some must visit places and practices showing Korean Culture

Dancheong, decorative paintings on a building at Gyeongbuk Palace

Lotus lantern festivaas hanbok (한복) (known as joseonot in the (DPRK) has been worn since ancient times. The hanbok consists of a shirt (jeogori) and a skirt (baji). The traditional hat is called gwanmo and special meaning is attached to this piece of clothing.

Darye, Korean tea ceremony

Daeboreum

Yut board game

Seoukguram Grotto

A frontal view of the west gate and watch tower.

G20 Seoul Summit to offer blueprint for global finance

The G20 Seoul Summit, the biggest annual forum on economic cooperation in the world today, will reveal a new blueprint for the future of global finance this coming November in Seoul, Korea.

Specific details for implementation of sustainable and balanced growth

More specific details will be unveiled to realize a framework for sustainable and balanced growth at the upcoming meeting in Seoul. Officials have already agreed to work together on general policy related to budget, finance, currency and industry based on the results of the previous meeting held in Toronto, Canada.

The basic principle concluded in Toronto was a need for developing nations to reduce their budgets by half by 2013, while emerging nations need to strengthen their social safety nets and increase currency exchange flexibility. The meeting in Seoul will come up with more specific measures to address these and a range of other issues of importance.

In order to strengthen the soundness of bank regulations, a process already begun at the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), the G20 leaders agreed to set up a new global standard for capital and liquidity at the Seoul meeting. They will also discuss reform measures for international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Other issues Korea is pursuing as part of the main agenda include the establishment of the Global Financial Safety Net (GFSN) and addressing development issues, known as the “Korea initiatives.”

A global approach to GFSN is a way to prevent future crisis from spreading from one nation to another. The development agenda has already discussed how multilateral development banks like the World Bank can contribute to food security, developing human resources, fostering private-oriented growth, aiding infrastructure, and developing an environmentally friendly “green” economy. The November meeting will add more specifics to these agendas.

Korea to bridge the gap between developed and developing nations

The G20 Seoul Summit is expected to be a historic moment for Korea to prove itself one of the major decision makers of the future global economy. The G20 stands as the world largest international gathering to discuss the global economy, and Korea’s contributions have helped it become a major policy maker for global regulations.

Korea’s biggest asset lies in its rapid economic growth and ability to recover quickly from financial crisis. Based on its experiences transforming from one of the world’s poorest nations to a developed nation, Korea wishes to use its unique background to help bridge the differences between developed and developing nations.

source:Korea.net

Korea ranked 19th in 2008 UN trade report

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said on Aug. 29 that Korea ranked 19th in the UN trade report issued in 2008, with 52 Korean products listed as important export items worldwide.

KITA's latest finding is based on its analysis of the "Personal Computer-Trade Analysis System" report of the United Nations.

According to their analysis, Korea placed 19th with 52 top-selling Korean products in 2008, similar to its ranking the previous year, with the same number of products available globally.

In terms of top selling products, 16 out of 52 Korean products listed in the UN trade report in 2007 were replaced by another 16 export items the following year.

The new 16 best-selling Korean products listed in UN trade report in 2008 include flat-rolled steel products, marine propulsion engines, and parts and materials for batteries and optical filters.

Meanwhile, China topped in the UN report with 1,210 products in 2008, up from 830 in 2004. Among the listed products, the number of China's high-tech products grew from 50 in 2004 to 81 in 2008. Germany ranked second, with 860 products, followed by the United States with 587 items, Italy with 288 items, and Japan with 213 items in the 2008 report.

"The report showed that developing countries seem to be competing in medium and high technology product items, after outstripping industrialized countries in low-tech, light industry sectors," according to KITA .

KITA also urged Korea to focus on expanding its international market share of high-tech products in order to increase exports

source:Korea.net

Stories of the Month

Major Events

1. Incheon International Digital Art Festival (INDAF) 2010

http://www.indaf.org/

The festival will present new aesthetics of digital media art from cutting-edge international and Korean digital artists. There will be digital arts competitions, conferences, exhibitions, interactive displays etc.

- Period : September 1 – 30, 2010
- Venue : Tomorrow City, Songdo, Incheon

2. Media City Seoul 2010

http://www.mediacityseoul.org/2010/

As one of the three major art biennials in Korea alongside the Gwangju Biennale and Busan Biennale, it is the 6th Seoul International Biennale of Media Art. Under the theme "Trust," the biennale will present a wide spectrum of art works created through the inspiring fusion of media technology and contemporary arts.

