Latest books arrive in the Korean book stores

These books are the new arrival in the book stores which are ecpecting to enthrill the eyes, mind and heart of the readers who loves to ecplore varieties.

Dreaming Clown: Kim Myung-gon’s Autobiography

Kim Myung-gon; Yoorichang: 296 pp., 14,000

Former culture minister Kim Myung-gon has published an autobiography, elaborating on his various experiences with the arts and government. His most recent artistic endeavor was producing “Endless Voyage,” an upcoming performance mixing ballet and traditional Korean dance.


Kim is a renowned ‘pansori’ (traditional Korean opera) performer, actor and producer as well as former president of the National Theater of Korea. The late former President Roh Moo-hyun appointed him culture minister in 2006.

But Kim is still mostly known for his role in the film “Seopyeonje” by filmmaker Im Kwon-taek in the early 1990s. Kim also wrote the scenario for the film.

“I have done a lot of work in theater and in film since then, but they are mostly overshadowed by the role I played in ’Seopyeonje.’ The character of Yu-bong and I shared the same sense of alienation, pain and failures as pansori artists, so it was a role that I could completely sympathize with,” he said.

He recollects his ties with the administrations of Roh and the late Kim Dae-jung, both of whom were ardent patrons of the arts with a keen in interest in traditional Korean culture.

During Kim Dae-jung’s presidency, Kim led the National Theater of Korea and the former President and his wife Lee Hee-ho attended performances there. Kim calls the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient “a president with astonishing cultural knowledge and the best audience member I have ever met.”


— DO JE-HAE


Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words

Michelle Obama; Translated from English to Korean by Kim Hyun-joo; JoonAng Books: 311 pp., 13,000 won



Michelle Obama is the Unites States’ first African-American first lady, a fashion icon and a big political presence. As an attorney, wife and mother of two children, she often calls herself “mom in chief.”

Now readers can learn more about her in this book, translated by the editor of Cosmopolitan Korea — though some readers may be disappointed since this is not an autobiography or essay but a compilation of quotes by Obama from various media sources.

Nevertheless the remarks and excerpts of speeches by the first lady are organized thematically. On fashion, for example, she says “You can get some good stuff online,” which many shoppers who swear by Internet shopping malls may find endearing. It also reveals how her husband, Barack Obama, is an ordinary guy at home who fails to put his dirty socks in the laundry bin.

The Korean version offers Obama’s views as more of a self-guide on boosting self-esteem as it emphasizes how she was able to overcome fears of her husband’s presidential nomination having an adverse affect on her family’s privacy or inviting racial discrimination.


— LEE HYO-WON


Inventing Popular Culture: From folklore to globalization

John Storey; Translated from English to Korean by Yu Yong-min; Taehaksa: 216pp., 15,000 won each, 9,500 won each




John Storey is a professor of cultural studies and director of the Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Sunderland. He traces back the conception of popular culture to the 18th century when so-called intellectuals started expressing definitions of popular art.

The new concept diverged into two genres — folk culture based on rural traditions and mass culture of the urban laborers — throughout the beginning of the 20th century. Over eight chapters, the author examines the history and identity of popular culture including its place within globalization, intellectualism and consumerism.


— NOH HYUN-GI


Delicious Tokyo

Kang Soo-jung; Paperbook: 240 pp., 15,000 wonI

Former announcer Kang Soo-jung has published a book on food and restaurants in Tokyo.



Kang knows something about food, having hosted television show “Taste vs. Taste,” which introduced local delicacies and famous restaurants, and currently runs a blog titled Foodfighter (www.foodfighter.co.kr). She lived in Tokyo for a year and a half and decided to share her eating experiences while there.

“Delicious Tokyo” covers her visits to traditional Japanese restaurants featuring sushi, tempura and kaiseki including important details. Sushi Saitom, given three stars by Michelin, for example, has only seven seats, while tempura restaurant Yokota has been running for more than 31 years and Esaki uses local organic ingredients.The writer focuses not only on Japanese cuisine but also introduces French and Italian restaurants.

