Gwangju International Center

  Welcome to Thailand!                             Presenter:  Monruedee Moonkhum Date: June 16th, 2012 Review Writer: Song Jeong Hyo Proof-reader: Bradley Weiss   Have you ever thought about where you would go and what you would do if you ever visited Thailand? This talk provided a good deal of useful information on that very topic! The presenter was a native of Thailand, so she was able to share a lot of helpful knowledge and valuable sightseeing recommendations from first-hand experience. Overall, her presentation was not only full of useful details but was also really interesting, and made for another enjoyable GIC Talk. This talk is very helpful and useful for us. I thought her presentation was really interesting so enjoyed the GIC Talk time that day.   The topic was “Welcome to Thailand”, presented by Monruedee Moonkhum. At the beginning of her presentation she stated that wanted to provide the audience with some basic information and general facts about her country. These included essentials such as Thailand’s capital, form of government, currency, religions, and population statistics. Then, the presenter moved on to some more detailed information about Thailand, including such topics as the meaning of the country’s name, discussion of Thai monks and temples, the flag, national symbols, the nation’s holidays, weather, culture, etc. I found the part focused on culture to be especially interesting and in particular the discussion of the wai, the Thai form of greeting, and how Thais employ different greetings according to the person. This was new and interesting information for me and probably many others in the audience. Another highlight was the discussion of Thai festivals, which included Song Kran, Loy Krathong, and the Chinese Vegetarian Festival. Loy Krathong is a Thai tradition which has been conducted for a long time. It is held from the middle of the eleventh to the middle of the twelfth lunar month, which is during the flood season. When the moon shines at night, it makes the rivers clear, and during the night of the full moon, many people float a small raft (Krathong) on a river. For Thai people, life is like a river and most things are centered along rivers. They believe that floating a raft on the river is a way to honor and pay respect to, as well as offer apology to, the Goddess of Water. It is symbolic of letting go of all of one's negative emotions, so that we one can start a better life. People will also cut their fingernails as a symbol of letting go of the bad parts of themselves. The Chinese Vegetarian Festival is observed every October. The purpose is to bring good fortune to those who follow the custom. During the festival, people of Chinese descent adhere to a strict vegetarian or vegan diet for 10 days to achieve spiritual cleansing.   Thailand is home to many kinds of food, some of which is similar to Korean food, but some is uniquely Thai. Some of the common ingredients in Thai cooking include ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, lemon grass, basil leaves, and coconut milk. Thailand is also a paradise for tropical fruits. At any time during the year dozens of fruits can be found at market. These include durian, rambutan, magosteen, longans, lychee, and langsat.   The speaker also discussed the various means of transportation in Thailand, including is colored taxis, vans, buses, subway, motorcycles, pickup trucks, etc. For me, the most were the colored taxis and pickup trucks. If I ever get a chance to visit Thailand, I definitely want to ride in a pickup truck.   The speaker’s final topic was discussion of the various regions of Thailand. The northern region is near the mountains, and is marked by forests, fertile valleys, and a cool, pleasant climate. The economy of the area is mainly centered on raising cattle and growing crops such as rice. It is, unfortunately, the poorest region, due to drought. Papaya salad with sticky rice is the region’s main dishes. The central region is the main rice-growing region of Thailand. This region is marked by large cities with all kinds of people from different backgrounds, as well as by its abundant seafood, sweet tangerines, and mangos. The southern region is hilly and mountainous, covered mainly by rainforests and stretches from the Gulf of Thailand to the Indian Ocean.   This talk managed to be both very interesting and highly informative. There were many things the audiences could take away from the presentation, and it was an enjoyable experience for all.  

  Dance as Art and Education         Presenter: Angie Hartley Date: June 9th, 2012 Review Writer: Kim Wheewon Proof-reader: Nguyen Thi Le Hoa    What is dance? There are many answers: moving body to show emotion or shaking body and spirit following rhythm… But Angie Hartley who is the speaker this week, gave us a new answer about what dance is. She told us we can dance without moving. Following her idea, every motion including staying, making pose, staring etc can be dance. I thought her ideas was really interesting, so enjoyed her presentation that day.    The topic was “Dance as Art and Education” and it was given by Angie Hartley. She started the presentation with question about the definition of dance and art. Many audiences gave their ideas about her question. People said the beautiful thing is art or the dance and music heals sadness in our mind.   She said any answer was right. Next, she explained the history of modern dance and gave us good examples, Isadora Duncan who started to do modern dance. And she introduced a famous person named Martha Graham, who is one of the great modern dancers. She explained the modern dance is little different from general dance, that is more creative and artistic. She needed some voluntary models and two of audiences willed to help her. She asked one of them to make a pose following the other’s description about “Lamentation”. The pose was different from the picture given by the presenter. So people were surprised when they checked the differences between the pose and the picture. She told us the modern dance is really creative and we might have felt it by comparing the pose and the picture.    She played a song after finishing explanation of the history of modern dance. She suggested people closing their eyes and imaging which dance is appropriate for this music. Then she showed us one of modern dances in harmony with this music. The dance was beautiful and great. She gave people time to compare the dance given by her and their imagination. People enjoyed doing this activity.    Angie ended her presentation with this activity. She brought two notices about a free dance workshop which is hosted by her. It was the useful information for people who are interested in dance.  I thought this topic was very interesting and also informative. There were many activities for audiences to participate. Therefore, I felt like I also made the presentation together with the speaker and other audiences. I really enjoyed the talk.    

