Rise of 'snack culture'

Passengers watch their smart devices as they wait for the train a subway station in Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul Web-based cartoons, dramas dominate digital users' pastime By Baek Byung-yeul To respond to the needs of busy digital users on the go, media content providers are releasing more cartoons, dramas and novels short enough to be viewed in under 10 minutes on mobile devices. The local press calls this phenomenon "snack culture," a Konglish term referring to media content that are as accessible and fast as your regular snacks. "My smartphone helps me endure the tedious commute as I can enjoy a wide range of media content," said Kim, who declined to give his full name, on a train headed to City Hall Station in Seoul, Tuesday. Kim commutes to work by subway, and it usually takes about 70 minutes door-to-door. Among the different kinds of media content, Kim is addicted to "webtoons" or free online comic strips. Kim said he has enjoyed various webtoons, ranging from the country's biggest portal Naver's (www.naver.com) sleeper hit "Sound of Mind" to "Misaeng," another hugely popular work provided by Daum (www.daum.net), one of the country's top portals. Cartoonist Yoon Tae-ho's "Misaeng" "The greatest advantage of Internet cartoons is that many of them are free. They are also funny, so I cannot stop reading them," Kim added. The figure shows the growing popularity of webtoons ― the number of daily viewers of Naver's webtoons averages more than 6.2 million, according to the company. The rise of webtoons, which have been regarded as part of a sub culture, has enabled them to be assimilated into mainstream. "Misaeng," depicting the precarious lives of Korean office employees at a cut-throat trading company has had more than 600 million hits, and will be adapted to a TV drama. Web-based drama series are also vastly popular genre of snack culture. Each episode runs for about 10 minutes. Naver's drama series "Aftermath" A notable success is "Aftermath," launched by Naver last January. The thriller, starring popular boy pop band ZE:A's Kim Dong-jun as a protagonist, is based on the Internet cartoon of the same title, and has garnered more than 3 million viewers with 11 episodes. "Podcasts" or Internet radio shows have also been emerging as another snack culture. Park So-young, an office employee living in Seoul, said she listens to podcasts when commuting to work for "self-improvement." "There are slew of inspirational podcasts. Also, I can catch up on domestic and foreign current events on politics and become more cultured through history podcasts," Park said. Park's favorite show is "Morning News Paper Briefing." Emceed by Kim Yong-min, a political pundit and producer of Internet-based liberal news media company Kukmin TV, the 30-minute-long radio show, summarizes top news of major newspapers. It airs everyday from Monday to Friday. The show is currently ranked fourth in the top 1,000 category of Podbbang, (www.podbbang.com), one of the popular podcast providers. "Some may say that the show is left-leaning, but I think it is a necessary alternative in today's media environment," she added. The government recently issued a report analyzing the snack culture boom, defining it "one of the noticeable social phenomenon in 2014." "The so-called snack culture is a result of digital users' desire to view cultural content briefly on the go rather than making time for cultural activity," the report said. "It shows creating cultural content is no longer the exclusive property of certain experts." According to local advertising company HS AD's recent survey of 1,000 people, Koreans use their mobile devices about 3.34 hours on average while they spend about three hours watching TV and about 48 minutes using personal computers. Koreans don't read much anymore. The average daily reading time of Korea last year was 23.5 minutes, the lowest ever, according to a survey of 2,000 adults conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. source:koreatimes

Unified Silla Room at National Museum renovated

The National Museum of Korea (NMK) in Yongsan, Seoul, has recently renovated its permanent display of items from the Unified Silla Kingdom (676-935). Adding new artifacts and reflecting the results of recent academic research, the renovated exhibition now focuses on the two main cultural pillars of Silla times: noble Buddhism and regional influence.

Unified Silla was founded in 676 when the two kingdoms of Goguryeo and Baekje lost in battle to Silla. The kingdom maintained its power for more than 200 years until the foundation of the Goryeo Dynasty in 918. The unification of the three kingdoms is a significant moment in Korean history, in that all three different languages, cultures, life styles and customs existent on the peninsula were brought together, integrated and came under the control of a single system.