Source: The Korea Times

Accessories for Women in Joseon Dynasty Era

We always to have a better look and show off our charms by wearing new clothes and trying a new hairstyle. Well, there is nothing like accessories to complete the ‘better’ look. Every decorative items, such as hats and mufflers, can be called accessories.

Today, we will go through the favorite accessories of Korean women in the Joseon Dynasty era. Hair ornaments, bracelets, rings and necklaces. They wore different ornaments by season, occasion and age. In addition, each accessory has its own story. For example, when family gets separated, they share each ring from a pair of rings, garakji. When husband died early, wife buried a ring of the pair with him and she kept the other to commemorate him. For that reason, garakji used to be made as a pair and actually bigger than present one.
Let’s take a look at the accessories of women in the Joseon Dynasty era.




Earring: The Symbol of Class



Rings were the first ornament in history. In certain countries of Asia, people considered it like a charm and kept it very carefully. They were also called eesik, eedang or eehwan. Many gold crowns and delicately made-ornaments were excavated from many graves of the Three Kingdoms period. We can guess the metalwork technique of the era was very sophisticated and detailed. There are three types of earrings; simple, dangling and showy. The earrings of old times were made of gold, silver and bronze, but unfortunately the number of the earrings from Goryeo dynasty are very few.








Did you know that men used to put on earrings in the past? The typical example is Hwarang in the Silla kingdom. They used to wear earrings as a symbol of youth and ability. According to the Annals of the Joseon dynasty, prince Yangpyeong put on big earrings when he was nine (in 1513) and it was common for prince to put on earrings back then. However, the earrings became unpopular since the Confucianism pervaded the whole country in the Joseon Dynasty era. Even the King Seonjo officially announced that it is the most undutiful thing to put on earrings because piercing is hurting the ancestrally inherited body. According to some recent studies on the era, scholars insist that the regulation was resulted from the economic crisis caused by importing too much gold and silver for earrings from China.
Eventually, the men’s earrings were disappeared after King Seonjo era and women only put on earrings in wedding ceremony. For this reasons, the design of the earrings in Joseon dynasty became very simple.




Garakji: A Pair of Rings of Engagement


Garakji means a pair of big rings. It was also called “Jihwan”. Garakji appeared from the Joseon Dynasty era. It was only for married women. If a woman put on only one ring in her finger, it means she was a single. Only married women could put on a pair of rings, which means harmony with her husband. The idea came from the Confucianism







The history of exchanging rings went back 4800 years ago. In 16th century, the Tudor dynasty believed that the blood vessel of the 4th finger of left hand is connected to heart, and they put on wedding ring on 4th finger. Since then, it became customary in most countries.
Garakji was mainly made of gold and silver but other materials were also used, such as lacquer, jade, quartz, green jadeite, amber, pearl, and copper.
In Joseon dynasty, noblewomen and royal family put on different materials of rings by season and occasion. Gold rings from Oct. to Jan., silver lacquer rings from Feb. to Apr., jade or quartz rings were for Dano festival and regular lacquer rings were from dog days, boknal, to Sep. All of them were for having a natural and harmonious look, which are influenced by the formality of clothing and four seasons.

Garakji was not only a love token but loyalty to the country as well. During Japanese invasion of 1592, a gisaeng, cultured women entertainers in the Joseon Dynasty era, called Nongae, hugged Japanese general and jumped down to the river, wearing 10 rings. Jinjoo local government designated Aug. 8th as the “Nongae Day” and has hosted many special events and donated hundreds of silver rings engraved "euiam", which is the name of the rock she stepped on before jumping into the river, to supporting center.