  Ho Chi Minh: Vietnam's Enigma   Speaker : Nguyen Thi Le Hoa Date : 12.06.02 Review Writter: Kim Su Jin Proof-reader: Nguyen Thi Le Hoa   Today's talk was very special because it was given by Nguyen Thi Le Hoa who became a new coordinator of GIC Talk. She is from Vietnam, so she know very well about Ho Chi Minh, the first president of Vietnam. I think that is why she chose this topic to present Ho Chi Minh: “Vietnam’s Enigma“.   She presented Ho Chi Minh in three different aspects. Firstly, it is political aspect. He was born May 19th 1890 and dead September 2nd 1969. He was as activist and a devoted person for nation. He wrote a letter against the corruption of the Court and the high exploit or the French colonialist, went abroad finding the way to save the country, and even submitted report to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. Because of these works, he was observed by French secret police and to be condemed to be killed right after arresting. He was imprisoned in China for a year by anti-communism goverment. He founded Vietnamese Independent Alliance, declared the independence of Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DROV), and became the President of DROV and Prime Minister. He was also a Chairman of Labor Party, and built up constitution and strategy to liberate South Vietnam. Thanks to his effort, South and North Vietnam could reunify.   Secondly, it is conduct aspect. He was famous in the world for his devotion, sacrifice for the independence of the country and for the people’s happiness, equality and peace. Although he was a president, he was not like a dictator, he was always leading other by himself model. He did farming with a plough in order to teach peasants how to use new farming machine. He wore old clothes which peasants used to wear and lived in an old cottage. Moreover, he told citizens to call him uncle Ho instead of president. He didn't marry, but he reckoned that all Vietnam citizens were his family. He really loved children and spent much time to visit and play with children. With Vietnamese people. he was like a blood relation.   Thirdly, it is culture aspect. He had talent of languages and literature. He could speak and write well new national Vietnamese, English, French, and even Chinese. He wrote a lot of poems, many articles for newspapers, short stories, administrative books using different languages.   Lastly, Le Hoa told about his legacy. After his death, his body is kept in the Mausoleum. Some ethnics changed their family names to "Ho", and many streets in the world were named of his. His portrait is in every classroom, every public office in Vietnam. and there are over 50 songs to praise him. He is even considered as God with some Vietnamese.   Like these for Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh is a really important person. Thanks to Le Hoa, I could know about Ho Chi Minh clearly. Among his achievements, his efforts which made South and North reunify were very impressive. As a person who is living in a divided country, I really envy Vietnam. I wish that someday, there would be a person like Ho Chi Minh in Korea.  