Formed by the integration of the Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla kingdoms, the Unified Silla kingdom consisted of nine ju, or provinces.

The Iron Buddha from Bowonsa Temple is one of the most significant and representative Buddhist sculptures from the Unified Silla era. The Iron Buddha was on display at a special exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the U.S. in 2013. (photo courtesy of the NMK)

Buddhist beliefs among the people of Unified Silla are reflected in the arts, especially in the styles of Buddha statues. In addition to the unique Silla style, artistic elements from the Goguryeo and Baekje peoples, as well as from the Tang Dynasty in China, were integrated together to create the beautiful uniqueness.

One of the most representative Buddha statues from the period sits in the Seokguram Grotto at Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province). The use of gilt bronze, however, gradually declined with the use of iron on the rise. In particular, the Iron Buddha from Bowonsa Temple is highly recognized, along with the statue in the Seokguram Grotto. The Iron Buddha recently made a brief visit to the U.S. for a special exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It will now be on display at the NMK in its renovated Unified Silla exhibition room.

A variety of artifacts on display were excavated from the Anapji Pond, part of the palace complex in Gyeongju, and from the adjacent castle. They include ceramics, pottery and metal works, all imported from Tang China, giving us a peek into the active cultural exchange that went on between Unified Silla and the Tang Dynasty. On display in the new exhibit are green-glazed pottery items comparable to the similar Dangsamchae items from Tang China.

The displays in the newly opened Unified Silla room offer a lot to see and learn about the unified kingdom. There is a candle stick from Inyongsa Temple, a piece of pottery from Ingaksa Temple and incense burners from Mireuksa Temple in Malheul-ri, Changnyeong-gun County. There is also on display a sariho, a gold-plated silver bowl with a pattern of two birds on the surface. It will be shown to the public for the first time in this new exhibit, after having undergone a lengthy restoration.

Another noticeable change in the Unified Silla room is the installation of touch-screen magnifying glasses. Visitors will be able to study the patterns engraved onto each artifact more closely using the adjacent monitors. The room is also designed with more color and subtler elements that will help people focus more on the displays.

An incense burner excavated at Mireuksa Temple in Iksan. (photo courtesy of the NMK)

The sariho, a gold-plated silver bowl with a pattern of two birds on the surface, offers visitors a look into the luxurious and cultured lifestyle of Unified Silla royalty. (photo courtesy of the NMK)

The newly renovated Unified Silla room has on display burial mound figurines excavated at Yonggang-dong, Gyeongju. (photo courtesy of the NMK)

source:korea.net

Onggi, traditional earthenware vessel in Korea

Steps to making traditional Korean pottery

Usually, the kiln will be fired for two to three days, or about 45 hours. For the first 15 hours, the fire slowly heats up the kiln and dries any moisture that's inside. The temperature is then increased to about 1,200 degrees Celsius, the melting point of the glaze, and continues thus for about 30 additional hours.

The pine logs, changsol, are used to fuel the fire.

(Left) Dissolve the clay in water in order to remove any foreign objects; (right) Mix the clay in water to remove any contaminants.

Treatment of the Clay

The most important element in the production of pottery or earthenware is the clay itself. This is called jeomto or jil in Korean. High-quality clay has a brownish tint because of the high iron content and is also very sticky. The first step in making pottery is to treat the clay.

Drench the newly dug up clay and allow it to get wet evenly.

Second, rinse the clay in water to remove any foreign substances. A strainer is used to remove any stones, sand, tree roots or grass. Let it dry until it is ready to knead. In Korean, this process is called subi.

After treating the clay, mix it and form it into bricks. If the condition of the clay is fine, with few contaminants, you can skip the previous step.

(Left) Sift out any contaminants with a strainer; (right) Remove and dry the filtered clay-water slurry.

(Left) As the clay dries, begin to form it into bricks; (right) Hammer and beat the clay into shape.