Norigae: Accessory for Every Class







Norigae is a perfect accessory for women’s Hanbok. It is widely loved by all classes, from royal family to common people. Norigae was the most popular ornament during the Joseon Dynasty era, while the other accessories like necklaces and earrings became unpopular.
There is no historical record on norigae. For your information, the Hanbok during the Silla kingdom and the Goryeo dynasty era doesn’t look like the one in these days. Instead of norigae, it was customary to hang pocket filled with gold bell or scent in the belt. Later in Joseon, they were replaced into the new born accessory, norigae. During the era, norigae was hung in the breast-tie of Hanbok. People wore more gorgeous norigae for royal functions and big festivities. Noblewomen used to inherit it to generation after generation.

Norigae is consisted of ttidon, string, but also paemul(jewel), knot and sool(tassel). Ttidon is a tie to connect jewels and it is supposed to be hung in the breast-tie. Gold, silver, white jade, green jadeite and coral were used to make norigae. There are square, rectangular, round, flower and butterfly shaped ttidon. According to the number of jewels of it, it was called oijul-norigae or danjak-norigae(single jewel) and samjak-norigae(three jewel).
Red, blue, yellow, pink, green, light purple and deep purple colors were used to make sool(tassels). Besides, some of norigaes were embroidered with a rhino horn, lotus flower, and herb that was belived to bring an eternal youth. Norigae represented not only the social status but also the wishes of women and ideologies for abundance, longevity and good luck.




Binyeo: A Traditional Hairpin for fixing ladies’ chignons


Binyeo is an ornamental hairpin used to hold a hair bun in place. We can still see old ladies wearing binyeo in countryside. Binyeo is classified into two kinds; a Jam and a Chae. Jam is a normal stick-shaped binyeo and Chae is a tong-shaped binyeo with decorations. Binyeo was allowed only for married women. The jewels, woods, animal horns and bones were used to make binyeos.







According to the historical record, Binyeo was firstly used in the Three Kingdoms era. But it also became very detailed since King Yeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty era.
The question is why he forced women to put on binyeo. In fact, in mid-Joseon Dynasty era, married women used to put on gachae (a wig) around hair. The higher the wig is, the higher their social status is. The most expensive wig cost almost same as a fine house. It caused a social problem. In addition, because of heavy wig, some women were suffering from neck sickness. Besides, they even decorated the wig with various accessories. For the reason, the wig was replaced into binyeo.









There are also different types of binyeo for different seasons, occasions, and ages. Binyeo made of a plum tree and a bamboo or jade binyeo with a peony-shaped decoration was used in April, August, and September. Okbong binyeo, Wonang binyeo,Isaryeon binyeo were used to giled dangui, a type of upper garment for women in hanbok. In spring and autumn, women used to wear Moran or Maejuk binyeo with delicately decorated small hairpins called isaddeoljam on it., According to the character of occasions, they choose different materials of binyeo.



The Ornaments have been with us throughout the history and represented women's life. From now on, even small earrings will remind you the history.

The Legendary ties between Korea-India and the present IT boom

Still now many people wonder about the possible historical linkaage between India and Korea and my pals from different countries keep asking 'Is there any cultural linkage between Korea and India?'.

Well we all know that there is a vast geographical and cultural differences. There is harldly any proximity when it comes to the physical, cultural and well as geographical.One is a homogenous and the other one is a heterogenous country.

But we all know that famous Buddhism faith flourish from the lap of India . When I start studying about Koreaan studies first time in my school I encounter one of the interesting legendary about the dynamic country of India and the mysterious country of Korea.

The India-Korea cultural connection goes back to the second century. There is a legendary story, Koreans believe that a prince called Kim Suro married the princess of Ayodhya.

As we all know that Buddhism started from India and it has spread every where specially in the East Asian countries. But, unfortunately Buddhism has not able to flourish much in India where it was born. We learned about how a Buddhist monk went to the other part of the world to flourished the idea and philosophy of Buddhism.





That's how we started our Korean studies, it was very tactful and enthusiastic ways of my professor who introduced us in the very first day and proceed our class on Korean history and society.

