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Chica Vs. Food : Fermented Skate 홍어
The fish
Skates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays. Stingrays and skates differ primarily in the way they reproduce. Skates are oviparous, that is they lay eggs. Their fertilized eggs are laid in a protective hard case called a mermaid’s purse.
The fermentationVarious cultures indulge in eating fermented fish, but Korea has apparently one of the smelliest. Skate doesn’t urinate like other fish – it passes its uric acid through its skin. When it is fermented, the uric acid breaks down into a compound which smells exactly like ammonia. Fish rapidly spoils, or goes rotten, unless some method is applied to stop the bacteria that produce the spoilage. Fermentation is a method which attacks the ability of microbials to spoil fish; bacteria usually cease multiplying when the pH drops below 4.5.
In Korea, the fish is placed raw into an earthen clay pot and left at room temperature for a few days. Afterwards the uric acid drenching the skin produces ammonia which prevents the fish from rotting. The ammonia causes good and bad bacteria to grow. The good bacteria eventually kills the bad bacteria.
The origin
The Mottled Skate was mainly caught off the coast of Heuksando (흑산도) in South Jeolla Province. The island was attacked frequently during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) by Japanese marauders, so the residents were forced to move out. Those people carried several kinds of fish on their journey and most of them spoiled except for skate. [source], The fishermen from Heuksando packed up their belongings and started out on the 5 day journey from Heuksando to Yeongsanpo (Yongsan Port). They brought a variety of fish with them, but it soon all spoiled minus the skate fish, which was preserved. The fishermen ate the fish and enjoyed the sharp tangy taste of the fermented skate. This delicacy was created completely by accident. The people of South Jeolla then began serving hongeo and it became a popular dish eaten on special occasions and at parties throughout the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties.
Can’t read what is says but these are pretty funny pics. And this one has more cool pics around Korea.
The potential problemThese days, most restaurants use skate from other countries [like Chile] and it is frozen for a year. If hongeo is from Korea, the color is pink. If it’s not, it’s lighter. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the mottled skate as Vulnerable. Annual catches by South Korea averaged 2,700 tons in 1991–1993 but only 220 tons in 2001–2003, indicating a 90% population decline over a ten-year period. [Wiki]
Landings of skates in Korea, taken by fisheries from adjacent waters, have abruptly declined. In Korea, skates are usually the species Raja pulchra (Jeong 1999). The average annual catch from 1991-1993 was 2,700 metric tonnes, but the catch in 2001-2003 was 220 metric tonnes (data from homepage of MOMAF of Republic of Korea 2004), reflecting a serious decline in the biomass collected [IUNC report].
The sayings
Apparently, the female skate is preferred to its male counterpart because of taste and size. Female skate is bigger and has a better taste, where as the male skate is smaller. Fishermen prefer not to catch them because their penis is sharp, like a thorn and has been known to cut people. Needless to say, for those that have tried eating the less expensive male skate, they will find that even if they add as many ingredients they can muster, the skate penis is flavorless and seen as a culinary useless thing. So in Korea, I’m not sure how popular the saying is, if a guy is useless and underappreciated, then he could be called a ‘Hongeo Penis’ (홍어 거시기) [source].
The experienceKorean food is all about preservation, so even accompanying the food with pork, may have provided Koreans with a way to kill off germs on the pig meat, that may have been dangerous to consume alone. Nowadays, I think it’s more of a way to neutralize the smell and throw in some makgeolli (fermented rice alcohol) to help with that as well. Let’s just say I was trying to suck the sweetness of the pork and the familiar kimchi taste out of the whole thing, just so I could avoid the horrible ammonia taste invading my mouth! The worse part? It is not easy to just swallow, skate is a cartilaginous fish, making it too freaken chewy to chew (>_<).
The Video[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fVjzp3kAl0]
One of the few on Youtube who didn’t seem to mind:
Fermented Skate:
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TTT#349 Crowdfunding to Rethink Ed- IncitED's Campaigns: Open Road, Imagining Learning, Youth Voices - Plus: Spokes 5.15.13
66:23 minutes (45.58 MB)
On this episode of TTT we invite you to go to IncitED to learn more about these projects and support them if you can:
- Imagining Learning - Creating a National Collective Voice through Listening
- Open Road Learning Community for Teens: Learning Without School (It's Natural)
- Youth Voices Summer Program: Connected Learning with the NYC Writing Project
- Look for the Spokes campaign on Kickstarter.
Whether or not you plan to or can not make a contribution to one of these campaigns, please join us for a conversation about crowdfunding on this episode of TTT.
We are joined by the following on this episode of TTT:
Jaime R. Wood and Peter Lindberg from IncitED
IncitED is the crowdfunding community for education where ed supporters can fund, share, and replicate important education initiatives worldwide. http://incited.org
David Loitz and Charles Kouns from Imagining Learning
Imagining Learning is working to create a national collective voice on the wisdom of young people on how they would reinvent education. http://bit.ly/15IE8P6
http://www.facebook.com/imagininglearning
http://www.twitter.com/imaginingl
http://www.imagininglearning.us
Charlie's Ted Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDQd04BfkpI
What is a Listening session? video http://youtu.be/GhTZ58I495w
Providing individualized, non-coercive education that empowers teens to direct their own learning and fulfill their potential.
openroadteens.org http://www.incited.org/projects/9
Turner Bohlen and Claire O'Connell from Spokes talk about their plan to ride bikes across America to work for passion-based education for high school students and to find a mentor for every high school student in America!
We're people who love what we do. And we all love teaching!
http://www.spokesamerica.org
Karen Fasimpaur and Paul Oh to help us talk about a Youth Voices Summer Program that will be part of The National Writing Project’s Educator Innovator Initiative http://blog.nwp.org/educatorinnovator/ this summer.
Youth Voices is a site where students share, distribute & discuss their digital work online.
http://youthvoices.net
More info at http://www.youthvoices.net/summer2013
Links to IncitED crowdfunding campaign planning documents
1. Overview document covering pre-planning to post-campaign follow up
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8lWBi6aQDI-cTh2N0d1UDA0RHc/edit?usp=sharing
2. Document with tips for making an effective campaign video
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8lWBi6aQDI-bHhBdlRBWEpYQ1U/edit?usp=sharing
3. Document with tips for creating effective campaign perks
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8lWBi6aQDI-RDA2bUpkME5BclE/edit?usp=sharing
4. Document with tips for writing a basic campaign story
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8lWBi6aQDI-UC1FQUtRVlFmWUk/edit?usp=sharing
Enjoy!