(Left) After kneading, cut the clay into hand-held sized pieces; (middle) Pile the broken clay in place; (right) Pound the clay with a mallet to soften the clay.

Step three involves the removing of any contaminants with a so-called mud knife, peeling the clay into 20 or 30 millimeter strips to catch any foreign objects that weren't caught in the strainer. This process is called ggaeggijil in Korean. It will make the clay softer because it takes the air out of the clay. The density of the clay is also increased. After this, form the clay into round chunks about 40 centimeters in diameter. These roundish bricks are called jilmoongchi.

(Left) Cover the clay bricks with clean dirt to prevent them from sticking; (middle) Again, remove any contaminants by slicing the clay bricks with a so-called mud knife; (right) Lump the clay into large, round clods.

(Left) Spread clean dirt on the clods to prevent them from sticking; (right) Dampen and flatten the clods.

(Left) Mix the clay with the mallets; (right) During this process, the clay gets softer and more dense.

In step four, mix the chucks of clay together using the mallets. Traditionally, clean dirt is spread on the ground as the bricks are lined up, in order to prevent them from sticking. Today, however, a piece of hemp or cotton is sometimes used in place of the clean dirt. The mallets for kneading are varied in size, according to use, and pounding or kneading the clay should be done with consistency.

(Left) After kneading, cut the clay into manageable bricks; (right) Turn the clay and lift it from the bottom.

(Left) Pound the clay to make it square; (right) Form the clay into a strip.

(Left) Strips of clay are used to form the final pottery urns; (right) Roll the strips of clay to form strips.

After kneading, cut the clay into manageable bricks and stack them to the side. Cover the stacked bricks with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.

(Left) Form the clay into long rolls; (middle) The clay is formed into long rolls so as to better form the final pottery works; (right) Form the clay into long, thin rolls, to be used in the final pottery process.

Step six is the last step before shaping. Form the clay into round rolls, about 120 centimeters long and four centimeters thick. These are the final clay pieces that will be used to form the pottery.


(Source: korea.net/ Intangible Cultural Heritage of Korea) 

Korean novels in English: Yi Mun-yol’s ‘The Golden Phoenix’

The English version of Yi Mun-yol’s short story “The Golden Phoenix”

It’s safe to say that the influence novelist Yi Mun-yol has had on Korean literature could not be more far-reaching.

The writer joins the ranks of the few novelists who have had many of their works translated and published in numerous languages, including, of course, English, but also French, Italian, Dutch, Chinese and Greek, reaching a worldwide audience.

More than fifty of his novels, whether full-length or short, have now been published for such global readers.

Among them is “The Golden Phoenix,” a 1981 short story. The novel was published in English in 1999, part of a collection of seven short stories, “The Golden Phoenix: Seven Contemporary Korean Short Stories.”

The story frankly discusses the ultimate objective and essence of art, using the conflict and friendship between traditional calligrapher Seokdam and his young pupil Gojuk.

Gojuk is a parentless child, with his father dead and his heartless mother having fled with another man. He has no choice but to live at his uncle’s home. However, as the uncle has to seek asylum in a foreign country, the poor boy is left with the uncle’s old friend Seokdam, who is a calligrapher.

Seokdam wouldn’t have Gojuk under his wing as a pupil since he thinks the way the boy does calligraphy, despite his talented skills, runs against his view of art.

Seokdam’s refusal to teach the youngster puts the two into somewhat of a love-hate relationship. Silently, though, Gojuk starts to polish his calligraphy skills. Unable to turn a blind eye to Gojuk’s natural talent for the art, Seokdam finally accepts the boy, who, however, chooses to leave him in a show of defiance.

As he lives all by himself and keeps doing the art, people start to notice Gojuk’s modern, artistic talent, gaining him sudden fame across the country.

One day, Gojuk feels a sudden sense of emptiness as he thinks that most of his youth has gone nowhere and that all the effort he put into the art has been futile. He then decides to return to his teacher.