- Period : September 7 – November 17, 2010
- Venue : SeMA (Seoul Museum of Art), Gyeonghigung etc.

Ever Heard of Sommeliers for Korean Food?

A few years back, there was a big wine boom. Wine was the trendy thing. And so was the word “sommelier.” It is a French word meaning a trained and knowledgeable wine professional who specializes in all aspects of wine service – wine procurement, storage, wine cellar rotation, providing expert service to customers and so on.

Well, you will be surprised to hear that there exist sommeliers for Korean food now. Last October the World Food Culture Center (WFCC) introduced its first sommelier course for kimchi and makgeolli in an effort to globalize hansik – traditional Korean food.

Ms. Hyang-Ja Yang, the CEO of the WFCC, commented, “Kimchi is Korea’s representative food, designated by the New York Times as one of the world’s top 5 health foods. Korean food has numerous benefits – nutrition, taste, and style-wise – and is something we can pride ourselves on.”

Ms. Yang went on to emphasize, “But we’re not making enough effort to promote and globalize hansik. There isn’t enough “story-telling” nor attempts at fusing Korean food with other food culture.”

Mr. Wan-Soo Park, Director of World Kimchi Institute (organization under the Korea Food Research Institute), said in his interview last March, “The fact that kimchi is such an ingrained item in Korean people’s lives is partly the reason why there is an insufficient amount of research on systemizing it.”

Kimchi is something that Korean people eat almost every meal, and Korean households make a load of kimchi every winter almost like a ceremony. Despite its subtlety of taste and a very storage-sensitive nature, there is hardly enough standardization of kimchi-making. Much of how-to-make-kimchi has been handed to the next generation by telling and showing without relying on set recipes. Lack of industrialized processing as well as special wrapping that accommodates fermentation and long-distance delivery has been deterring global distribution of kimchi. The same situation goes for the traditional Korean liquor, makgeolli.

Ms. Yang of the WFCC says, “A kimchi sommelier should be well-equipped with expertise on kimchi and cooking skills, and should be able to provide all kinds of information regarding the dish. The kimchi sommelier course comprises 12 classes in the span of 3 months. The course also teaches you skills that keep the wrapping from bursting while kimchi is fermenting.”

To be a good kimchi sommelier, you should be skilled not only at ensuring and preserving the quality of kimchi, but also at story-telling of kimchi. Ms. Yang says, “To do that, education on the theory of Korean food culture is essential. And with the suitable food styling we can shape the impression of Korean food as classy and elegant as well as generate value-added. Also, developing fusion dishes that blend Korean food with other food cultures will be conducive to globalizing hansik.”

In the makgeolli sommelier course, aside from being educated on the manufacturing, preservation, styling of the liquor, you also learn about its drinking culture such as drinking etiquette or how to shake makgeolli before pouring it and so on.

“In countries like Vietnam that are familiar with rice, makgeolli is regarded as a high-class liquor. And the curry-flavored makgeolli is especially well-received in India. It has a nice color, too, style-wise. We can produce any number of variations of makgeolli that combine various countries’ specialty flavors,” Ms. Yang explained.

“Maintaining a stubborn attitude that doesn’t allow room for incorporating other food cultures won’t work. To globalize Korean food, we ought to be open-minded about and respectful of dishes of other countries. Take Japan’s sushi, for example. Sushi is now made and sold by as many Koreans, if not more, as Japanese people. For effective globalization of hansik, we should get rid of the thinking that Korean food must be made by Korean people, nobody else.”

Mr. Tae-Pyong Chang, the former Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in his celebratory speech at the International Food Industry Exhibition Seoul 2010, “The size of the global food industry is USD 4.3 trillion, 5.6 times that of the IT Industry, and 2.5 times that of the automobile industry. It is a huge, huge market. And globally, countries are endeavoring to raise their competitiveness and take leadership in the food industry.”

Korea, too, is making efforts far and wide to promote Korean foods such as kimchi, makgeolli, and tteokbokki. For makgeolli, in particular, the goal has been set at USD 10 million volume of export for this year.

“If people get to be familiar enough with variations of Korean food, then they will eventually want to delve deeper and trace back to the food culture in its original. That will stimulate export of Korean food ingredients as well as attract foreign visitors. And by offering hansik sommelier courses, more Korean people will get to be well-versed in expert knowledge of Korean food, which I believe will contribute to the sustainable development of Korean food culture,” Ms. Yang says.