  Korea has Copyright Law? Actually, Yes!     Presenter: Darren Bean Date: May 26th, 2012 Reviewer: Kim Hyun-Kyu Proof-reader: Nguyen Thi Le Hoa   Copyright is a right to control copying of something. It's not a mark used in trade. It is also not a scientific invention. It is used to apply for books, music, movies, art and software. The speakers pointed out 6 fun facts: Fun Fact #1: Copyright-like laws were initially a tool for censorship and a way of the few profiting from the many. Fun Fact #2: This nation refused to join the world's foremost copyright treaty for nearly one hundred years because it was a hotbed of piratical activity. The U.S. did not join the Berne Convention until the 1980s in part because the U.S. benefitted tremendously from pirating European novels  Fun Fact #3: This collective tried to prevent widespread use of the phonogram. - Songwriters  Fun Fact #4: This industry tried to prevent the release of "Betamax" (a pre-VHS form of home video. - Movie Industry  Fun Fact #5: This industry enjoyed record profits in 2006 while requesting lawmakers make payments to singers and songwriters be less. - Record Industry. Fun Fact #6: In the 1980s, the US was pushing "TRIPS," a new intellectual property treaty (WTO)Several poorer and especially South American nations protested TRIPS based on what it would to do pharmaceutical drug prices (trademark and patent issues)  Brazil and this nation were labeled "piracy havens" so that the US could push ahead. Korea wasn't even protesting TRIPS and would have done anything (in reason) to join the WTO.   Structure of Korea Copyright: "Authors" hold economic rights and moral rights. Author's Economic Rights - Reproduction, Public performance, Public Transmission. Exhibition, Distribution, Rental, Derivative works. Author's Moral Rights - Publication, Integrity, Attribution, Free from defamation.   Limitations on Rights.   Korea USA "Listed" statutes List of a few uses No "general" statute General sec. 107 Casual copying OK No casual copying Education use is paid No pay for "fair use"   "Performers" hold different rights. Performers have "exclusive" and "compensated" rights. "Producers" has no moral rights and some economic right (fewer than performers) "Broadcasters" has very few and specialized rights. The major differences between Korea and U.S - music U.S. - no neighboring rights (but special limitations to sound recording right holders) No moral rights (some for visual artists) Compulsory license is available immediately without negotiation.  Korean royalties are usually negotiated through trusts Trusts vary depending on who the right holder is and how the work is used. Sometimes a right holder MUST join a trust "Limitations to rights" (compensated uses) "Compensatory rights" of performers and producers  

         As the rays of the sun broke through the dark night’s covers, a diverse group of ordinary individuals found themselves drawn toward the GIC building. I can’t say for sure what brought us all together. Perhaps there was just something in the air, or maybe it was the message we all got telling us to meet there for the tour.        As we assembled, rations (kimbap/hard-boiled eggs/bottled water) were doled out. To the nervous mountaineers, these humble provisions would be all that stood between them and starvation on the mountain. As I clutched my provisions inside the interlacing steel teeth of my backpack, I could see the nervousness and worry begin to take hold over our ragtag group. More than a few individuals were overwhelmed by their nerves and dug into their supplies then and there. The fools! Save some for when you are on higher attitude!        At last the bus appeared to calm the assembled mass and transport us to the mountain. Gurye, the last outpost of civilization between Gwangju and Jirisan, was a quiet hour away. But our goal today was not Gurye, we were to reach the peak of Nogodan. At 1,500 meters, it was the third highest mountain in all of Jirisan.        Nogodan would prove to be quite a challenge, but we were up to it. Using nothing but our indomitable spirit, and the bus, we made fantastic time up the nice paved roads of the first 1,100 meters of mountain. After choosing to disembark the bus due to wanting to test ourselves more (and there being no more road to drive up), we were forced to instead rely on our own legs for the last bit of mountain. About two hours after going toe to toe with Nogodan, by the time the flag was waved, the peak was laid sprawled out under our feet. Our rewards – the sweeping landscapes of the Western Jiri area and the peaceful sea of clouds.        After we lunched on our remaining provisions, our next destination was Hwaeomsa, head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Known for several famous treasures, including a giant ancient stone lantern and a three-storied stone pagoda supported by four stone lions, a variety of activities fractured the group. Some explored the grounds or hiked the area, others had tea (with a temple monk) and I assume achieved inner peace.          Finally, we descended from the mountaintop. Before returning to Gwangju, we made a stop at a local Gurye restaurant to replenish our strength. The sanchae-jeon (mushroom and wild vegetable pajeon) and dongdongju (a stronger regional makgeoli) were both plentiful and delicious.        Our arduous expedition behind us, we made of journey back to the GIC, seeking the sweet release of home. In the hours and possibly days to come, within darkened hofs, smoky taverns, and hushed facebook walls throughout the land, there will linger whispers of this day. For on this day, mankind once again asserted their dominion over nature, and yet it be known - it was fun.    Written by_Calvin Yu   >>Click here to see more tour pictures! >>Click here to sign up next Wando Tour!!  