“If one can see a golden phoenix rising from his calligraphic works just once in a lifetime, his life has 'got there,’ for sure.” Seokdam repeatedly tells this to Gojuk, but he doesn’t understand it at all.

Gojuk replies, saying, “Even if you can write with one stroke of a brush and see such a golden phoenix soaring from your piece, what’s the use of it?”

Novelist Yi Mun-yol (photo: Yonhap News)

In response, the teacher says that, “That’s the acme of perfection that any calligrapher is eager to reach, even if only once in a lifetime."

Despite the answer, Gojuk sticks to such a defense and drives the teacher to the end of his patience. Seokdam bursts into anger, throwing an ink stone at him and that’s the last the pair see of each other.

Gojuk leaves Seokdam again, determined that he will never come back. Not caring at all about what happens to the stock of calligraphic work he created over the years, he falls into a promiscuous, dissipated life full of women and alcohol.

After some years, however, Gojuk reaches a point where he feels sick and tired of his out-of-control life. He decides to go back to Seokdam. Before that, however, he heads to a temple at Odaesan Mountain to purify his soul from all unclean things.

There, he happens to see an old, faded mural, a work of art featuring a golden phoenix: a bird with golden wings, a hawk-like head and a human body from the neck down. Then he sees the bird come to life and fly high. He now realizes what the teacher really meant when he talked about the bird.

When he comes back to Seokdam, it’s too late. The teacher has already passed away. In despair, Gojuk gathers all his work and starts to assess each piece. Among the many creations, there’s nothing with which he is satisfied. He realizes that his art is still far from perfect and, more specifically, he is at a point where he can see the golden phoenix.

Gojuk burns all of his work. At that moment, he sees a giant golden phoenix soar from the flames. That night, he breathes his last, and he, too, passes away.

Born in 1948 in Yeongyang-gun County, Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province), Yi Mun-yol dropped out of university in 1970 when he was enrolled in the Korean language education program at the College of Education of Seoul National University.

Yi served as a journalist for the Daegu Maeil newspaper until 1977 when he made his literary debut. Now, he serves as a chair professor at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

His major works include full-length novels, such as “The Son of Man” (1979) and “Our Twisted Hero” (1987), as well as collections of short stories, including “The Shadow of Darkness” (1980).

The English-language collection of which this is a part features six other novels: Yun Hu-myong’s “The Girl from the Wind-Whipped House” (1982); Yi Mun-ku’s “The Sunset over My Hometown” (1972); Kim Yong-hyon’s “The Mural” (1994); Choi Yun’s “The Flower with Thirteen Fragrances” (1995); O Chong-hi’s “The Monument Intersection” (1983); and, lastly, Yoon Heung-gil’s “The Rainy Spell” (1978).
source:korea.net

Have a flair for foreign languages? Watch new doors open up for you

Our trade links are expanding across the world and several multi-national companies have simultaneously set up base in India over the last decade. With these advancements the requirement for people with skills in foreign language is increasing rapidly. Fluency in French, German, Russian, Mandarin and more recently Japanese, Spanish and Korean are in great demand. A career in foreign languages also promises a great opportunity to travel the world over and be paid for it too. So if you have a keen interest in learning an additional language and a strong command over existing ones you can make a career out of mastering foreign languages.

CHOOSE RIGHT LANGUAGE FIRST

Popularity or better career prospects in a foreign language are linked with the international and economic ties with a particular country. Aptitude for a language is important while deciding on a language. Universities such as Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University conduct entrance exams at the undergraduate level to gauge the aptitude of potential students.

STARTING OUT

Certificate, diploma and degree courses are offered by various universities like the Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Mumbai University. Courses are also available at private institutes such as Max Mueller Bhavan, Alliance Francaise and Instituto Hispania. These focus more on the spoken and written part of the language , while universities focus on literature, linguistics and translations , as well. On the other hand, most private institutes participate in exchange programmes to enhance the understanding of the language.