Click Read more to see the chat that was happening during this live webcast.
TTT#349 Crowdfunding to Rethink Ed- IncitED's Campaigns: Open Road, Imagining Learning, Youth Voices - Plus: Spokes 5.15.13
66:23 minutes (45.58 MB)
On this episode of TTT we invite you to go to IncitED to learn more about these projects and support them if you can:
- Imagining Learning - Creating a National Collective Voice through Listening
- Open Road Learning Community for Teens: Learning Without School (It's Natural)
- Youth Voices Summer Program: Connected Learning with the NYC Writing Project
- Look for the Spokes campaign on Kickstarter.
Whether or not you plan to or can not make a contribution to one of these campaigns, please join us for a conversation about crowdfunding on this episode of TTT.
We are joined by the following on this episode of TTT:
Jaime R. Wood and Peter Lindberg from IncitED
IncitED is the crowdfunding community for education where ed supporters can fund, share, and replicate important education initiatives worldwide. http://incited.org
David Loitz and Charles Kouns from Imagining Learning
Imagining Learning is working to create a national collective voice on the wisdom of young people on how they would reinvent education. http://bit.ly/15IE8P6
http://www.facebook.com/imagininglearning
http://www.twitter.com/imaginingl
http://www.imagininglearning.us
Charlie's Ted Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDQd04BfkpI
What is a Listening session? video http://youtu.be/GhTZ58I495w
Providing individualized, non-coercive education that empowers teens to direct their own learning and fulfill their potential.
openroadteens.org http://www.incited.org/projects/9
Turner Bohlen and Claire O'Connell from Spokes talk about their plan to ride bikes across America to work for passion-based education for high school students and to find a mentor for every high school student in America!
We're people who love what we do. And we all love teaching!
http://www.spokesamerica.org
Karen Fasimpaur and Paul Oh to help us talk about a Youth Voices Summer Program that will be part of The National Writing Project’s Educator Innovator Initiative http://blog.nwp.org/educatorinnovator/ this summer.
Youth Voices is a site where students share, distribute & discuss their digital work online.
http://youthvoices.net
More info at http://www.youthvoices.net/summer2013
Links to IncitED crowdfunding campaign planning documents
1. Overview document covering pre-planning to post-campaign follow up
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8lWBi6aQDI-cTh2N0d1UDA0RHc/edit?usp=sharing
2. Document with tips for making an effective campaign video
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8lWBi6aQDI-bHhBdlRBWEpYQ1U/edit?usp=sharing
3. Document with tips for creating effective campaign perks
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8lWBi6aQDI-RDA2bUpkME5BclE/edit?usp=sharing
4. Document with tips for writing a basic campaign story
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8lWBi6aQDI-UC1FQUtRVlFmWUk/edit?usp=sharing
Enjoy!
Click Read more to see the chat that was happening during this live webcast.
Server Move
If you see this you are accessing the old server
Server Move
If you see this you are accessing the old server
The New Flickr: Love it or Leave it?
The new profile page
When I woke up this morning, drearily dragged my fat bottom into the gym. After scanning the lasted posts kept coming up again and again. “Flickr has changed!! OMG 1 TB of storage!” Sadly from my phone couldn’t tell what all the hype was about.
By the time that I got to my office/classroom, people were already foaming at the mouth with comments on their facebook page like “Just liked your face book page to feed back how absolutely awful the new flickr I can not tell you how much I hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” from one of the many angry flickr-users. I scratched my head a bit and wondered “is it really THAT bad?”
Recently, a few major sites have been getting face-lifts. Google+ did a major one recently and now Flickr. However, it doesn’t irk me too much when sites do this because well, generally the do a pretty good job and for the most part they are free with the exception of the flickr Pro membership.
The Back Story (as I understand it)Basically, Flickr hasn’t changed since 2004 according Thomas Hawk and that says a lot. Thomas also gave a pretty decent rundown on the new changes on his blog today. As the needs of people grow and get used to different social media forms and even cameras themselves, sites have to keep up with the times. With increased competition from other more social photo-sharing sites like Instagram, people were starting to leave and stop dropping so many sparkly flashing comments. Flickr seemed to be lacking… something.
The public cried out to the new CEO of Yahoo, who took over Flickr, Marissa Mayer to “make Flickr awesome again” What is telling about this statement was that people still loved Flickr, they still uploaded their photos but it was still clearly lacking…. something. People wanted a fresh look to the site and they wanted a site that would show their photos in a way that is current and beautiful.
What Happened TodayWhen Flickr members either opened their email or checked their flickr page they were hit with a surprise. POW! there is your awesome back! Well, not exactly to the liking of many on Facebook and the Flickr FAQ. It was a little confusing at first because this announcement came with the statement that you would get a free terabyte of space… for FREE!!
What does that mean? Well for me it means nothing as I never uploaded full res photos to my flickr site anyway but for those looking to show the big-ass high res images, you have nothing to worry about. The problem was that if the free accounts get a terabyte of storage, what is the point of having a “Pro” account?
What they have added is a basic ad-based system where you pay to “remove the ads” and plugged in some other goodies like stats and whatnot similar to 500px. The also increased the price to $50.
circa 2010
The OutrageA lot of the outrage from my friends and people in my circles centered around the new layout and look of the photos. I must admit that I didn’t really notice at all. However, judging by the comments left on their FAQ forum, people really really hate the look. I mean hate with the fires of hell hate.
People also brought up that the photos looked horrible with the new layout and that the high contrast colour scheme was aweful. People wanted their 90′s-era page back with all of it’s white space (which people also complained about too back in the day) and random greetings in foreign languages.
Besides that, the arguments are lacking in a bit of substance. I have spent the afternoon looking through them online and thinking “So what?” The other thing that people brought up was that they have copied Google+ and 500px and to that again I say “yup… so?” If you look at how many of the social photo sites are heading they are all starting to look the same. Columns and mosaic style photo pages.
Large views are nice
My OpinionIn my mind I don’t really see what the fuss is about. My pro account stays the same price (yup not $50) and I get the terabyte of add-free goodness. Also the stats page, forums, and groups page (now called “communities”) are all basically similar to the point where I still don’t really care.