Korean Retirees Put Their Knowledge to Good Use

Korea is undertaking a special kind of development assistance for developing countries. Instead of just giving them money and facilities, Korea aims to aid them in a more fundamental way – teaching them how to stand up on their two feet rather than spoon-feeding them. Retired experts of various fields will be dispatched to developing countries and share their expertise and know-how with the local people. In these times of aging society and unemployment, the retirees too find this volunteer project gratifying.

What Do They Do?

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) are recruiting retired experts to be sent to developing countries to share their knowledge and skills. The first round of 21 retirees was already dispatched last March, and the recruitment for the next round is now going on. MKE and MOFAT are seeking a total of 70 experts.

Ministry of Knowledge Economy www.mke.go.kr National IT Industry Promotion Agency(NIPA) www.nipa.kr Korea International Cooperation Agency(KOICA) www.koica.go.kr

Although both MKE’s and MOFAT’s programs are to do with retired experts, there are certain differences between the two.

MKE’s program is titled “Gray Experts Project” with a USD 3 million size of investment. The retirees are sent to such emerging countries as the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Mexico to work for areas including weather forecasting, water management, energy development, e-learning etc.

MOFAT’s program is called “World Friends Advisers” also with about a USD 3 million budget, and experts are dispatched to countries like Nepal, Mongolia, and Vietnam to work for developing agriculture and fishing, fair competition policies, education field etc.

So, if “Gray Experts Project” is for developing countries with a medium to high income range, aimed at implementing the Korean model for public services, then “World Friends Advisers” is more for developing countries with a low to medium income range aimed at providing knowledge and counsel in such areas as administration, education, medicine, and agriculture so as to reduce poverty and promote sustainable economic and social development.

The two programs, while carried out separately in their own right, will be put under an umbrella title “World Friends Korea” to give a more united impression. “World Friends Korea” is the name of Korea’s most comprehensive international volunteer group launched in May 2009.
Publish Post

<'Gray Experts Porject' Conferment Ceremony>

“Cám ơn, Hàn Quốc! (Thank You, Korea!)”

The developing countries report that they are very satisfied with the first round of Korean experts dispatched there to help them out.

Mr. Sang-Jin Jung, for example, is an electricity expert of a 32-year-long career and was dispatched to Vietnam last February. Recently, the Vietnam Electricity Corporation sent a letter, thanking for Mr. Jung’s unsparing assistance – drawing up an operation mandate for the Vietnamese electricity industry as well as planning the establishment of electricity & IT system – which was even more helpful since it was well-tailored to Vietnam’s specific needs.

These are the kind of help that developing countries would really need. Korea who used to be a recipient of assistance is now trying to pay it back, hoping to become a country that can command true respect.

Korean classes for fall semester

Busan's Korean Language Institute For Foreigners (KLIFF) is offering
classes for fall 2010. Make a change by learning Korean this year.
The teachers at KLIFF can help!

Think it takes a year to speak Korean well? Think again! In just a
month we can get you speaking with the locals!

KLIFF is located in two convenient locations: PNU and Haeundae.

We have as many as 9 levels of Korean ability for you to choose from.

We're open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and
available Sunday, too!

Questions or need directions? Feel free to call us any time at
010-9108-6594, or email to jennakang@hanmail.net. You can also check us
out at www.kliff.co.kr.
See the map below to our PNU location or call or see our website for
Haeundae classes.

__________________

jenna

Korea became Japan’s victim amid heydays of imperialism

Members of 11 nationalist groups attend a protest rally in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, earlier this month, urging the Japanese government to apologize for the country’s forced annexation of the Korean Peninsula in 1910 and wartime atrocities. / Korea Times file

The date of Aug. 22 is one of the darkest in Korean history. This is when the Annexation Treaty was signed by the representatives of the Korean and Japanese governments. Actually, it was largely a formal act that finalized the slow demise of an independent Korean state which began decades earlier when Korea was forced out of a few centuries of isolation and pushed into the modern world.

To be frank, in the world of the late 19th century Korea’s prospects were grim, even though the Koreans themselves might have underestimated the threats they faced. Those were heydays of imperialism, when the nations of Europe were busy conquering the less fortunate parts of the globe, grabbing land and resources, killing peoples and destroying cultures.

There were attempts at resistance, nearly all futile. The odds were too uneven: the West had railways, steamships, ironclads and machine guns, while its opponents were at best equipped with matchlocks. In the entirety of Asia, only a handful of countries managed to survive the colonial onslaught and keep independence: Afghanistan (due to its mountainous terrain and exceptional toughness of its population), Thailand (being sandwiched between British and French colonies, it cleverly used the contradiction of the two global bullies) and China (size does matter, since the huge continental empire was difficult to digest for any predator).