CAREER PROSPECTS

"With globalization, the avenues for anyone who knows a foreign language are only growing. The industry has opened up and the European Union also offers a lot of opportunities. MNCs also engage in import and export and hence prefer professionals who know an extra language," said Meher Bhoot, associate professor, department of German , Mumbai University. Careers in foreign languages can include working as interpreters, at international insurance companies, at consulates, knowledge process outsourcing and multi-national companies.

REMUNERATION

Professionals in the industry say that the remuneration that follows from learning foreign languages is very promising. "As teachers one can charge between Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 depending on the institute. At private companies or consulates, students can expect to start out at Rs 30,000 every month," said Bhoot. Once established, interpreters can charge anywhere between Rs 1000 an hour to Rs 25,000 a day. Working out of home and translating matter can even earn you between 60 paise to Rs 5 per word.
source:times of India

이제는 다문화 시대“다문화강사로서 자신감 생겼어요

``글로벌+로컬(글로컬)' 상호 지향의 하모니'를 주제로 2주간 6회에 걸쳐 진행된 2014 하이원 다문화강사 중부권 소양교육이 8일 수료식을 갖고 42명의 강사를 배출했다. 이번 교육은 강원일보 사회복지법인 함께사는 강원세상(이사장:이희종 강원일보사장)과 하이원리조트, 도가 주최하고 (사)강원한국학연구원(원장:유성선)이 주관한 가운데 진행됐다. 강의 기간 한국의 다문화 상황과 다양한 한국어 표현 및 문화소통을 위한 대화법 등의 프로그램들은 다문화가정이 적응할 수 있도록 돕는 도우미로서의 역량을 갖추도록 했다. 또 강원한국학 연구원 전산담당 강사진들은 실생활에서 필요한 다양한 컴퓨터 활용기법을 전수해 호응을 얻었다. 배세은(여·26·원주시·베트남명:프엉 티빗튀)씨는 “한국과 이웃나라의 문화를 자세히 이해할 수 있는 기회가 돼 감사하며 강사역할을 잘 할 수 있다는 자신감이 생겼다”고 말했다. 함병식 함께사는 강원세상 사무국장은 “다문화 가정의 자녀들이 자부심을 가질 수 있도록 하는 데에도 큰 의미가 있다”고 말했다. 자료: (사)강원한국학연구원

결혼이주여성 다문화 강사로 활동한다

이제는 다문화 시대]“강의기법 열심히 배워 다양한 문화 전파할게요” 2014년 하이원과 함께하는 다문화강사 소양교육이 28일부터 시작됐다. 이번 교육은 강원도에 거주하게 될 결혼이주여성들이 빠른 시일 내에 지역에 적응하도록 하기 위해 이들의 교육을 담당하게 될 강사들을 대상으로 진행된다. 강원일보 사회복지법인 함께사는 강원세상과 하이원리조트, 도가 공동으로 주최하고 (사)강원한국학연구원이 주관하는 이번 교육은 홍천종합사회복지관에서 양구 속초 인제 홍천 춘천 횡성 등 중부권 결혼이주여성 신청자 55명을 대상으로 2주간 총 6회에 걸쳐 진행된다. 내용은 다문화강사의 역할과 의미, 한국어 표현과 연습, 교육현장에서의 강의기법, 표정·자세 연출 및 제스처 연습 등이다. 또 29일부터는 정선군다문화가족지원센터에서 폐광권역인 영월과 정선, 삼척, 태백지역에서 모두 31명의 결혼이주여성이 참여한다. 이들도 한국의 다문화 상황과 사회통합, PPT 활용 및 교안 작성법 등을 교육받으며, 모두 5회차에 걸쳐 교육현장에서의 강의기법과 스피치, 엑셀 등 컴퓨터 활용법 등의 교육도 이루어진다. 사회복지법인 함께사는 강원세상 관계자는 “도내 각급 교육기관과 다양한 문화·복지시설에서 활동할 수 있는 강사의 기본적인 소양을 갖추는 소중한 기회가 될 것”이라고 말했다.

source: Kangwon Research Institute of Korean Studies(강원한국학연구원)