Flickr was losing its focus and the whole platform needed to be updated. The flashy gif icon thingies that pepper the comment section gave the entire experience a very dated feel. The groups were losing their drive as less and less people participate and the “Flikr Meet Ups” have all but stopped and are now taken over with Google+ Photo walks and Facebook group Photo walks. They only way I can describe my feelings about the old flickr style is to compare it to the shopping mall in my hometown. They are both used frequently and are vital to the community but haven’t been updated since the the 90′s. They are suffering from the new kids on the block (pardon the pun) but people still visit there quite often even though they are not offering as much or just the “same old same old”
I actually like the new layout as it was a pleasant surprise. Once you get used to the layout changes, it actually seems more organized. The home page doesn’t get overloaded with comments as they are integrated into the stream. The scrolling feature now shows me more of the photos from my contacts and I can stay on the same page. I don’t have to leave the page or sort through a 1000 tiny square icons.
home screen is compartmental and organized
The group suggestions and activities are located on the right as well as the Explore/Commons previews. Going back to the main page, I really like the fact that I don’t have to keep muting popular post just to see some variety on the page or having to click “more recent activity” to see if any of my photos received comments. I can just scroll around and see what’s new.
Another interesting feature that I like is the fav and comment function right from the preview. With the new layout, you can see photo previews on a larger scale and you can comment or like them directly from that page. This means for those people hunting for comments you will probably get more fav’s and comments as people do not have you head to your page, they can drop a comment right from the home page.
As for the single picture viewing experience, I find that the picture now fills the page better and the lightbox experience fills the screen seamlessly. All of the keyboard shortcuts are still in place (“f” for fav and “l” for lightbox, etc.) if you want to check out more just type “?” when you are viewing a picture and they will all come up.
Finally I guess that I feel flickr was overdue for an upgrade in order to keep it current. I like the new layout and I feel that they are going to be improving things in time. I really hope they do something with how the group lists are organized. At any rate, I think that this is the first of many changes and I like where Flickr is going.
If you still what to know how to say “hello” in “cat” you can hover over your avartar/icon in the upper right and it will pop up
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Shin Saimdang – Longing for Parents
Shin Saimdang (申師任堂, 신사임당, 1504-1551) was a Chosun dynasty artist, calligrapher, and poet. She is the mother of Yi I (李珥, 이이, 1536-1584), who appears on the 5,000 won note. She was of the Pyeongsan Shin clan (平山申氏, 평산신씨); her courtesy name (字, 자 or 堂號, 당호) was Inseon (仁善, 인선); and her pen name (號, 호) was Saimdang (師任堂, 사임당). Shinsaimdang is viewed as the model of Confucian motherhood, and is called a “benevolent mother and good wife” (賢母良妻, 현모양처,Hyeonmoyangcheo), for being not only fulfilling household duties but also being well versed in Confucian Classics.
She first appeared on Korean currency in 2006 on the 50,000 Won note, making her the first woman to appear on a Korean currency note. This decision was not without controversy, as Korean feminists criticized the addition on various grounds. It should be, however, noted that there was a movement among Neo-Confucian scholars to educate women and better their status. It is thus no surprise that women authors in Classical Chinese first start really appearing during the Ming Dynasty in China and the Chosun dynasty in Korea, at the same time that Neo-Confucianism became the adopted philosophy.
思親 사친
Longing for Parents
千里家山萬疊峯 천리가산만첩봉
歸心長在夢魂中 귀심장재몽혼중
寒松亭畔孤輪月 한송정반고윤월
鏡浦臺前一陣風 경포대전일진풍
沙上白鷗恒聚散 사상백구항취산
海門漁艇任西東 해문어정임서동
何時重踏臨瀛路 하시중답임영로
更着斑衣藤下縫 경착반의등하봉
Thousand Li away my hometown’s mountains and the ten-thousand layered peaks
Return to my mind and remains long within my dreaming soul.
On the ridge of the Hansong Pavilion, the lonely wheeled moon shines;
In front of the Gyeongpo Gazebo, one sudden wind blows.
Above the sands, the white gulls always gather and scatter;
At the sea gate, the fishing boats ably go West and east.
At what time may I again walk the roads of Imyeong
And again wearing my colorful dress and below the wisteria tree sew?
Notes:
- Hansong Pavilion (寒松亭, 한송정, Hansongjeong) is a pavilion located in Hashidongri (下詩洞里, 하시동리) in Gangreung (江陵, 강릉). It is one of the oldest structures in Korea.
- Gyeongpodae Gazebo (鏡浦臺, 경포대, Gyeongpodae) is a storied structured also located in Jeodong (苧洞, 저동) in Gangreung.
- Imyeong (臨瀛, 임영) is the old name for Gangreung.
Characters:
- 疊(첩) – To be layered (첩첩하다).
- 畔(반) – Ridge (밭두둑).
- 白鷗(백구) – White gull.
- 艇(정) – Small boat.
- 斑衣(반의) – Colorful dress.
Copyright Notice
This work by Kuiwon is licensed under
a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
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KQCF 2013: Pride Parade
June is right around the corner! The big event of the Korean culture Festival is on June 1st. While previous prides have been downtown near Cheonggyecheon stream, this years festival will be in Hongdae.
source
So, here is the schedule for the day:
12pm-6pm: Assembling in Hondae. There will be booths, information, rainbow flags, a lot of gayness. They provided this map on their website. I imagine if you go to exit 8 of Hongdae, you can follow the rainbows.
From 3pm to 4:30pm there will be performances in the park. This includes performances by the fabulous Harisu, 2LP and plenty of drag queens. To check out the full lineup, visit kqcf.org.
The parade itself is scheduled to start at 4:30 pm. While there is a lineup already scheduled (well, the order of cars after the main banner), I also imagine that pride participants will join in the parade as they make the loop around Hongdae.
When the parade makes its way back to the park, there will be more performances including the awesomely named Gay Generation starting around 5:30. Of course, there will be plenty of after parties in the evening, but I'll blog about them later.
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About Learning2gether
The archive that could have died at Posterous on April 30, 2013 HAS BEEN FULLY RECOVERED here on WordPress, http://learning2gether.net, if anything, improved and patched up better than before. Enjoy!
How to find us:
- We tweet on hash tag #learning2gether. Vance will endeavor to update that tag by the weekend before a Sunday or Monday event, so if you search on that tag in Twitter, you should find information of where and when the next event takes place.
- You can find detailed information about all our upcoming events at http://learning2gether.pbworks.com, where you can find details of our program, when and what we learn together, free, online.