And, of course, there was Japan, the only Asian country which succeeded in emulating the West. Back then, of course, “emulating the West” meant building railroads and training scientists and introducing mass education, but it also meant being imperialist. The small group of smart and determined politicians who, after the Meiji restoration of 1868 were in control of Japan, had no scruples about overseas aggression: actually, they believed that colonialism was the natural thing to do for a modern civilized state. And this was bad news for Korea, since from the very beginning it was seen as a natural target of Japanese expansionism. They discussed a full-scale invasion of Korea as early as the 1870s.

In September 1875, a Japanese warship invaded the Korean coastal waters. The Korean batteries opened fire. This incident created a pretext that the Japanese government needed to stage an expedition to Korea.

The 1876 expedition had only 800 soldiers, and most of its ships were not heavily armed, but the Japanese negotiators bluffed, threatening a full-scale military expedition towards Seoul (it was not feasible, but the Koreans did not know it). Finally, the Koreans gave in and signed what is known as the Ganghwa Treaty. The Koreans agreed to allow foreigners to settle in some selected part of the country, being engaged in trade and business activities in Korea. All foreigners were exempted from the jurisdiction of the Korean laws (a privilege nowadays reserved for diplomats only). Initially these rights were given only to Japanese, but soon pressure from Western countries made Korea extend those privileges to other foreigners as well.

Frankly, not all Koreans opposed the opening. The opponents of self-isolation existed and were happy to give in: they had long been lobbying for formal treaty relations with foreign powers. They believed — correctly — that the continuous adherence to the old social system would lead to disaster, so they hoped that Korea would use the access to foreign knowledge in order to modernize itself as fast as possible. Essentially, they gambled on whether Koreans would have enough time to master new knowledge. The gamble was lost, but it did not appear irrational in the 1870s.

It was not impossible: in Korea there were reform-minded people and, once given an opportunity, Koreans began to study modern science with remarkable zeal. Such estimates are bound to be subjective and improvable, but it seems that a hundred years ago in all of Asia in its zeal for modernization Korea was second only to Japan. Nonetheless, those people — brilliant and determined and selfless they often were — had to run against time. They lost.

To some extent their situation was aggravated by the naive expectations many of them had toward Japan. They believed that Japan, then the only technically advanced Asian country, would help fellow Asians to escape the clutches of the Western colonial powers. Some Japanese also hoped that their country’s policy would move in that direction, but most politicians cynically manipulated these hopes in order to advance their own agenda which was unabashedly imperialist. Japan was loudly talking about “Asian solidarity” until 1945, but it was a smokescreen. Many Korean intellectual leaders did not see through it until it was too late.

The next blow was delivered in 1894-95 when Japan and China fought a brief war over Korea. The war ended in a Japanese victory, but it also left Korea at the mercy of the Japanese. The Japanese installed a puppet government (which, admittedly, included a lot of genuine reformers, still naive about Tokyo’s intentions), and infamously assassinated Queen Min, a staunch opponent of Japanese encroachment.

In the mid-1890s the Japanese had to withdraw, largely because of Russian pressure — the Russian Empire, then rapidly advancing east, saw Korea and Manchuria as its own sphere of influence. The rivalry of the imperialist neighbors gave Koreans a brief reprieve, but in 1904 a new war broke out. This time Japan fought with Russia, essentially in order to become full master of the Korean Peninsula. Once again, Japan won. This victory produced much enthusiasm through the whole of Asia: the first time a Western power was defeated by an Oriental upstart in a regular, large-scale, high-tech war. However, for Korea there was nothing to be happy about. Korea was to become the first Asian nation to learn that Japanese imperialists were no different from their Western teachers — perhaps, they were even worse.

With Russia being neutralized, and its own public being intoxicated with success and jingoism, Japan could afford to be a bully. In 1905 Japan forced Korea to sign a treaty which amounted to the complete surrender of sovereignty.

King Gojong said that he would not sign the document himself, but would leave the decision as to whether it should be signed with his top officials. So, the Japanese managed to blackmail and bribe five high-level Korean dignitaries prepared to sign the paper which was known as the Eulsa Treaty, after the name of the year 1905 in the traditional Korean calendar. Those officials, headed by notorious Yi Wan-yong, are referred to as “the five eulsa traitors.”

According to the 1905 Treaty all international contact with Korea, as well as consular protection of its citizens overseas, should be handled by the Japanese. A Japanese official, called the Resident General, was to supervise all political activity in the country. Without his permission, no political decisions of nationwide importance could be made.