I was so amazed by the story and the very next day I started exploring internet to know more about this particular story. Because there was geographically distance from India to Korea numbers of country in between both the countries.

Anyway , the destiny has bring both the countries to have a connection somehow and it happened to be like these. Both the countires suffered from the big powerful countries like Japan and England. Both the countries has undergone from the various phases and come out as a winner. Both the countires acheived their freedom of the very same day i.e 15th August. And both the countries has seperated their parts and formed South Korea and North Korea on the otherhand India and Pakistan.

Above all these, India Korea started their political relation during the regin of Prime Minister Narsimha Rao. And became the first Prime Minister who visited Korea and make a strong ties in the field of political and trade relationship. And this year the President of Korea beame the guest of India's Republic day and signed some of the agreement between India and Korea for the progressive opportunities in the near future.



Today , again while having cultural discussion with other friends in my class the Korean teacher asked about the relationship between India and Korea, which has reminded me of date back of King Suro of Gaya Kingdom and his legendary story and how it developed India Korea ties.

But one of the most intersting part was the legendary story of "Ayodhya princess and the Korean King Suro of Korea". The legend of the Indian princess is narrated in Samguk Yusa, a Korean text written by a monk, Iryon (1206 AD-1289 AD). It is set in the Kaya kingdom in the first century CE.


For the video clip see this give link

http://blog.naver.com/korea_brand/10079446525


Historical and cultural contacts between the two peoples trace back to ancient times.

According to “Samguk-Yusa" or "The Heritage History of the Three Kingdoms," written in the 13th century, a princess from Ayodhya came to Korea and married King Kim Su-ro and became Queen Hur Hwang-ok in the year 48 AD . The enduring philosophy of the Buddha, which has influenced the lives and thoughts of the people of the two countries, has also provided a strong linkage.


Kim Suro's Tomb
The rationale for a close relationship between India and South Korea has been reinforced in modern times by political and economic imperatives.

Gimhae, the city where the Indian princess from Ayodhya landed and married Kim Su-ro, signed an MOU establishing a sister-city relationship with Faizabad-Ayodhya. A monument in memory of the princess was erected in March 2001 at a site donated by the Ayodhya administration.

Busan and Mumbai signed an MOU on mutual cooperation in 1977. Gyeonggi Province signed an MOU for mutual benefit with the State Government of Maharashtra in March 2007. Seoul has a sister-city relationship with Mumbai and has expressed interest in establishing a sister-city relationship with Delhi. And twinning between Pocheon & Jaipur and Incheon & Kolkata is at an advanced stage.



During the visit of President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the first by any president of India to the ROK, the signing of a Joint Ministerial Statement on the Launching of a Joint Task Force to develop a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries was held. Two other Agreements viz. Agreement on Cooperation in the fields of Science and Technology and Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters were also signed during the visit. An MOU on Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Department of Science and Technology and the India and Korea Industrial Technology Foundation (KOTEF) was also signed separately.

Bilateral CEPA negotiations have formally concluded and the CEPA has since been signed. Some of the highlights include the fact that the CEPA binds South Korea to phase out or reduce tariffs on 90 percent of Indian goods over 10 years, while India is to eliminate tariffs on 85 percent of South Korean exports within the same period, which is longer than what is written in other FTAs South Korea has signed. In addition to tariff reduction, South Korea will be able to move into various industrial sectors of the Indian economy, such as food processing, textiles, garments, chemicals, metals and machinery. The deal also opens the service and investment sector, with India accepting South Korean company inflows in its telecom, accounting, medical and advertising markets, as well as allowing South Korean financial firms in the investment market. With respect to rules of origin, both countries agreed on the allowable level of foreign contents to be up to 65 percent. South Korea expects massive inflows of information technology (IT) workers, engineers and English teachers as both sides agreed to allow temporary migration of professional workers.



Hundai Company India

Two-way trade between India and South Korea has gathered momentum recently, making South Korea the 12th largest trading partner for India. In the last four years alone, trade volume has gone up more than two and half times. As against a target of US$10 billion, bilateral trade is expected to exceed $16 billion in 2008.