- On any Sunday, look for us in the Etherpad text chat in the widget here: http://learning2gether.pbworks.com/w/page/65975391/leave_us_a_message. We’re usually there from noon to 1400 GMT, and if you miss us you can leave a message.
Learning2gether events are part of a participant-driven professional development series planned as a part of the ongoing (since 1998) Webheads in Action community of practice and professional development movement http://webheads.info, lately with the involvement of the TESOL Arabia EdTech SIG http://taedtech.ning.com and more recently still TESL Toronto http://tesltoronto.org/
Learning2gether classroots weekly online professional development from Vance StevensThe above slideshare was a part of a presentation recorded live at Al Ain Men’s College UAE: http://learning2gether.net/2013/04/01/vance-stevens-on-learning2gether-streamed-liv/
Events are normally recorded and archived
- Index of recordings:
http://learning2gether.pbworks.com/archiveindex - Archived here:
http://learning2gether.net
We appreciate when people volunteer to give up presentations. If you would like to present to our community you can either write Vance Stevens at vancestev @ gmail.com or JOIN the wiki below and write in your presentation details directly on the wiki (many do this, but if you are not known to our community, please write Vance and request approval as a “writer”; otherwise your request will be approved at the “reader” level.
Visit http://learning2gether.pbworks.com/ to find:
- The call for presentations at http://learning2gether.pbworks.com/cfp
- The schedule for upcoming presentations at http://learning2gether.pbworks.com/volunteersneeded
- Listings of past presentations at http://learning2gether.pbworks.com/archiveindex
Normally the events take place any time after noon GMT each Sunday or Monday. In theory presenters can nominate any time or online venue they wish and we will try to go there. Normally we meet in the Bb Collaborate / Elluminate Webheads Room provided us on a grant from Learningtimes http://learningtimes.com or in Hangout streamed from our Webheads in Action live portal hosted at a Drupal maintained by http://worldbridges.net (connect via the links below).
Note that times given for Learning2gether events are GMT unless otherwise noted.
Use http://www.timeanddate.com/ to find local times where you are.
More info:
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This Learning2gether site is maintained by Vance Stevens and Copyright 2013
under Creative Commons License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/.
Artifacts maintained here are property of their respective authors, but you are free to share or remix any work displayed here that was created by Vance Stevens as long as you attribute its source (the author, and the URL at which you found it) and share alike (under the same creative commons license cited above)
May 17-19 Heike Philp hosts 6th Virtual Language Round Table Web Conference
The 6th VRT conference in 4 years took place over the weekend of May 17-19, 2013. As usual, there was a stellar offering of presentations lasting most of each of three days. Brainchild of Heike Philp, the conference was completely free and online and based itself at the following URLs:
- http://www.virtual-round-table.com/
- http://www.virtual-round-table.com/page/6-vrtwebcon-conference-program
Twitter #tag: vrtwebcon (and why not tag it #learning2gether as well
Audio problems in Adobe were countered with an alternate live stream on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/vrtwebcon/app_190322544333196
Learning2gether sat back on Sunday May 19 and enjoyed the show …
Sunday May 19 1400 GMT VLRT joins LTSIG with Nicky Hockly – Paul Driver on Embodiment, technology, and locative playAdobe recording: http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p986i73tokd/
Sunday May 19 1600 GMT special unconference / barcamp / edcamp program at VLRT hosted by Heike Philp, Vance Stevens, and Arjana BlazicAdobe recording: http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/p3t7zoohn12/
Warning from Heike, this is a 7 hour recording (first 2 hours = unconference, last hour = ELTONS, forgot to switch off). Hopefully we’ll sort it out on the YouTube and mp3 recordings to follow.
This is copy/pasted from the program for Sunday May 19 (add 4 hours for UAE time)
http://www.virtual-round-table.com/page/6-vrtwebcon-conference-program
Sun 11am GMT/ UTCclick link for world clock Sunday, 19 May2013 Room MERLINAsian contextModerator: Adam Simpson Room TRISTANVarious Topics
Moderation: Victor Hugo Rojas B., Peru Room AVALONTeaching with Technology
Moderation: Aydan Acar Yavuz 11am GMT/ UTC Syke Annamma Kumaran (iTDi) (Community of practise)Asli Saglam
Information Superhighway for the Networked Teachers: Online Communities of Practice Janet BianchiniSpice Up Your Teaching with Apps and Tools from A – Z 11:30am GMT/ UTC Tom Randolph, SeoulGoogle+ for blended learning Nina Jeroncic, SloveniaI speak meme! Merve Oflaz, TurkeyGive your students a second chance 12pm GMT/ UTC (Rap)Jason Levine
From Collocation to Critical Thinking Natasa Bozic GrojicGive Them Homework They Will Love 12:30pm GMT/ UTC Q&A and round table discussion Jason Levinecontinued… Marisa Constantinides, Greece CELT AthensFrom Curation to Creation Q&A and round table discussion Q&A and round table discussion Sun 1pm GMT/ UTC Communication Break Sun 2pm GMT/ UTC Main Venue ARTHURLT SIG Event
Keynote:Paul Driver, Portugal
Embodiment, Technology and Locative Play
Moderator: Nicky Hockly Sun 3pm – 5pm GMT/ UTC Main Venue ARTHUR(2h) Unconference / BarCamp / EdCamp
Moderator: Vance Stevens, Heike Philp and Arjana Blazic
Announcements
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evonline2002_webheads/message/30459
- http://taedtech.ning.com/events/may-17-19-heike-philp-hosts-3-day-virtual-language-round-table-we
Jangnim: Humanizing My Dong
This section of Busan gets a bit of slag. I remember looking at a comment thread on Koreabridge one time before I came back where one poster noted that if you breathe the air in Saha-gu (this town within a city where Jangnim is located), you instantly get AIDS. I have on more than one occasion referred to it negatively when someone asked where I lived, replied with, “huh?” and I had to tell them, “it’s next to Dadaepo,” to which the person would almost always say, “oh, wow, that’s so far.”
It is. And it’s gritty. It’s far from international. You won’t find 4-star hotels in Jangnim. You won’t even find Starbucks or McDonald’s (though, they’re not very far). There is a lot of industry going on here. But, there’s also a lot of humanity, too. It’s something I hope I assumed must exist but had not bothered to really see for myself.
So, under a slate gray sky with the rain having stopped this morning and my new bike (affectionately now known as “Zyden the Korean Warlord”) itching to be taken out for a spin, I decided to go beyond my walking/bus route to school and actually explore my dong. That will be the last time I use that tired joke.