In an attempt to forestall a complete collapse of independence, King Gojong decided to apply to international public opinion. In 1907, The Hague hosted the Second Peace Conference, a pompous international gathering where diplomats from countries large and small were supposed to discuss how to keep the peace and make wars less likely. In those eras, before the rise of the U.N., such public exercises in diplomatic demagoguery were unusual and therefore attracted much attention.

So, three Korean diplomats were dispatched there secretly and dutifully made their appeal against the Japanese actions in Korea. But as one would expect, they achieved nothing: the great powers ignored their appeal and did not raise a finger to help Korea.

It was understandable. First of all, the major international players were colonial powers themselves, so they did not want to create a dangerous precedent. Second, nobody wanted to alienate Japan whose spectacular victory over Russia made it the first “non-white” great power.

The Japanese were outraged when they learned about Gojong’s exercise in secret diplomacy. The aging King was forced to abdicate, passing the throne to his son Sunjong, the last monarch of the Yi dynasty. The 1907 Treaty, forced on Korea, deprived it of the last vestiges of sovereignty.

So, by 1910 Korea already was a Japanese colony in everything by name, and that year merely delivered a final blow to Korean independence. An independent Korea, officially known as the Korean Empire in those days, ceased to exist. It became a part of Japan, but Koreans themselves were not granted the full rights of Japanese citizens. They remained discriminated against — up to a point that they could be subjected to corporal punishment, long banned for the Japanese. Virtually all positions of power were taken by Japanese officials, Korean language publications closed, and teaching in Korean was discouraged.

The long, painful and humiliating colonial era had begun. It took 35 years for Korea to regain its independence. Needless to say, the Korea which emerged in 1945 was a completely different nation.

source:Korea Times

World Leisure Congress scientific program to provide global perspective on ‘leisure and identity

Culinary schools and star chefs lead food globalization

Korean dishes like bulgogi and bibimbap are slowly gaining popularity overseas as a health food. Early this month at the “Korean Barbecue Contest” held in Los Angeles, nearly 10,000 people crowded the stands for a sample. Last week, U.S. media also covered PGA champion golfer Yang Yong-eun’s dinner party of a multi-course Korean meal, including rice, galbi (beef ribs), and kimchi, for his fellow golfers.

Recently, the Korean food globalization team at the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) announced that Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will be the first university in the US to open a full lecture series dedicated to Korean cuisine. The prestigious east coast University enjoys vibrant exchanges with some of the top universities in Korea, including the Seoul National University, KAIST, Ewha Woman’s University, and Hanyang University.

According to the school, beginning this September, these lectures will “explore the fundamentals and philosophy of traditional South Korean cuisine,” with a “strong emphasis on cultural influences, the Korean aesthetic, knife work and terminology.” This course will be open to all students interested in Korean culture.

Lee Jee-hyun, an assistant professor at Drexel University played a major role in bringing the lectures to campus. Lee is currently pursuing ways to make Korean cuisine a part of the curriculum for the culinary arts program, and further planning to open a Korean cuisine course at Drexel’s Lifelong Education Center.

Students will also have the learn about Korean food through hands-on sessions where they learn how to cook rice, soup, condiments, and a wide variety of Korean foods using Korean produce. These sessions, led by Professor Adrienne Hall, will be restricted to students with majoring in culinary arts.

The lectures will last for 10 weeks, with a predicted class size of about 10 to 15 students. The students will learn to make four to five different Korean course meals, and around the eighth week, the school plans to invite managers of school restaurants and local businesspeople from Philadelphia and New Jersey’s the food industry to sample and evaluate the student’s food.

“Many of the students in Drexel’s culinary program go on to jobs in the restaurant business or food companies,” said Jang Myung-chul, an official from the Korean food globalization team. “This will not only help to promote Korean food to the locals, but also provide us a chance to collect feedback on our traditional food for future improvements.”

Korean cuisine has also made in-roads at Hattori Nutrition College, Japan’s top culinary school in May this year. The Tokyo-based culinary institute was established in 1939 and produces over 1,000 professional cooks every year.

A total of 1,300 students from four culinary departments will attend a 25-week long lecture series, which is divided into sections on theory, folklore, demonstrations, and cooking sessions. They made gujeolpan (nine-filling crepes), haemul kimchi-jjigae (kimchi stew with seafood), oiseon (stuffed cucumber) and ogok-bap (five-grain rice).

