Andong Mask Festival

Here's a belated report from an early October trip to Andong, Gyeongsang Province, a few hours southeast of Seoul. The area is famous for traditional Korean cuisine eaten to honor ancestors (heotjesabap, similar to bibimbap), an old Confucian academy, and Andong's annual mask festival. Matt Kelley and I joined throngs of festival goers on an uncharacteristically hot October weekend. Here are some photos from the festival. For more information about North Gyeongsang Province, visit Matt's "Discovering Korea" website.

Seoul, city of SOCKS!

Can't decide what to buy your friends and fam for Christmas? I suggest socks! And Seoul has plenty of 'em. One can't help but notice the prevalence of sock vendors around the city; in the subways, along the sidewalks, and one after another in any shopping area. They range from the practical to the downright wacky. They're long, short, plain, colorful, and some even get political. Korean heartthrobs grace the cotton of some varities, along with old standbys Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Hello Kitty. Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and "Coach" socks go for just two or three dollars a pair on the streets of Itaewon. In fact, they're as afforable as their less illustrious counterparts. So, this holiday season, stuff the stockings with . . . stockings!

I'm particularly keen on the variety of tights in Korea. In a rainbow of colors, they come with feet, without feet, and even with half a foot . . . but no heel. A fashionista's options are endless!

Wintertime offerings get warmer 'n fuzzier, but socks are plentiful in Seoul year-round.

The won-yen exchange rate has brought many a Japanese tourist to Korea in recent weeks just for shopping. Something tells me they aren't buying "Dokdo Love" socks, though. I wonder if there are "Takeshima Love" socks in Japan???

Street squatting

In a previous post, I marveled over the prevalence of squatting among Koreans.  It seems like anywhere you go, from the bus stop to the peaks of Mount Seorak, you'll find locals young and old resting on their haunches for seemingly excruciating amounts of time.  I thought I had seen it all until I noticed a particularly dangerous display of this cultural phenomenon on my way to work a couple weeks ago.  Does this woman have a death wish, or what?!  Unfortunately, my video doesn't actually do this death-defying act justice.  By the time I wrestled my camera from my bag, the traffic light was changing from green to yellow and the cars were slowing in speed and frequency, but you get the picture.

Kimjang

'Tis the season for kimjang (김 장)! Ask people worldwide what comes to mind when they consider Korea and you're likely to hear "kimchi", the famous side dish of spicy, fermented cabbage with a powerful taste and a distinct smell, especially on your breath a few hours after you've eaten it! Kimjang is the centuries-long practice of making loads of kimchi to last through the winter. The custom has become less commonplace in modern times, as today's career women simply don't have time for the hours upon hours of washing, chopping, stuffing, and storing, and buying imported varieties in supermarkets is cheaper (and easier) than making the real deal. Still, many Korean homes are equipped with a refrigerator designed specifically to hold massive amounts of the accoutrement. Some families continue to store kimchi outside, buried underground. Since the trademark dish is served with nearly every Korean meal, making enough to last a family three or four months is surly a daunting task. My "Worldwide Friendship" co-host, Haewon Yoon, recently toiled with a group of friends for two days, turning 200 cabbages into kimchi. She was nice enough to take my camera along to capture the event.

This is how it all begins. Haewon and friends used about 200 cabbages for this year's kimjang. The entire process takes about one week. Day 1 is spent washing the cabbages, preparing other ingredients, and soaking the cabbages in salt water.

Just a few of the many tubs of ingredients.

Haewon, middle, and friends, preparing cabbages, radishes, and onions for kimjang.

The cabbages are halved and soak in salt water overnight before being stuffed on Day 2. Kimjang can be great exercise; Haewon came into work bemoaning sore limbs after two days of throwing hundreds of cabbages around.

Here, Haewon is mixing up kkakdugi (깍 두 기), another popular side dish, made of cubed daikon radish, red pepper, garlic, onion, and spices.



On Day 2, many gloved hands stuff hundreds of cabbages with red pepper powder, fish sauce, minced ginger, garlic, and green onions to create the delicacy widely regarded as one of the world's healthiest foods. After the stuffing, the kimchi will be packed in plastic containers (or earthenware jars, traditionally) where it will ferment. It's ready to eat in about a week and stays good through the winter. In fact, many people prefer aged kimchi over the freshly-made.