I began with the intention of riding into Dadaepo to perhaps check out the ongoing work on a walkway planned for the beach and leading to the Sunset Fountain of Dream. But, one of the pedals of my new bike is already bent (you get what you pay for, which wasn’t much), so I figured I should keep it local, especially if the rain returned (it didn’t).
But, where to? I got on the main road, the one I always take heading to work, the one with all the construction for the subway extension, and made my first right down one of those other roads I have never taken, because I didn’t have to.
What I saw was what probably a lot of people living in this area go to during the week: industrial sites, small and not so small. Some apartment tower blocks. A lot of quiet. It’s not exactly a bustling part of the neighborhood.
But, as I turned around and headed toward Jangnim Market, I began to see more and more people. Make no mistake, this isn’t Seomyeon, KSU, Nampo, or Haeundae. But, it’s not a ghost town. There were kids playing, people walking from here or there, stories that I’ll probably never know their beginnings or endings. I say probably, though it’s more likely “never,” but, hey, you never know.
Jangnim Market proper is a bustling meeting place for young and old, with many restaurants, shops and street vendors. Unlike those aforementioned major city centers, you won’t find all the chains under the Asian sun in Jangnim, except an Ediya Coffee and Lotteria (and 7-Eleven, but it’s the totally Asian version of 7-Eleven so it doesn’t really count). Should McDonald’s ever make it to Jangnim, you’ll know the subway extension has had an effect (for the better?).
I continued winding my way through side streets that, back home, you would never see a car pass through unless it was trying to find a short cut. And, even still, in that case they wouldn’t stay too long for fear of getting a ticket. In Korea, they’re just smaller roads, with businesses, homes, even police stations.
I was dumped back onto another main artery where my ride continued. Here were fewer pedestrians, more closed shops (perhaps for always) and more cars, as this road appeared to lead to somewhere out of town. For another time when I have a spare tube in case I get a flat, and a spare man-won (10,000) in case I want to stop to get a bite to eat.
I continued to ride, slowly, trying to take it all in and not just gloss over the gray. Here and there were people in places you would least expect them to be. Well, unless you’ve lived for any length of time in an Asian country.
Whether it was a small alley, a large market square, a mini-industrial park or a small river running through it all, Zyden and I saw things many foreigners living here might never see. Maybe even plenty of lifelong residents, too.
And, no, this isn’t my attempt at serving shit with sugar and saying it’s a Sundae. Jangnim is gritty, no doubt about that. It’s inconvenient, no doubt about that, either. But, it’s also a place where people live. These are not just pairs of eyes staring the waygookin down as he heads to school. It’s not just the drunk screaming to no one in particular at 11 a.m. It’s not the alleycats either fighting or fucking somewhere outside my window. It’s all of that, and more–a lot of stories, of long and short lives lived here, in a place that, for many of them, is the only life they have ever known. It’s not always perfect, it’s often far from that. But, there’s a lot of humanity here, if only this broad-shouldered, pale-skinned, wide-eyed foreigner is willing to open himself up to it and have the experience, as free from bias as possible. It’s often not easy, but it’s possible.
Life really does look different when viewed from a bike.
So many stories, just try to imagine what some of them must be like.
JPDdoesROK is a former news editor/writer in New Jersey, USA, now serving a one-year hagwon tour-of-duty in Jangnim and Dadaepo, Busan, South Korea.
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Korea’s Regional Foreign Policy: Being an Encircled Middle Power Sucks
Newsweek Japan asked me to contribute an essay on Korean foreign policy for a special issue on current Northeast Asian tension. I also wrote the introductory essay for this special issue. There is one essay each on Japan, China, and Korea; mine is the Korean one. So this is a nice laymen’s review without too much fatiguing jargon. This was originally published in January, so this translation is late, but the points still hold.
In brief I argue that Korea’s foreign policy is driven by its geography. Korea is a middle power surrounded by three great powers, plus the most orwellian state in history. That position really, really sucks. The US alliance helps buttress Korea sovereignty in that tight neighborhood, but China’s rise is unbalancing everything, especially calculations for unification. Once again, there are no hyperlinks, because it was intended for print. Here we go:
“On December 19, Korea elected a new president, Park Geun-Hye. Park comes from the conservative New Frontier Party. The current president, Lee Myung-Bak, is also a conservative. Park will be inaugurated in late February. Her campaign presented her as more ‘dovish’ on foreign policy than Lee, but she represents greater continuity than her opponent, particularly regarding North Korea.
Korea’s foreign policy is heavily-driven by its geography. It is an encircled middle power that has frequently struggled to defend its autonomy against its much larger neighbors. And since World War II, it has faced the most orwellian country in history in a harsh stand-off that dominates Korean foreign policy. An opening of North Korea, leading to eventual reunification, is the central policy issue of every Korean administration. Beyond that, Korea’s central relations are with the United States, China, and Japan. All three structure Korea’s neighborhood and will significantly influence unification.
North Korea: Foreign policy played a small role in the Korean presidential election, and what there was focused mostly on North Korea. North Korea even test-fired a missile to intimidate Southern voters into selecting Park’s opponent. North Korea prefers Southern presidents from the left, for they have pursued the ‘Sunshine Policy’ (1998-2008). ‘Sunshine’ meant generous aid to North Korea and less condemnation of its human record. The current president halted this abruptly, and Pyongyang reacted furiously. It sank a South Korean destroyer and shelled an island town in 2010.
A sizeable majority of Koreans think the current hardline policy is too harsh, and Park ran a moderate campaign. Although from the conservative New Frontier Party, she has promised to restore some aid, increase ‘trust’ with the North, and pursue a summit meeting with the new North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. Critically, what, if any, conditions she will place on aid is unknown. Her voters, and the Americans and Japanese, almost certainly want conditionality related to denuclearization. But most analysts believe North Korea will never voluntarily denuclearize at this point. If Park insists on linking aid to denuclearization, she may be inadvertently pushed into Lee Myung-Bak’s hardline position, even though she ran against it.
United States: The US-South Korea alliance goes back to 1953. It is an important bulwark in the defense of the South against the North. The US stations close to 30,000 soldiers in-country – not enough to stop the North Korean People’s Army, but enough to activate American assistance should North Korea invade. Today South Korea’s economy is much larger than the North’s, but the continuing American deterrent allows the South to spend less on defense than it otherwise would. This, in turn, is meant to signal to the North that South Korea would like a reduction in force totals and tensions.