South Korea is the 4th largest investor in India in terms of actual inflow of FDI into India. During the first three quarters of 2008, for which data is available, 164 investment proposals from 52 Korean companies for a proposed total investment of $243 million approved. The cumulative investment from South Korea in India has been $1.46 billion in terms of actual flow from 382 Korean companies for over 900 projects.

The ROK’s investments in India have largely taken place in the transportation industry, energy (power and oil refinery), electrical equipment (including computer software & electronics), chemicals (other than fertilizer), commercial, office & household equipments, metallurgical Industries and food processing pndustries. Major South Korean companies active in India include Hyundai Motor, Samsung Electronics, LG, Lotte Group and Doosan Heavy Industries. Now, major South Korean companies like Samsung, Hyundai and LG are expanding production facilities in India and smaller companies are focusing on technical collaborations. The Lotte Group acquired Parry’s Confectionery Chennai in 2004. Samsung Electronics opened a mobile phone plant in the state of Haryana in March 2006. Samsung Engineering has opened its Global Engineering Centre in New Delhi.

A remarkable feature of South Korea is its transformation from a developing country in the 1950s to a high-income country with a substantial per capita income today. The economic reforms of the 1990s in India were influenced by East-Asian successes and South Korea was among the chief countries to have an impact on Indian policymakers' thinking process. Though consular relations between India and South Korea were set up in 1962, it was in 1973 with the establishment of formal diplomatic ties that a new chapter was opened in the history of Indo-Korean cooperation.

Both India and Korea contribute significantly to the world GDP. Korea is among the few Asian countries that are counted among the developed countries of the world; India, too, has a growing stature and increasing role in international affairs.


The vision statement includes the prospective areas of growth for Korea and India are shipping and port development, infrastructure development, tourism and hospitality industries, agro food industries in addition to auto, communication and IT industries, which are already present in India. At the SME level, the following areas could be suitable for joint ventures, technology transfer and 100-percent .

With respective governments support in business community, positively and with the growing amount of globalization and liberalization, not only Korean companies are making their big role in India, Indian firms too are establishing themselves in Korea.

There is another famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and his historical linkage. A short poem by Tagore in which he called Korea ‘The Lamp of the East”’became the rallying point for Korean nationalists fighting during Japanese colonisation, so much so that it is quoted even today in most diplomatic exchanges.
Noble Laureate Rabindranath Tagore composed a short but evocative poem in 1929 about Korea's glorious past and bright future. He wrote:



"In the golden age of Asia
Korea was one of its lamp bearers,
And that lamp is waiting
To be lighted once again
For the illumination of the East."



There is a movie called Finding Kim Jong Wook, starring popular lead pair Gung Yoo and Im Soo-Jeong, based on love story about two Korean tourists who meet in India.



An Indian movie called Gangster , in this most of the location were shotat Korea.




Culturally both the countries have ties from the olden day . Now with the help of flourishing IT sector Korean product is in every household names. Now we are awaiting for the real Korean wave in Inda with famous K-POP, Movies and other cultural activities.

NIIED to upgrade Korean teaching abroad

An increasing number of foreignstudents are learning Korean as a second language because of Korean-Pop culture popularity at overseas.



Applications for the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), administered by the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), is also increasing sharply as the exam become a must for every foreigners who want to study and work at Korea.

The institute’s President Ha Tae-yun said, it is time to upgrade the test and provide better textbooks and teaching materials abroad to make Korean a more worldly accepted language.

“One of my imminent tasks is to publish textbooks in various languages and provide customized study tools to global learners to meet the growing demand for TOPIK,” Ha said in an interview.

“That’s also to reflect Korea’s growing influence on the global stage. Korean language education abroad is important from cultural and diplomatic aspects as well.”