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Mapping Diaspora Identities   Presenter: Jae-pyung, Song  Date: May 19th, 2012 Reviewer: Yeon-ju, Kang (GIC Volunteer) Edittor: Nguyen Thi Le Hoa      Nowadays, we live in a globalized worlfd nd expand our relationship by traveling through countries or something like that. However, some people, such those from the diaspora don't experience this in the same way as the travelers do. The following are the speaker's stories in the USA.      When the speaker left Korea, he was young and had romantic belief of living in another country. He said that he left a world of social contact and arrived in a world of rationality. He left a world of Korean foods and arrived in a world of American foods like the hamburger. He left a world of ethics and arrived in a world of capitalism. He left a world of meals and arrived in a world of sweet desserts. Likewise, the lifestyle of an American was totally different. For example, he didn't need to work late whether his boss was in the office or not. However, in some way, the diaspora encounters unwanted situations. When the speaker was passing on the street in Washington D.C, a young American man stopped his car and yelled at him "Go back to your country!". It was a painful memory for the speaker.      In another experience, his neighborhood posted a note on his door stating "We should not cook smelling cook in USA!". The place they live in is a diasporic space that is filled with loneliness and longing for their mothers, home, and homeland because they are foreigners. So, the speaker said, Michigan he stayed in a church that was established for Koreans that are missing Korea, Korean food, and suffering from Nostalgia. And, they always imagine Korea.      A diaspora and poet, Jung ji-young's poem called Nostalgia written in 1923 expressed his bitter mind when he studied in Japan. He said in the poem, "I never forget Korea even in his dream.“ Another poem named “Bound for the South”, by Ko, Jeong-hui expressed that the poet really wanted to return to Hae-nam. She also admired Mt. Mudeung. She said in the poem: "I want to bow to the landscape of the South Korea.“.      The diaspora feel lonely and homeless. But, on the other hand, they feel that they straddle two cultures and think that the space they are staying is the space of pain, but also of possibility at the same time. The diaspora think that they are in beneficial position although they are suffering from Nostalgia. Two cultures they straddle can connect with each other by them, and they have new identity that can consolidate their identities.  

    On the Eastern side of Naju, there is an old flagpole that remains tall to balance the city in relation to the Geumseong Mountains to the west.  In early times, this city was constructed on theories of geomancy, a basic idea in Korean tradition.  You can see remnants of this idea in many aspects of Korea, including the country’s flag, which features a red and blue taegeuk, balanced perfectly into a circle.  As I stood facing west passed the flagpole, I could see a city that is filled with tradition and history, but is also striving for modernization.  In between the flagpole and mountain range sits a small sea of apartment buildings, serving as a reminder that I was still in 2012.      On a clear spring Saturday, I was lucky enough to participate in the GIC tour to Naju, the capital of the South Jeolla province until it was moved to our very own Gwangju around the turn of the 20th century.  Naju was built along the Yeongsan River, which served as a trading route to other cities such as Seoul and Gwangju before emptying in Mokpo.  Only, whereas these other cities like Seoul and Gwangju have modernized in the past fifty years, Naju remains the farming town that it was years ago.      Early in our tour, we passed by Naju’s old marketplace, which was in the process of being torn down.  The Korean traditional open-air marketplace was replaced by a newer one across the street.  Here, I tried Hongeo (홍어), a raw skate fish that has an aftertaste like ammonia.  I did not exactly enjoy it, but it is nice to say that I tried a terrible Korean food for once.  Everything cannot be as good as Bibimbap.      Speaking of delicious Korean food, for lunch, we went to a traditional Korean restaurant and ate gomtang (곰탕), a beef soup.  This may have been one of the best Korean dishes I’ve had thus far in my experience here.  I finished my dish like a hungry bear, which is funny, considering the first syllable (곰) can translate to mean “bear.”      After our delicious lunch, we headed over to Naju’s Confucian Academy.  At the Academy, we met a green tea maker and participated in a tea ceremony while watching a student sing an old-style tune while strumming a Korean harp.  I was lucky enough to be chosen as the tea master for my group of five.  While serving green tea to a group seems like an easy task, it was more meticulous than one would think, and led to a few wrong steps on my part.  On the bright side, the tea was excellent.      After tea, we were led to a small spring that held a special story.  The story says that here, an old king of Naju named Wangun met a woman named Janghwa who would one day be his queen.  Janghwa offered the king a cup of water with a flower inside, intending to keep the king from drinking too fast and cause a stomach ache.  Impressed by her wisdom, Wangun made her his queen.        After seeing traditional Korean tombs, the tour was finally led to our last stop of the afternoon - a small Doenjang farm.  Here, we met the farm’s owner, and even tried some of his creations, like soy bean paste and red pepper paste (made from pears, Naju’s specialty food).  He also treated us to a tangerine drink in his house that he had made from fermented sugar.  That’s an awesome kind of hospitality.        The GIC tour to Naju was a learning experience.  Though I love Gwangju, it’s always nice to see what else this beautiful country has to offer, especially a city filled with as much history as Naju.  I would like to thank Warren, our tour guide, for being as knowledgeable and as prepared as he was.  The tour was fantastic.  For the readers, I hope you join us next month.     Written by_Jonathan Haines   >>Click here for more photos!!  

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