Under the liberal administrations previous to Lee, South Korea drifted somewhat from the American alliance. Younger Koreans especially are more skeptical of the Americans, frequently because of poor behavior by Americans in-country. They strongly rejected George W. Bush’s placement of North on the ‘axis of evil’ and supported the Sunshine Policy. Lee went the other way. He travelled to the US and spoke to its Congress to reaffirm the alliance. As a fellow conservative, Park will almost certainly continue tight relations with the United States. But the value of that US relationship is waning as the US declines in the world relative to China.
China: China will shortly overtake the US in GDP, and South Korea must engage Beijing. This is perhaps the trickiest of South Korea’s regional relations. On the one hand, China is still a one-party state, and it provides great assistance to North Korea. Indeed, without Chinese aid, many experts think North Korea would collapse. China has consistently shielded North Korea from UN reprimands, and this has slowly alienated South Korean public opinion. China’s ability to forestall unification, by propping up North Korea indefinitely, is increasingly clear to Southern voters in the wake of the Six Party Talks’ collapse. In my own experience, I have seen Chinese scholars at conferences indicate that South Korea must come to terms with China for unification to occur, leading to sharp rebukes from South Korean participants.
On the other hand, China now absorbs the plurality of South Korea’s exports. So alienating China economically is risky (a lesson many Asia states are learning). Nor Koreans do bear the political hostility toward China they do toward North Korea or Japan. Koreans’ sense of nationalism is constructed around mistreatment by pre-1945 Japan, not by the earlier Chinese dynasties. In fact, premodern, Joseon Korea was very culturally close to China. Korea was comfortable in the Sinocentric tribute system; it was not a colony or conquered region like China’s western territories. Because of its intense Confucianism, Korea enjoyed Chinese respect, and after the Manchu conquest (1644), Korea became ‘more Chinese than China.’
Hence, Korea is unlikely to support a tough line by Tokyo or Washington against China. Instead, Park’s likely greatest concern is halting North Korea’s slide into full-blown client-dependency on China. In the 1990s and 2000s, negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program allowed Pyongyang to play off the US, Japan, China, and South Korea for aid, just as it had played off China and the Soviet Union for assistance during the Cold War. But with the collapse of the Six Party Talks several years ago, aid from all but China stopped. So North Korea is now quite dependent on Beijing. Therefore, prying North Korea loose from China is central. China can bail-out North Korea indefinitely, so Park must convince Beijing to accept reunification on Southern terms. South Korea’s relationship with China is now arguably as important as with the US.
Japan: Korea’s relationship with Japan is deeply strained. Memories of Japan’s colonial mistreatment run deep. Koreans are very aware that Imperial Japan attempted to culturally assimilate Korea, even to the point of replacing Korean names. The issue of the war-time sexual impressment of Korean women unites nearly all Koreans in intense anger. The Korean media watches intently for any sign of Japanese ‘remilitarization.’ Visits to the Yasukuni shrine are tracked, as are Japan’s many up-and-downs on apologizing for war-time behavior. Koreans learn that Japan has invaded many times, although most of these attacks were actually pirate (wako) raids. The Korean admiral who defeated the Japanese in the Imjin War is taught as a great national hero. Yi Sun-Shin, although his exploits were over 400 years ago, is memorialized throughout the country in statues and imagery. A soap opera was written around him, and his Wikipedia page is relentlessly nationalistic.
Competing against, and beating, Japan on its own terms is therefore a central point of national pride, a manner to overcome past feelings of inferiority and victimhood. Koreans thrill to the idea of Yuna Kim outskating Asada Mao, or Samsumg outselling Sony in electronics. Competing directly against Japanese export strengths – cars, electronics – is no accident. The Liancourt Rocks controversy captures all this quite well. The islands will never be ceded to Japanese control. ‘Dokdo’ imagery is ubiquitous. Subway cars are painted with the images of the islands. Websites declaim them as ‘sacred.’ Pop songs are written about them. A Korean Olympic athlete this year was initially denied his medal for holding up a sign declaiming ‘Dokdo is our land.’ The Korean Ministry of National Defense says it is ready to go to war if necessary to defend the claim.
Ironically, the president-elect comes from possibly the most pro-Japanese family in the country. Park’s father, Park Chung-Hee, was dictator from 1961 to 1979. He admired Japan and had even served in the Japanese imperial army (points rarely mentioned in the Korean media). When he promoted Korean industrialization, he brought over the Japanese economic model almost entirely. Korea’s chaebol were basically copies of the keiretsu, as was the banking structure and industrial policy. Given this family history, Park is unlikely to gratuitously criticize Japan.
Today, Korean conservatives tend to less anti-Japanese than the left (no one is pro-Japanese). When Lee Myung-Bak became president, he initially tried to reach a working relationship with Japan and kicked around the idea of a free trade agreement. Similarly, Park will probably try to soothe relations. She knows the Americans want Japan and South Korea to get along better, and she knows that South Korean-Japanese discord only serves North Korea and China. But she is boxed in by domestic nationalist opinion on Japan regarding the war, comfort women, and the Liancourt Rocks.
So she, and new Japanese Prime Minister Abe, will likely do the same thing – nothing. Simply ignoring South Korean-Japan relations for awhile allows current tensions to fade. Insofar as South Korea and Japan are both liberal democracies, US allies, and worried about China and North Korea, a time-out is undoubtedly a good idea. Abe probably cares a lot more about China, not to mention re-starting Japan’s economy. And Park probably cares more about China’s growing dominance over North Korea. Letting sleeping dogs lie between Japan and South Korea is a wise idea in order to focus on issues of greater geopolitical importance.
Maneuvering these northeast Asia relationships will be complex. South Korea is still small. North Korea is terrifying; the United States and Japan are in economic trouble; and China is rising fast. This is not a good correlation of forces to achieve the main goal of Seoul’s foreign policy – the unification of the peninsula on Southern terms. Park will need Chinese acquiescence to unification, however discomforting that may be. It increasingly seems likely that China will demand a concession regarding US military forces in unified Korea. The exchange of a US withdrawal for unification is a deal Seoul elites have sought to avoid for decades, but it may be the only way given rising China’s hold on the North.”