Teaching Korean globally

As Mr. Ha, a career diplomat, took the helm of the institute in late October, he focused on moving forward in its three ongoing projects ― "promoting the Korean language abroad, selecting foreign beneficiaries of state scholarships and promoting English education at public schools".

The institute’s role will become even greater in the future as more foreigners are expecting to practice Korean and the country’s global presence will continue to grow, Ha said.

The NIIED, now located in Daehangno, Seoul, is planing to move to a larger complex in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, by 2015 to ensure more effective management of the projects. The education ministry is now pushing for a revision of laws to expand the institute’s functions at home as well as abroad.

“I’m very interest in promoting the Korean language among countries with which Korea’s cultural and economic ties have been growing rapidly. The planned upgrade of TOPIK and the publication of customized textbooks are aimed at helping people there learn our language in an easier and more comfortable way,” Ha said.

By 2015, the institute will be adding a speaking section to TOPIK, which currently has two sections ­ one for vocabulary, grammar and writing and the other for listening and reading. It also plans to introduce an Internet-based test in the long term.

The changes reflect concerns that the test is focusing on only grammar and vocabulary rather than evaluating practical conversation skills. The consistency of difficulty levels has also often been questioned. Some test-takers have called for the institute to develop a better tool so that Korean language learners can be properly evaluated.

Providing better textbooks to global learners is also a big task for Ha.

Despite the government’s efforts to boost the quality and professionalism of Korean language teachers abroad, many Korean language teachers abroad have complained of the lack of appropriate textbooks they can use.

Currently, most textbooks used by them are ones that are targeted to children and teenagers and produced for ethnic Korean students, not for foreigners. The education ministry recently published for the first time Korean language textbooks from level one to six targeting learners from English-speaking nations. But textbooks customized to countries using other languages and with different cultures are still needed.

“What I believe is that each country has a different culture so the language textbooks should also be customized. I’m committed to resolving the problem,” Ha said.

The institute is now demanding TOPIK scores from those who are studying on the state scholarship program, called the Global Korean Scholarship (GKS). It has been talking with universities and firms to promote the use of the test in evaluating proficiency of Korean language among foreign applicants, he said.

“TOPIK is closely related to GKS. We plan to expand the scholarship program to help local universities to draw top-rated students from around the world,” the president said.

English education

One of the institute’s flagship programs is to choose English teachers among ethnic Koreans and native speakers abroad and give them teaching jobs at public schools nationwide.

Under the Teach and Learn in Korea (TaLK) program, thousands of ethnic Korean students have visited the country and taught English in elementary schools in rural areas since 2008. It is also running the English Program in Korea (EPIK) to hire native English teachers for primary and secondary schools nationwide.

Ha expressed concerns about the moves by regional educational offices to reduce the number of native English teachers, saying students in provincial areas still don’t have chances to learn from native speakers.

He suggested that English education has been on the backburner as educational offices have readjusted their spending plans following the implementation of free school meal program. The education ministry is also focusing on increasing the number of Korean teachers qualified to teach English in English, rather than just picking more native English teachers.

Despite such a policy shift, demand for quality English education will continue to grow, Ha said.

“Native English teachers have greatly contributed to upgrading English education here. We should be grateful for them,” Ha said. “I will make every effort to protect their teaching jobs. The TaLK and EPIK programs will be the centerpiece of upgrading English education here.”

He said the NIIED plans to strengthen its on-the-job training for native English teachers to settle more smoothly here, providing them with chances to learn about Korean culture.

According to the education ministry, such teaching programs can also be solutions to growing household spending on English education. The ministry said more than 15 trillion won is being spent annually on private English education, which more than 90 percent of elementary school students receive.

“English proficiency has become more important in entering a good college and getting a good job. However, most children can’t learn at private institutes as tuition is too expensive,” said a ministry official. “We hope the TaLK and EPIK programs will be helpful in addressing the so-called English education divide between students in big cities and those in rural areas.”

So far, thousands of native teachers have participated in the programs.