Over 2,000 volunteers came together outside Seoul's City Hall last week to make 58,000 cabbages worth of kimchi to be donated to underprivileged families. (Photo courtesy JoongAng Daily)

The CSAT stresses everyone out!

From The Korea Times. A student is rushed by police escort to a testing site.

This Thursday marked one of the biggest, and most high-stress, annual events in South Korea. About 590,000 high school students across the nation took the college entrance exam (College Scholastic Ability Test), which many believe will seal their fate when it comes to their future career prospects. As the Wall Street Journal notes, the exam is a "national obsession", and its impacts stretch far wider than the students who take it. State employees go to work an hour later to cut down on commuter congestion. Oversleepers are rushed to exam sites by police escort. Parents wring their hands with worry that their kids' performance may reflect poor nurturing. Around the time of last year's exam, I posted the following entry with my thoughts about this South Korean phenomenon:

National University Entrance Exam Day

From The Korea Times. Praying for good results.

November 11 is Pepero Day!

The already ubiquitous sweet treat is even more visible today, with the gift of chocolately, crunchy cookie sticks being bestowed upon friends, lovers, and co-workers nationwide. Pepero (빼 빼 로) means "skinny like a stick", and while most Pepero varieties fit the bill, on this special day you can find gigantic examples no averge human could possibly consume on his or her own. Some reports suggest Lotte Confectionary, which manufactures Pepero, makes 55 percent of its annual earnings in November, thanks in large part to Pepero Day. Another newsy tidbit: many schools have restricted their students from Pepero Day celebrations, since the commercial holiday falls on the important national observance of Farmers Day. With bounds of Pepero covering my desk by 3:00, I'm wondering . . . is it kosher to re-gift Pepero?

One of our listeners impressed the English section by sending a huge box with various types of Pepero. Thanks, Steve!

When it comes to Pepero, the options are endless. They range from the inexpensive, but most popular varieties you can find in any convenience store, to more expensive varities available at bakeries. KBS World Spanish service chief, Sonia, poses with fancy Pepero.

I Voted!

I was a little disappointed that there was no "I Voted" sticker in my absentee ballot packet. Like many Americans, I have become completely immersed in the excitement of this year's election. On one hand, it's a bummer to be half-way around the world as my fellow Americans head to the polls on Election Day. On the other hand, it's been very interesting to live in a foreign country during a historic campaign that comes at a tumultuous time for the entire world.

I've done some very unscientific polling, and concluded that Koreans' opinions about the U.S. election are just as diverse as the U.S. itself. Many Koreans tell me they like Barack Obama, but believe John McCain will win. Most say conservative U.S. policy better serves Korea. Some have blatantly said, "I like Obama, but . . . he's black," while others have intimated that the Illinois senator's good looks should be reason enough to vote for him. McCain's P.O.W. experience pulls at some heartstrings, but some have said he's just too old. And I've been humbled by a few who have said, "I'm not American. I don't care."

Since the results will pour in during my Wednesday morning, I'm looking forward to observing the atmosphere around KBS. I may be the only one riding an emotional roller coaster tomorrow, alternately shrieking with joy and anxiously wringing my hands, but there's no doubt many are looking forward to seeing how America votes.

Hiking Dobong Mountain (도 봉 산)

Hiking is one of Koreans' favorite pastimes, and autumn is the best time of year to catch breathtaking views and comfortable temperatures. Matt Kelley and I headed north to Dobongsan on Sunday to join the crowds for a fun and beautiful hike. We left Seoul around 6am and took the subway (Line 1) to Dobongsan Station. We marveled at opportunity to access an area so starkly different from Seoul by subway in just an hour.

Matt snags a shot of one of Dobongsan's peaks on our way up.

The top! Check out the guy just casually perched on a rock, with death just a slip away! Somehow, I always forget that I'm terrified of heights until I find myself hundreds of meters above sea level with a line of hikers behind me, waiting as I muster the courage for the next death-defying step. Thankfully, Matt was a calming coach.

View from the top (my demeanor was not quite so casual). That's Mt. Bukhan in the distance.