Last March, in order to provide better lectures on Korean food, MIFAFF and Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation invited a dozen Korean cuisine instructors living in Japan back for to Korea for extra training before the school starts again.

The Ministry is looking to expand Korean cooking programs to other cooking schools abroad, such as the Culinary Institute of America in the United States, Le Cordon Blue in France, and the Tsujicho Culinary Institute in Osaka.

The government is considering establishing official licenses for Hansik chefs, enacting a new law to promote restaurant business, and create a 50 billion won food industry investment fund by 2013.

Star chefs for Korean food

The government wants to help nurture star chefs working in Korean traditional food. Last May, MIFAFF designated Kyung Hee University, Sejong University’s Institute of Traditional Korean Food, Sookmyung Women’s University’s Korean Food Institute, and Woosung University as institutes for training future Hansik chefs.

Another nine universities and institutions, including Daelim and Hallym Colleges, were designated as professional training schools for producing experts on local cuisines. The students will go train for five months, from July to early December, with the government shouldering 70 percent of the expense.

Chef Lee Hyo-sam, who completed the course last year, stands as a successful example of this new Hansik training. His yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) with noodles is currently a big hit in his restaurant, attracting not only locals but quite a number of expats as well.

The government selected Woosung University, Jeonju University and Busan Tourism High school as schools cooking Korean cuisine. The three schools recognized for management and training of the students were chosen to receive extra government funds for the next few years. The two colleges will receive a combined 2.4 billion won for the next four years and the high school will receive 600 million won for next three years.

Woosung University is taking advantage of the opportunity by operating a culinary MBA course, the first of its kind in the world. The course is open to only top 10 percent of students, resulting in fierce competition among those who wish to build their culinary, business, and foreign language skills.

source:korea.net

A peculiar love song: Maestro Ahn Eak-tai’s 'Aegukga'