Filed under: China, Foreign Policy, International Relations Theory, Japan, Korea (North), Korea (South), United States Robert E Kelly
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science & Diplomacy
Pusan National University
robertkelly260@hotmail.com
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TTT#348 IDEC 2013 - International Democratic Education Conference w/ Sally Anderson, Scott Nine, Joye Otto, David Loitz - 5.8.13
55:46 minutes (38.29 MB)
On this episode of TTT we have a conversation about democratic education and IDEC 2013, the 21st annual International Democratic Education Conference, which will be held in Boulder, Colorado this August 4-8.
Participants in this episode of TTT are:
What is IDEC?
IDEC 2013 will be a unique international gathering of changemakers—practitioners, organizers, academics, youth, and educators—built around how we can transform our communities, schools, and learning to ensure that all young people can engage meaningfully in their education and gain the tools to build a just, sustainable, and democratic world. The experience will include a rich blend of pre-scheduled events and the fluidity needed to host conversations, workshops and strategy sessions using a hybrid of Open Space Technology. Be prepared for a conference experience unlike any other – we’ll be pushing the boundaries of what we mean by learning, sharing, connecting and creating.
http://www.idec2013.org/about/democraticeducation/
http://www.idec2013.org/registration/
What makes IDEC 2013 remarkable?
IDEC 2013 is a place where the world learns together about learning. IDEC, now in its 21st year, is hosted by teams of educators from different countries and continents each year. This is the first time in ten years that it has been held in the United States. From Korea to Israel and Brazil to India, IDEC offers participants the space, prompts, and process to learn about the future and history of learning.
What is democratic education?
In communities around the world, a story is unfolding of young people, educators, networks, and communities generating solutions to the challenges of today’s complex world. That unfolding story is the story of democratic education.
Democratic education is not a type of school or research-based practice. It isn’t one kind of learning program or philosophy. It is a frame. It’s a way of gathering together a vast set of ideas, resources, and visions so that a powerful story can be told that reclaims education for people and communities. There are thousands of people and organizations around the globe engaged in democratic education. Many have similar values but different definitions. IDEC 2013 is for all of them.
Click Read more to see the chat that was happening during this live webcast.
TTT#348 IDEC 2013 - International Democratic Education Conference w/ Sally Anderson, Scott Nine, Joye Otto, David Loitz - 5.8.13
55:46 minutes (38.29 MB)
On this episode of TTT we have a conversation about democratic education and IDEC 2013, the 21st annual International Democratic Education Conference, which will be held in Boulder, Colorado this August 4-8.
Participants in this episode of TTT are:
What is IDEC?
IDEC 2013 will be a unique international gathering of changemakers—practitioners, organizers, academics, youth, and educators—built around how we can transform our communities, schools, and learning to ensure that all young people can engage meaningfully in their education and gain the tools to build a just, sustainable, and democratic world. The experience will include a rich blend of pre-scheduled events and the fluidity needed to host conversations, workshops and strategy sessions using a hybrid of Open Space Technology. Be prepared for a conference experience unlike any other – we’ll be pushing the boundaries of what we mean by learning, sharing, connecting and creating.
http://www.idec2013.org/about/democraticeducation/
http://www.idec2013.org/registration/
What makes IDEC 2013 remarkable?
IDEC 2013 is a place where the world learns together about learning. IDEC, now in its 21st year, is hosted by teams of educators from different countries and continents each year. This is the first time in ten years that it has been held in the United States. From Korea to Israel and Brazil to India, IDEC offers participants the space, prompts, and process to learn about the future and history of learning.
What is democratic education?
In communities around the world, a story is unfolding of young people, educators, networks, and communities generating solutions to the challenges of today’s complex world. That unfolding story is the story of democratic education.
Democratic education is not a type of school or research-based practice. It isn’t one kind of learning program or philosophy. It is a frame. It’s a way of gathering together a vast set of ideas, resources, and visions so that a powerful story can be told that reclaims education for people and communities. There are thousands of people and organizations around the globe engaged in democratic education. Many have similar values but different definitions. IDEC 2013 is for all of them.
Click Read more to see the chat that was happening during this live webcast.
Cheorwan: Tranquility on the DMZ
Cheorwan (철원), a lesser-known destination on the "security tourism" route, is one of these cities.
Last autumn, I traveled there to film an episode of "Top Ten Korea" with Arirang TV. Because the script was in Korean, I did not know what to expect. In fact, when I learned that I would be going to the DMZ, I assumed we would be visiting the joint security area where soldiers from both Koreas spend their days staring each other down intently, with little to no real action taking place. I soon realized upon our arrival to Cheorwan that there was much more to the DMZ that I had ever imagined.
We covered a lot of ground in the one day trip from Seoul. Below are the highlights of our excursion.
Old Woljeong-ni Station: Once a stop on the Seoul-Gangwon line, the station, or what is left of it, is now an empty building located on the southern boundary of the DMZ. Although the building itself is nondescript, the draw of the station is the skeleton of a North Korean transport train that lays just outside its walls.
The train- which was bombed by American forces- is enclosed by a fence adorned with messages of hope. As we took a walk around the site, we became teary-eyed by some of them obviously written by children. "Let's play together when we are united," one of them read. "I hope to meet you soon," noted another.
The station is about as geographically close as you can get to the demilitarized zone and is a landmark that makes Korea's tragic past very, very real. In order to access this area, visitors must have a permit or enter with someone who has a permit (i.e. shuttle bus driver, taxi driver, etc.).
The remains of a former North Korean transport train lie just outside old Woljeong-ni Station.
Messages of hope for reunification can be found throughout Cheorwan city.
The Second Tunnel: Discovered by South Korean guards in 1975, the second tunnel was built by North Korean forces as a means of infiltrating the South. It is big enough to accommodate up to 30,000 people and is wide enough for tanks to pass through it. Fortunately for me, who has some serious claustrophobia issues, we didn't go far into the tunnel. It was an interesting site, however, and offers an insightful glimpse into one of the world's most mysterious countries.
Descending into Cheorwan's tunnel.
Mine.
Cheorwon Peace Observatory: For a literal glimpse into North Korea, we took a monorail that offered some amazing views to the Cheorwon Peace Observatory. The observation platform offers panoramic vistas of the DMZ and with the help of on-site binoculars, North Korean checkpoints and guards can be spotted. Because the DMZ is the only place in the world where no human is allowed to enter, wildlife flourishes within its boundaries and beautiful birds and plants can also be seen.
Though desolate, the vistas of the DMZ and North Korea are worth the trip to the Cheorwan Peace Observatory.
