented at Madrid Fusion

Korean Food Foundation chairperson Yoon Sook Ja and chef Jung Jae-duk of renowned Seoul restaurant Dadam showed off the best of Korean cuisine at this year’s Madrid Fusion. Held annually in the Spanish capital since 2003, Madrid Fusion is a gastronomy summit that brings together the world’s top chefs, restaurateurs, food critics and other experts to share the latest techniques and trends. The Korean Cultural Center in Spain invited Yoon to present a cooking class on Korean cuisine’s top 10 internationally popular dishes. Participants could try Dangunsinhwajeon — a dish consisting of meat and garlic rolled in kimchi — as well as Modern Bulgogi and Simple Chapchae.

On Jan. 25, the last day of the event, Chef Jung prepared healthy versions of bugak, or Korean deep-fried vegetables coated in glutinous rice paste.

Flavor | » | Written by Cynthia Yoo Photographed by ao studio Kang Jinju Stylized by 101recipe

Domijjim

A sea bream by any other name would smell as sweet

The Korean term domi covers a wide range of fish found in Korea and across the world. Among them, the red sea bream, known as chamdom in Korea, is highly prized in both Korea and Japan. Sometimes confused with the red snapper, native to the Atlantic waters off the U.S. coast as well as the Gulf of Mexico, the red sea bream is an essential part of ceremonial and celebratory feasts in Korea.

Chamdom is valued in part because it’s a slow-growing fish that’s not easy to find. It can live up to 60 years in the seas surrounding Korea, Japan and regional Pacific waters. Wild chamdom is available year round but lives deep below the surface, as far as 150 meters below. It’s during the breeding season, from March to April, that the fish makes its way to the breeding grounds and becomes easier to harvest. It’s also during this time that the fish turns fatty and oily, making it even more rich and flavorful.

Chamdom is distinguished by its large eyes and reddish scales. Its flesh is translucent and fans say it has a light, almost sweet aroma and flavor that set it apart from other fish. When cooked, the flesh turns white and has a medium-firm texture. It’s easy to test the quality of a wild chamdom: Sprinkle it with a little salt and grill it. The grilled flesh should be moist and soft, not dry and flaky, and it shouldn’t be too smelly.

Over the centuries, the fish has been prized by the elites of both Korea and Japan and is believed to bring luck. It’s a mainstay of many important gathering, such as weddings and hoegap 60th birthday celebrations. Well-to-do families prepare chamdom with colorful toppings and include them in their daughters’ ibaji feasts, their gifts to the grooms’ families.

It’s a challenge to descale and prepare chamdom as its fins are sharp, especially the top fins. Some cooks advise that the fish should be aged for two to three days before being cooked and eaten. While some cooks prefer to gut and descale the fish, others prefer only to bleed them before storing them for a couple of days in the fridge. The inosinic acid in the fish helps preserve it and increases the umami flavor. Recipes that combine this fish with vegetables rich in glutamic acid create an explosion of umami flavors that make diners swoon with delight. Domijjim is one such recipe, and it’s a favorite of Koreans and Japanese alike.

How to make domijjim:

Gut and descale the fish. Keep the head. It’s considered particularly delicious. Make deep cuts in the body. Salt and pepper the fish and spray it with cooking wine. Layer the sliced onion, green onion and garlic pieces on the steaming tray before placing the fish on top. Close the cover and steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Prepare a paper-thin egg-white omelet and cut into thin julienne strips about 3 inches long. Julienne the green and red chili peppers and black mushrooms, making sure all the strips are about the same length and width. Season them with salt and pepper and lightly fry them. Combine the sauce ingredients and lightly heat the sauce in a pan. Place the 5 julienned toppings on the steamed fish and serve with the sauce on the side.

Learning Korean | » | Written by Lim Jeong-yeo Illustrated by Kim Yoon-myung Script provided by Kim Eun-sook

‘Every moment I spent with you shined’

“Guardian” shows that immortality and godly powers can be a curse

Cable channel tvN’s “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” has surpassed even the KBS hit series “Descendants of the Sun” in popularity, raking in a record number of viewers. Its 16th and final episode made history as the first cable segment to record a viewership rate of over 20 percent. Until recently, the average viewership rate for cable shows was in the single digits.

Broadcast between December 2016 and January 2017, “Guardian” is a love story between a demigod, Kim Shin, played by Gong Yoo, who has lived for 939 years, and a mortal teenage girl, Ji Eun-tak, played by Kim Go-eun, the only one who can help put an end to his lonely existence. If she doesn’t kill him, her life is at risk because she will have rejected the fate written for her by the heavens.

In the sixth episode, Shin takes Eun-tak to the buckwheat field where his mortal body perished. He brings about the first snow of winter, fulfilling her wish, and asks her to take out the sword once and for all.

Eun-tak, who has declared her love for Shin, doesn’t yet understand the consequences of pulling out the sword. Shin has simply told her that it will make him “better.”

“Every moment I spent with you shined,” Shin tells Eun-tak. “Because the weather was good, because it was bad, because it was good enough. I loved every moment of it. Whatever happens is not your fault.”

The Korean line for “Every moment I spent with you shined” is 너와 함께 한 모든 시간이 눈부셨다 (Neowa hamkke han modeun sigani nunbusyeotta). Hamkke means “together.” Not surprisingly, it’s a frequently used word. For example, hamkke gapsida means “Let’s go together.” In this case, neowa hamkke means “together with you.” “Together with I” would be nawa hamkke. Together with Minho would be minhowa hamkke. Cheolsuwa hamkke sijang-e gatta means, “I went to the market together with Cheolsu.”

Korean Art Through Coloring

Traditional pendant with three male butterflies Sunabi Samjak Norigae

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Traditional pendant with three male butterflies Sunabi Samjak Norigae