The institute said the programs provide students in rural areas the rare opportunity to learn from native teachers. It’s a unique experience for Korean teachers as well.

“The native teachers are special guests to residents. Parents are happy about their children taking lessons from native teachers and playing with them. Korean teachers also can exchange teaching methods with the native teachers,” Ha said.

Who is Ha Tae-yun




Ha Tae-yun, president of the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), is a career diplomat who has carried out missions in a number of countries, including Japan, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Iraq.

A native of Gwangju, the 53-year-old started working at the foreign ministry after passing the state exam to select diplomats in 1979. He majored in public administration at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul.

Ha was dispatched to Cheong Wa Dae to help form the Kim Dae-jung administration’s international policies after Kim was elected president in late 1997.

He also served as a secretary for Kim in 2007.

Two years later, Ha became the country’s ambassador to Iraq and led missions to help rebuild the war-torn nation. He was named the NIIED president in October this year.

South Korea condolence over the demise of The North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il

Seoul expressed sympathy Tuesday, to the people of the North Korea over the death of their “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il.
“The government extends condolences to the people of the North Korea over Kim’s death," Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik said in a nationally televised press conference after a meeting of security-related ministers presided over by President Lee Myung-bak.

“We hope that the North will quickly regain stability and work with South Korea for peace and prosperity on the peninsula.”

Yu carefully chose his words to address the reconciliatory statement toward North Korea’s general population in line with the government’s policy to separate the North's military regime and hunger-stricken people.



“The government will only allow the families of late President Kim Dae-jung and late Hyundai Group Chairman Chung Mong-hun to visit the North to pay respects in appreciation for the sending of delegations to Seoul when Kim and Chung passed away,” he said. The funeral will take place next Wednesday in Pyongyang,

The remarks came as opposition party lawmakers and liberal activists pressed the government to send a delegation to Pyongyang as a conciliatory gesture.

A poll of 700 carried out Monday showed that 49.6 percent said the government should give official condolences over Kim’s death. Only 31.4 percent of respondents were against it.

Late President Kim held the first-ever inter-Korean summit with the late North Korean leader in 2000, and Chung pushed aggressively for joint economic projects with the impoverished North. Pyongyang sent condolence delegations to Seoul when Chung and Kim died in 2003 and 2009, respectively.

On Monday, Lee Hee-ho, wife of the late President Kim, issued a statement urging Seoul to allow South Koreans to visit the communist North.

Hyundai Group said Hyun Jeong-eun, its group chairwoman and wife of the late Chung, will visit North Korea to express her condolences.

Lawmakers of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) supported the government’s move not to dispatch a delegation to Pyongyang.

They argued that North Korea may turn down South Korea’s offer anyway as the reclusive regime announced that it won’t welcome foreign delegations to the funeral.

Opposition lawmakers, however, said the government should send a small group to the North.

"It is necessary to take Kim's death as an opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations," DUP lawmaker Kim Dong-chul said.

Observers say the government will not further soften its hard-line policy toward the Stalinist North on fears that the move may cause a backlash from conservatives ahead of next year's two crucial elections.

Seoul did not officially send condolences over the death of Kim Il-sung when he died in the summer of 1994, which many say contributed to worsening inter-Korean ties for years.

Meanwhile, defense officials said that religious groups agreed to withdraw their plan to light Christmas tree towers near the border this week.

Seoul planned to allow North Koreans to light three Christmas tree-shaped towers near the border Friday, a move that prompted the North to accuse Seoul of intensifying psychological warfare.


On the other-hand North Korean television discloses Their Leader Kim Jong-il's body



North Korea's successor Kim Jong-un mourned the death of his father Kim Jong-il on Tuesday as the isolated country showed the leader's body in the first public ceremony of the grieving period.

Kim entered the hall of Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, where the body of his late father lies in state, to the solemn playing of funeral music, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported in a dispatch.