Maestro Ahn Eak-tai, composer of the Korean national anthem “Aegukga,” conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra during a rehearsal in 1942. Below is the score for “Aegukga.” /Korea Times file By Lee Hyo-won It’s impossible to forget Yoon Do-hyun’s infectious rock tune “Oh, Pilseung (victorious) Korea,” which took the entire country by storm during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, as red T-shirt-clad fans cheered for South Korea in perfect unison. “Where there is pressure, there is folk dance,” according to Danish artist Fos, and the same can be said of other art forms and traditions that take root when groups are bound by a unifying sentiment or goal, be it love of the game or political propaganda. The power of folk music can be said to have propelled the adoption of Ahn Eak-tai’s “Aegukga” as Korea’s national anthem. Cult activities translate most palpably into popular culture, and many countries have picked up widely loved tunes as its national song. Just as the French opted for “La Marseillaise,” Ahn’s melody deeply resonated with Koreans’ collective feelings of bitter loss — and undying hope — during Japanese colonial rule (1910-45), and continues to define the Korean identity to this day. “Aegukga” literally means “Song for Love for the Nation.” Last Sunday, the familiar tune resounded in the farthest corners of the country as it feted the 65th anniversary of Liberation Day when Korea was freed from Japanese rule on Aug. 15, 1945. The anthem is expected to resound even louder since this Sunday marks the centennial of the annexation of Korea by Japan on Aug. 22, 1910. The tribute to Ahn and his iconic legacy continues next month through a concert and photo exhibition organized by the Ahn Eak-tai Foundation. Ahn’s love song for Korea, and moreover, the dramatic life of Ahn himself, deserve special attention, and The Korea Times looks into his artistic merit and humanitarian spirit. A peculiar love song “Aegukga” today is known as a proper noun that refers to songs Koreans sing when the “taegeukgi” or national flag starts waving in the air. This remains true to the etymology of the word “anthem,” which derives from the Greek word “antiphony,” meaning a song one sings in response to something — like a Gregorian chant sung in a call-and-response style. In this case, it’s a musical call to patriotism or belonging of sorts. But in the past “aegukga” denoted a broad genre of songs aimed to inspire patriotism. In 1896 a variety of aegukga lyrics were published for the founding of Korea’s first modern daily Tongnip Sinmun (The Independent), and “The Korean Empire Aegukga” was commissioned by the emperor and was sung during major state ceremonies. Among these was a popular set of lyrics that is believed to be written by independence fighter An Chang-ho and/or Yun Chi-ho. During the colonial period, the lyrics gained popularity among Koreans, particularly during the March 1, 1919 independence movement. The words however were sung to the melody of “Auld Lang Syne”; while studying in the United States in the 1930s Ahn noticed his compatriates singing “Aegukga” to the tune of the Scottish folksong and was inspired to compose his most enduring legacy. “Aegukga,” now bearing an original melody, was first sung among Korean expatriates in San Francisco and then spread to Shanghai, where the Korean provisional government was based (1919-45). The anthem thus reached the Korean Peninsula last; even after liberation, the lyrics were often sung to the notes of “Auld Lang Syne.” Kim Gu, the sixth and last president of the provisional governing body, decided that “Aegukga” would be Korea’s national anthem until the two Koreas were reunified, true to this day. When the Republic of Korea was founded in 1948, “Aegukga” as it appears today was featured in official state ceremonies and school textbooks. Ahn’s legacy, however, was not just composing the Korean national anthem — he was the country’s first internationally renowned maestro. He was among the first Asians to become a core part of the Western classical music scene, as he mingled with composers like Zoltan Kodaly and Richard Strauss and conducted premier ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic. His love song for Korea, moreover, is manifest in his famous symphony “Korea Fantasy,” which features the melody of “Aegukga” as its main theme. The piece premiered in 1938 in Dublin, and won the hearts of the Irish audience who, like the Koreans, were under foreign rule. Throughout his conducting career he almost always showcased “Korea Fantasy,” and on one occasion he was barred from the Rome Philharmonic Orchestra for performing the symphony since Italy’s then-ally Japan found the piece politically offensive. The three-part symphony, however, remains incomplete to this day. A globe-trotting maestro It is difficult to discuss his work in depth without looking into the life of the maestro cellist, conductor and composer. Ahn was born in 1906 in Pyongyang, which is now the capital of North Korea. He exhibited a strong proclivity for music at an early age, and by junior high school he was playing the violin, trumpet and cello. In addition to musical pursuits, the teen-aged Ahn was also preoccupied with anti-Japanese activities. He faced possible imprisonment when the March 1, 1919 uprising broke out, but quite ironically a Japanese doctor helped him flee to Japan. After graduating from the Kunitachi Music School he moved to the United States in order to pursue music more freely. He studied at the University of Cincinnati and the Curtis Institute of Music, and in 1932 the cellist became the first ever Asian member of the presitigious Philadelphia Orchestra. It 1935 he composed “Aegukga.” Afterwards, Ahn continued his studies in Europe, where he forayed into conducting under renowned Maestro Bernhard Paumgartner. He then moved to Hungary, where he studied composition under the auspices of Kodaly. He became part of the exciting local music scene and it was during this time that he composed “Korea Fantasy.” While working in Spain he met his wife Lolita Talavera and the couple married in 1946. They resided in Majorca, where he founded the Palma de Mallorca Symphony Orchestra. Following Korea’s liberation, Ahn returned to his homeland for the first time in 25 years. He initiated various projects such as an international music festival and conducting what is now the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also invited to give concerts in Japan, including one during the 1964 Summer Olympics. He received the Cultural Order of Merit from the Korean government in 1965. Dissension with local musicians, however, led to the halt of his music festival in Seoul, and before an envisioned amendment Ahn passed away suddenly from an illness in September 1965, while he was visiting Majorca. He was 59. His ashes were transferred from the Spanish island to the Korean National Cemetery in 1977. In 2009, a statue of Ahn was erected in Budapest. While Ahn is one of Korea’s most recognized composers he has also been subject to much controversy, including being labeled a Japanese sympathizer. As much as political and social issues with Japan remain heated, some argued the need to adopt a new national anthem, particularly since “Aegukga” was never legally adopted. “It’s up to historians to figure out the truth. In any case the fact remains clear that Ahn was Korea’s first maestro conductor who was highly respected overseas and that he left behind a legacy that means a great deal to Koreans to date. In paying our tribute to Ahn, we only deal with his life and work as a musician, as the composer of Korea’s national anthem,” Kim Yun-kyung, executive director of the Ahn Eak-tai Foundation and piano professor at the Soongsil University Conservatory, told The Korea Times. “Ahn has left behind 10 compositions but unfortunately some scores no longer exist. Historians and musicians are continuing their efforts to find the missing links in his life and career.” In the meantime, Ahn’s most enduring legacies speak for themselves through the universal language of music. Biographical information has been extracted from text provided by the Ahn Eak-tai Foundation and music critic Han Sang-wu’s work for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 1991 —ED. Tribute to Ahn The Ahn Eak-tai Foundation will host its annual concert commemorating Ahn’s musical achievements on Sept. 1 at Seoul Arts Center. This year’s performance will reenact the 1938 world premiere of “Korea Fantasy” by offering the same program that was staged in Dublin. The KBS Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Chung Chi-yong, will play Beethoven’s “Egmont” overture, Op. 84 and pianist Ian Young-wook Yoo will appear as the soloist for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491. Instead of Schubert’s Incomplete Symphony No. 8, three vocal pieces will be offered: Soprano Kim Hyang-ran and bass Im Cheol-min will sing Ahn’s “White Lily” as well as “Geu-jip-ap (In Front of That House)” and “Ga-go-pa (I Want to Go)” by Korean composers who attended the same school as Ahn in Pyongyang. “Korea Fantasy” will be the grand finale of the evening. In addition to the concert, an exhibition of Ahn’s private photographs will be open to the public for the first time at V-Gallery within Seoul Arts Center, from Sept. 1 to 10. Some 100 photos, selected from more than 1,600, will be displayed. Admission to both events is free. It is recommended that seats for the concert be reserved in advance by telephone before Aug. 25. Call (02) 821-8494 or visit www.ahneaktai.or.kr (Korean only) for more information.