Migratory Birds: Speaking of birds, Cheorwan is located on the migration route of a number of species of birds that fly south during winter, including red-crowned cranes, golden eagles, mallards, and white-fronted geese. Our camera guys failed in getting any money shots of the birds flying en masse (possibly because it was the beginning of the season) but we still enjoyed watching the cranes wander the fields and take off in flight as the sun set over Cheorwan. There are a number of suggested viewpoints to watch the birds from November to February.
Goseokjung: Of all the places we visited, this one was definitely my favorite. In addition to its beauty, this area that sits on the Hantan River has an amusing history.
It was in the caves of Goseokjung that Lee Kung-jung, or Korea's Robin Hood, as he is sometimes referred to, hid from the guards of the Joseon Dynasty with his organized team of do-gooders. Lee was often wanted for stealing government property and handing it over to the poor, but didn't seem to let that keep him from doing what he thought was right.
It's easy to understand why Lee chose Goseokjung as his sanctuary: the area is not only shrouded in lush vegetation but the views are breathtaking. The sight of the vibrant colors of the autumn foliage outlining the emerald river was enough to make me want to stick around and find my own little retreat in the crevices of the rocks and boulders. As gorgeous as the scenery was in fall, I imagine it's just as beautiful in the spring and summer, when visitors can rent boats and participate in water sports.
Once a hide out for Korea's own Robin Hood, Goseokjung is a stunning area where visitors can enjoy pleasant picnics and water sports.
Despite Cheorwan's tragic past and current military affiliations, there's a tangible hope present there. It can be found in the written messages of peace scattered throughout the city, in the wildlife that has blossomed in the demilitarized zone despite human conflict, and in the undeviating beauty of nature, which continues to endure through each passing season.
To Get There: To get to Cheorwan, take an intercity bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (Seoul subway line 2, Gangbyeon station) to Dongsong-eup or Sincheorwon. (Estimated travel time: 2hrs 20min). The city is best explored by car, so it is recommended that you hire a taxi upon your arrival. However, attractions can be accessed via public transportation; detailed directions to specific destinations in Cheorwan can be found at the Korea Tourism Organization website.
More Info: For more information about the destinations and attractions listed above, visit Cheorwan's official website here.
Seoul Searching
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TTT#347 Spring Conversations with Valerie Burton, Chad Sansing, and Jo Paraiso - May 1, 2013
62:01 minutes (42.59 MB)
On this episode of TTT Monika Hardy and Paul Allison talk with Valerie Burton and Chad Sansing. We are also be joined by Jo Paraiso, whose students in Oakland, CA have been all over Youth Voices recently: http://youthvoices.net/Fremont
What have you been noticing? What dreams are you working to make come true? What connections are you making with people and ideas? What are you doing that's awesome?
Click Read more to see the chat that was happening during this live webcast.TTT#347 Spring Conversations with Valerie Burton, Chad Sansing, and Jo Paraiso - May 1, 2013
62:01 minutes (42.59 MB)
On this episode of TTT Monika Hardy and Paul Allison talk with Valerie Burton and Chad Sansing. We are also be joined by Jo Paraiso, whose students in Oakland, CA have been all over Youth Voices recently: http://youthvoices.net/Fremont
What have you been noticing? What dreams are you working to make come true? What connections are you making with people and ideas? What are you doing that's awesome?
Click Read more to see the chat that was happening during this live webcast.고맙습니다, 선생님! (Thank you, Teacher!) ^^
May 15th is Teacher’s Day in South Korea. On this special day, students give their teachers carnations or thank-you letters. Some prefer to give cosmetics or chocolates.
My Korean students usually write me letters or give candies and chocolates on Teacher’s Day.
Last year, when I returned to work after taking a short leave, my youngest class surprised me with a note on the board and gave me a group hug. The little ones could not prepare any flowers or presents, but they gave me the best gift that day.
This morning, the first one to greet me “Happy teacher’s day” was my husband. (Well, he used to be my student. ^^)
Tomorrow. it’s my turn to make a teacher smile. I’m sure that my Korean language teacher will receive carnations from other students, so instead of flowers, I’m thinking of buying her Starbucks coffee or maybe getting her aStarbucks gift card. You can purchase a Teacher’s Day gift card in Starbucks or order one on-line or via smart phone. The video below will give you instructions on how to do it. (It’s in Korean though.)
I’ve worked with many Korean teachers. They are very patient and hardworking.
My first Korean language teacher is a nurse, but she volunteered to teach foreign wives and migrant workers in Namyangju (South Korea). Now she heads a multi-cultural center inDonong. She has been very helpful to me, especially when I was still adjusting to the Korean way of life. At times, she took me and my classmates on field trips. When my husband was busy with work that he barely had time to assist me with some documents I needed in thehagwon, it was my Korean teacher who helped me. She doesn’t teach me anymore, but I visit her in the center sometimes.
I’m planning to see her this week to tell her personally, 고맙습니다, 선생님! (Thank you, Teacher!)
If you have a Korean teacher you would like to greet on Teacher’s day, you can say, “스승의 날 축하해요!” which means…
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From Korea with Love
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Samgwangsa Temple in Busan
During the weekend, my wife and I decided to take a trip to one of the more popular temples in Busan. Typically if you see an elaborately decorated temple from Busan, is will be Samgwangsa. This temple is huge as temples go for the area and is decorated with over 10,000 lanterns.
This Friday is Buddha’s Birthday a public holiday and one of my favorite times to photograph in Korea. Almost every temple in Korea is decorated for the event along with many parts of the city. Photographers head out by the thousands to get “that shot” of the famous temples and their lantern displays.
For me, I always head out during the evenings before the big day to catch the lanterns and miss the people. This is also when you can meet many other like-minded photographers. It is a quiet time, think “calm before the storm” and a great way to focus on your work.
However, Samgwangsa was not at all quiet. I did meet other photographers like Robert Koehler who I was pleasantly surprised to see. As well as Ryan Griffiths and his girlfriend Erin, who are up and coming photographers from Ulsan.
As the light started to dim, every imaginable window had lenses poking out of it. With the lanterns on, out came the saxophone music and other random bits of entertainment. It showed just how busy Friday will get. All in all, it was a great evening and I was happy to get some shots of this landmark of a temple.
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USS Nimitz Carrier Group heads out of Busan, Korea
News Story: http://asitimes.blogspot.kr/2013/05/photos-uss-nimitz-arrives-in-busan-to.html
USS Nimitiz Info: http://www.nimitz.navy.mil/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nimitz_(CVN-68)
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