Hanging on for dear life along the ridge line while begrudgingly cooperating for a photo

Descending is more my style

We found these chilies out to dry near a Buddhist temple



Seoul through the trees

Look close for the truly crazy . . . at least they're attached to a rope!

Soju in juice boxes!

I was almost a year into my Korean tenure when I finally discovered a handy dandy innovation that ensures no situation must ever be void of Korea's signature distilled spirit: Soju "juice boxes". Designed to make soju-on-the-go a logistical breeze, the clever packaging means Koreans (or anyone else) heading abroad can tote their revered beverage without concern that reckless baggage handlers will leave their suitcase full of broken green glass and clothes reeking of alcohol. Since the price of soju in foreign countries is often six times higher than the domestic rate, it pays to buy it here and enjoy it there. But of course this nifty option isn't reserved for practical travelers. Since my initial discovery of soju boxes at Costco, I've seen a few people around Seoul actually sipping from the cardboard containers a la Hi-C style.

Chris and I discovered soju boxes during a trip to Costco.

Trip to China

I'm back in Seoul this week after a great trip to China. I spent most of my time in Shanghai, but also visited Hangzhou, a tourist haven about two hours south of Shanghai. I'll post more photos and reaction later, but wanted to share some videos right away.

I took this video in a section of Shanghai referred to as "Old Town" or "Old City". These lively areas where working class people can be seen hustling and bustling around the clock are always my favorite parts of big cities.

I was amazed by the prevalence of bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles in China. I had never actually seen a moped in person before. Cyclists have their own lane on most roads and even designated signal lights. Here's a shot from an intersection along Shanghai's famous Nanjing Road.

Students at Shanghai's Yew Chung International School singing "I'm a Believer". Yew Chung's student body includes kids from nearly 70 different countries.

Eye to eye with "Jeff from Maryland"

I cohost a KBS listener feedback program called Worldwide Friendship every Saturday. Nearly every week, we share an e-mail sent by loyal listener "Jeff from Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.". Last week, we got to meet Jeff in the flesh! Jeff and his wife, Cindy, and their son, Nathan, came to Korea to adopt a baby girl. Nathan was also born in Korea and was making his first trip back since Jeff and Cindy adopted him. Haewon and I had the opportunity to interview Jeff for Worldwide Friendship, then joined his family for an entertaining lunch near KBS. Nathan and I talked extensively about trains--at the ripe age of three, he's already much more knowledgable than I am. His passion for locomotives reminded me of my best friend, Chris, another "train enthusiast".

Jeff, Cindy, and Nathan with Jeff's mother and stepfather in a KBS World studio

Nathan and I became fast friends over an Italian lunch.

"Do you know? Dokdo belongs to Korea" (Does it?!)

A few months ago my brother and I were having a discussion about Asian politics, particularly Korean and Japanese issues, since I live in Seoul and he's lived in Japan for nearly ten years. I made reference to Dokdo (독 도), a group of rocky islets inhabited by just a handful of people in the waters between Korea and Japan. Ownership over the outcroppings has been heavily disputed for centuries. Josh had no idea what I was talking about when I said, "Dokdo." He said, "You mean 'Takeshima'?" Had another person been involved in the conversation, it could have become even more convoluted. Dokdo is also known as Takshima, the Liancourt Rocks, and the Hornet Islands, depending on who you're talking to. As the conversation progressed I realized we were each speaking about the controversial islets from the perspective of our resident countries. I used "Dokdo" and "East Sea", while Josh used "Takeshima" and "Sea of Japan". Furthermore, even as a foreigner with no stake in the issue, I found myself getting defensive of the Korean perspective, railing against Japanese imperialism and historic colonization.