"Kim Jong-un observed a moment's silence in the bitterest grief" together with other top officials, the dispatch said, adding that Kim's bier was seen lying among flowers, covered by a red flag. (Yonhap)

Kim wins 1st Grand Record Culture Award

Kim Dok-man, a public relations official of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), has been named winner of the first Grand Record Culture Award for his contribution to disseminating the government’s anti-corruption policies to newspapers.

An award ceremony was held in a room of the main National Assembly building in Seoul, Monday. The award is offered by the Korea Record Institute.



Kim, a former journalist called an “evangelist of integrity,” has made about 2,000 contributions on anti-corruption policies, both in Korean and English, to newspapers since 2005, the organizer said.

A graduate of the department of English literature at Yonsei University in Seoul, Kim obtained a doctorate in political science (communications) from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Archive spotlights '60s literary films

Cinephiles will have a rare chance to look at some of Korea’s hallmark 1960s “literature films.”
The Korean Film Archive (KOFA) has released a DVD collection of masterworks by Kim Soo-yong, a leading filmmaker of the Golden Age.

Kim is renowned for adapting literary works to depict various aspects of contemporary life, adding to the richness of one of the most productive, artistically experimental decades in Korean cinema history.





These films were dubbed “literature films” after the Japanese term for a similar batch of movies in the neighboring Asian country.

However, according to Kim Yeong-jin, professor of film at Myongji University, Kim did not turn to novels because he felt literary elements were necessary to harness cinema to artistic ends; rather he read through Korean and Western books in search of original plotlines during a time when many filmmakers copied foreign scripts.

Furthermore, he went on to adapt famous novels such as those of Maupassant, despite the opposition of producers. He told stories in a modern audiovisual language and was highly successful in the box office.

Though the veteran filmmaker has made over 100 films, the four works featured in the box set provide a peek into the 82-year-old’s oeuvre at the height of his creativity.

“The Seashore Village” (1965), based on Oh Yeong-su’s story about the dramatic fate of a fisherman’s wife, is credited for paving the way for local films inspired by literature, while “Confession of an Actress” (1967) sheds light on the 1960s film business centered in Chungmuro, Seoul.

“Mist” (1967) introduced modernist concepts in Korean cinema by translating Kim Seung-ok’s story of ennui, the novel “A Trip to Mujin,” to the big screen. Last but not least, “Night Journey” (1977), about a single woman’s romantic ventures, had to endure censorship and wait four years to be released due to the strict media regulations of the 1970s.

Younger audiences in particular may be interested to see Yun Jeong-hie — who recently won international critical acclaim for her role in Lee Chang-dong’s “Poetry” (2010) — in “Mist” and “Night Journey.”

This collection marks the fifth of the Korean Film Archive’s classic series, after featuring works by Shin Sang-ok, Kim Ki-young, Yoo Hyun-mok and Lee Man-hee.

Fans will be able to enjoy audio commentaries by Kim himself as well as famed critics and directors such as Chung Sung-ill.

Subtitles in Korean, English and Japanese are available, as well as a booklet with related text in Korean and English.

In addition to the four films, the DVD collection includes a 56-minute documentary about the veteran filmmaker, and a six-minute clip that compares “Mist” before and after the film underwent digital restoration. Rated 18 and over, the DVD can be purchased at KOFA, located in Sangam-dong, or through its website (www.koreafilm.or.kr)

More classic films

KOFA invites film buffs to explore more classic works, as it has added 37 titles to its online video-on-demand service (www.kmdb.or.kr/vod).

Eight films including Im Kwon-taek’s 1993 box office hit “Seopyeonje,” about “pansori” (Korean opera) singers, is being shown for free through the website through Dec. 31.

Offline, KOFA’s cinematheque is holding a retrospective of films by Japanese master filmmaker Kihachi Okamoto.

A total of 27 of his works, including his 1958 debut “All About Marriage,” are on offer through Dec. 31. Admission is free of charge.

Visit KOFA's website for more information.