source:Korea times

Azerbaijani musicians perform in Korea with classical music concert programs

Azerbaijani musicians performed in three cultural centers in Korea with concert programs of classical music, Korea's Embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend.

Four young Azerbaijani musicians - Baku Music Academy's students Kamran Mirzeyev, Kamran Sarkar, Nargis Aliyeva and Kanan Mayilov were in Korea from Aug. 3 to 18 in the orchestra, organized on the initiative of the Azerbaijani Embassy and the Korean Silkroad Foundation.

The final concert took place Aug. 17 in the largest cultural center of Seoul "Sejong Art Center". Along with a wide audience, the concert was attended by Chun Yung-woo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Korea, the Silkroad Foundation President Kang Duk-soo, the employees of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Korea, as well as representatives of other diplomatic missions in Seoul.

During the visit Azerbaijani representatives took part in joint rehearsals with musicians

from other countries of the Silk Road (Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan).

Book gives keen insight into Korean history A Review of Korean History (English) Han Young-woo; Translated by Ham Chai-bong from Korean to English

“A Review of Korean History” written by Han Young-woo, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, explores the nation’s history from its birth to the present. The English version of the Korean history book published by Kyongsaewon Publishing translated by Hahm Chai-bong is divided into three volumes _ “Ancient/Goryeo Era,” “Joseon Era” and “Modern/Contemporary Era”_ along with detailed descriptions and some 700 photos and illustrations. Since the first edition of the book was published in 1997 with a revised edition in 2004, it has become a steady-seller in Korea with 39 editions until the end of 2009. The book was also translated into Japanese in 2003 by Akashi Shoten Publishing. The first volume of the English rendition illustrates the roots of Korean history, old Joseon and other ancient states along with the Three Kingdoms. The second volume focuses on the Joseon Kingdom from its foundation to the reform of the ruling system, economic development, culture, internal conflicts and foreign invasions. The third volume probes the birth and growth of modernism, dawning with the peasant uprisings and reforms to the rise and fall of the Korean Empire, the Japanese colonial rule and Korea`s independence movement. It also deals with the Korean War (1950-53) and reconstructions in the mid-1900s and political upheavals in the 20th century. The book puts more emphasis on the Joseon era _ the author described researching the Joseon Kingdom gave him the joy of discovering “hidden treasures” as he enhanced his understanding about the cultural values of the Confucian state during his four-year term as the head of the Kyujanggak Archives. Jung Ok-ja, chairwoman of the National Institute of Korean History, reviewed the book, saying that the author seems to suggest a new milestone for the 21st century through this book. “Cautious about both narrow-minded nationalism and globalism’s relative lack of identity, he pursues a humanitarian society centered on coexistence and co-prosperity. Such a view of history seems to be aligned with neo-nationalism, from among the various approaches of modern historiography. Rooted in a positivist historiography, a major approach in modern historiography, the author has built a basic academic foundation from which he conveys a neo-nationalist view of history,” wrote Jung. The book gives keen insights not only on historical incidents and perspectives but also cultural fields such as literature and music, commerce and international trade, and geomancy and Taoism. The publication is also helpful for foreigners who are interested in Korean history and culture. The 72-year-old author was former dean of the College of Humanities at Seoul National University and dean of Kyujanggak Archives and director of Korean Studies. For more information or inquiries, call (031) 955-7441-3, or visit http://www.kyongsaewon.co.kr.