This dispute between two rural Illinois siblings is ironically indicative of the larger picture. Korea claims absolute sovereignty over Dokdo, while Japan has repeatedly claimed over the years that Takeshima is Japanese territory. The controversy spikes every so often and most recently when Japan suggested it would claim territorial rights over the islets in upcoming school textbooks. Meanwhile, the United States didn't make things easier for Korea when its Board on Geographic Names categorized the islets as having "undesignated sovereignty". The BGN's designations are used as the U.S. federal government's standard. Although I found myself arguing like a Korean would with my brother, my outsider perspective actually tells me the BGN's classification makes perfect sense. Although it makes a thorny issue even more complex, the U.S. has been calling the islets the Liancourt Rocks since 1977 so as to stay out of the Korea-Japan dispute. Yet it officially recognized the islets as South Korean territory prior to the "undesignated sovereignty" debacle. So with Japan making refreshed claims to Dokdo at the same time the U.S. naming agency delivered a diplomatic slap in the face, it's no wonder Koreans were a little perturbed. Although the BGN name change was based on a decision made some time ago, the untimely release felt to Koreans like a U.S. vote in favor of Japan. Perhaps because this incident came on the heels of very spirited demonstrations against U.S. beef imports and amidst the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement impasse, the Bush administration quickly instructed the BGN to re-designate the Liancourt Rocks as Korean territory on its website.

"DO YOU KNOW? DOKDO BELONGS TO KOREA"

Arguing back and forth with Japan, even through the highest diplomatic channels, seems to rarely bear substantial results for Korea. Several admonishments of Japan's claims by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak have done little to temper the issue. So when Korea's favorite phrase stating that Dokdo is "clearly Korean land historically, geographically, and by international law" (I can't count the number of times I've broadcast those exact words to an international audience) fell on deaf ears in Japan, Korea's strategy turned to convincing the rest of the world that Dokdo is, in fact, Korean territory. Nevermind that most people outside Korea have never even heard of Dokdo or care who owns it. Regardless of what the islets are called on a map, they're barely even visible without a magnifying glass.

"Dokdo Love"

Of course the waters around Dokdo, and the sea life in them, are what's really at stake. Koreans seem unanimous in their belief that sovereignty over Dokdo is theirs, and the t-shirts with awkward claims in English point to the country's hope that the rest of the world can be convinced of the same.

Heart attacks for sale, but Mad Cow-safe

America's most internationally familiar food chain is exercising damage control in light of Koreans' apprehension of U.S. beef. As though McDonald's customers were pillars of healthy consumption, the company is assuring everyone that its burgers are made strictly with Australian beef. (Personally, I've never dared to guess from where the "mystery meat" used in McDonald's products comes, regardless of where its sold.)


After months of intense public backlash against the government's decision to reopen the Korean market to U.S. beef, many restaurants have been pushing the non-American beef-ness of their products, but I find myself irritated by these signs posted at an American fast food icon. McDonald's should be using its power to advertise the quality of American products and help repair the tattered image of U.S. beef, rather than playing into unfounded rumors and irrational fears. Perhaps coming from farm country U.S.A., I'm too slow to scrutinize American farm products, but I've certainly never worried about the safety of beef purchased in the States. I have, on the other hand, winced when considering the amount of fat and cholesterol in an order of McDonald's french fries. That's what Koreans oughtta be worried about.

Shopping for traditional Korean clothing (hanbok)

Koreans and Japanese spend plenty of time pointing out their differences, but when it comes to traditional clothing, or at least what they call traditional clothing, both cultures keep it very simple. The Japanese have the kimono, which literally means "thing to wear". In Korea, the typically bright, flowing traditional attire is called hanbok, or "Korean clothing". Several weeks ahead of Chuseok, Korea's annual harvest festival, big box retailers and department stores started stocking racks and racks of low-priced hanbok. These days, it's mostly kids who wear hanbok for holidays, but newlyweds also wear the attire during the first major holiday after their wedding. I also noticed several elderly folks donning the traditional garb last weekend. I recently accompanied Sophia on a mission to purchase a hanbok for a four year-old American boy. For a variety of options and high quality, we headed to a group of hanbok stores in Yeongdeungpo.

One of the shop owners told us a high quality hanbok for adults averages $700. Most Korean couples wear hanbok for the traditional portion of their wedding ceremony.

I made the mistake of telling Sophia I didn't think an American boy would be too enthusiastic about pink pants, although Korean men are more than comfortable wearing hanbok in bright pastels. She clearly wasn't thrilled about my suggestion of this option due to its more masculine colors.

Sophia at the height of frustration. We eventually agreed on some bright blue pants.

Traditional food among traditional textiles