GT - The Granite Tower

Transcription

Vol. 439 April 2012
The Locker War
The Entrepreneur-in-us
The Actual Way We Love
Cover Story:
Animals, on the
Verge of Death
Vol. 439 April 2012
CONTENTS
The Korea University English Magazine
APRIL 2012
NO. 439
The Locker War
Cover Story:
Animals, on the
Verge of Death
EDITOR’S LETTER
See the Unseen
NEWS
02
Honorable Students Receive Honorary
Endowments
02
A Way to Improve Student Welfare
ON CAMPUS
03
Believe in Film: KU Cinema Trap
04
Academic English, Advanced English—
A Change for the Better?
05
Shifting Campuses Program–
A Double Edged Sword
06
08
Korea University Peer Tutoring (KUPT)
The Locker War
PHOTO ESSAY
28
32
Colour
KU PEOPLE
COVER STORY
Living History of Korean Forensic Science
Professor Emeritus Moon Gook Jin
22 Animals, on the Verge of Death
CAREER
34
Yumma, and Her Illustrated Life
FOREIGN REPORT
36
China, the Dead Zone of Human
Rights?
STUDENT LIFE
38
Dancing with Fire – BURAS
LETTERS FROM HOKKAIDO
40
FEATURES
10
12
14
16
19
Toward a More Book-Friendly Society
Magical Tips for Finding One’s Love
The People,
Sounding the Alarm Toward Corrupt Society
What Tomorrow Wants from Today
ARTS & CULTURE
BOOK
42
Let the Games Begin
The Hunger Games
43
The White Man’s Burden
50
Cyber Witch Hunt
51
t’s funny how we all struggle to be the exception, to be the
ones with at least one of our goals accomplished in life,
when the reality is, we all have one common goal of just
being happy whether it be money, love, or career. Yet, most
of us end up settling for what we have at the time.
Happiness greets us everywhere. The real happiness, however, comes from being with the people who are dear and near to
us. While preparing for the April issue, I, by chance, stayed up all
night at Central Plaza. Sitting inside a reading room, I gazed at
hard-working students. It was thought-provoking to see people
with seemingly different purposes of studying gathered in a confined place. However, I was certain about one thing—as they go
through transitions of life and finally achieve their objectives,
the first word they will call to mind is family.
In April issue, we explore the theme of companionship and
love. Accordingly, the reporters closely researched the lives of
the elderly— their outlook and warning to youth. The aging of
societies is becoming a global phenomenon, but the welfare state
and operation have not reached a satisfactory state, yet. The last
article to be edited is this month’s cover story on abandoned animals that are on verge of death. However, it focuses more on the
bright side that arouses feeling of compassion and relief.
March, the season of new look, new place, and new friends,
gave way to April. Romance and excitement gradually diminish
while fear and jitter grow as we get familiar with college life. As
we grow old, the range of knowledge and experiences broadens
and we begin to pay closer attention to unnoticeable weeps and
guilt. By reading about the whistle-blowers and many other articles, I hope our readers feel the need of making righteous decisions and being aware of the tears of the weak.
44
Boys Dream of Cheeky Revolution
45
Move Over K-Pop, Make Room for Ailee
Yoon Youngmin
ENGLISH ADVISERS
Michael Blackwood,
Sean O’Keefe, John Rector, Brian Stokes
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Kwak Yeon Soo
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Lee Da Hyeon,
Lee Jeong Min
SENIOR REPORTERS
Jeon Shi Hyun, Kang Uoo Seob, Kim Hak Young,
Kim Minhee, Kweon Yun Jin, Lee Han Byul,
Park Jin Yung, Park Jong Hun
JUNIOR REPORTERS
CHANGE OF ADDRESS If you are a subscribed reader of The Granite
Tower, please send all changes of address to The Granite Tower,
Anam-dong 5Ga, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Korea (136-701) or
thegranitetower@gmail.com along with a daytime telephone or
cell phone number.
LETTERS The Granite Tower welcomes letters from all readers.
Submit opinions, essays, or general correspondence to
thegranitetower@gmail.com. We will do our utmost to ensure that
your contributions are reflected in the content and quality of our
magazine.
Do You Have a True Friend?
Intouchables
Who Dares to Blame Them?
Bad Boys
JOINING GT If you are a Korea University freshman, you are eligible
to apply for reporter status at The Granite Tower. All members of
The Granite Tower must complete three semesters at the magazine
before they can receive their certificate of service. International students and non-first year Korea University students interested in taking on a temporary guest reporter position are also welcome to join
The Granite Tower. The Granite Tower recruits new reporters twice
each spring and fall semester.
VOICE ON CAMPUS
52
FACULTY ADVISER
ART DIRECTOR / DESIGNER Park Seong-duck
PERFORMANCE
48
PUBLISHER
Kim Byoung-Chul
PRINTING COMPANY Samwooban Tel.02)2279-2711
FILM
46
Established on September 18, 1954, The Granite Tower is a monthly
college journal supported by a staff of Korea University undergraduate students. The magazine is published during the spring and fall
semesters and is distributed free of charge.
EDITORIAL OFFICE The Granite Tower, Anam-dong 5Ga, Seongbuk-gu,
Seoul, Korea (136-701)
TELEPHONE NUMBER 02) 3290-1685 / 82-2) 3290-1685
E-MAIL thegranitetower@gmail.com
WEBSITE http://www.thegranitetower.com
UNIVERSITY SWITCHBOARD 02) 3290-1114 / 82-2) 3290-1114
Kim Do Kyung, Kwon Min Seok, Kim Tae Rim,
Bae Mi Seon, Choi Ji Won, Park Sang Eun,
Kim Yoon Sun, Choe Heejung, Park Rae Hyun
MUSIC
Precious Gift of One Year in Hokkaido
OPINION
See the Unseen
I
01
EDITOR’S LETTER
To Be a Liar or To Be an April Fool
Kwak Yeon Soo (rudolf_ys@korea.ac.kr)
Editor-in-Chief, The Granite Tower
ON CAMPUS
NEWS
Believe in Film:
Honorable Students Receive Honorary Endowments
KU Cinema Trap
By Park Rae Hyun (sting1000@korea.ac.kr)
ciaries. “I am pleased to deliver this wonderful news to my
parents,” commented Hong Yoo Jeong (’10, Psychology),
“they will be delightful to be unburdened from the humongous tuition fee.”
Professors are also glad to see their pupils full of joy.
“Since Seokrimhoi runs on individual donations and membership fees of enrolled professors, it is important for the
students to remember to keep trying their best and be the
cornerstones of development of KU and Korea,” advised
Professor Shim Jae Chul (Journalism and Mass communication).
2 _ The Granite Tower
Provided by Koreapas
(Dongmyo), and Bagu
Bagu.
Fortunately, the affiliates are not limited to
restaurants. For those who
want to be relieved from
stress, using the card at
Rockhu Karaoke and Lotte
Cinema (Cheongnyangni) would be a smart choice. At
Rockhu Karaoke, they are offering a 2000-won discount
for anyone who possesses the membership card, with no
conditions attached. Furthermore, at Lotte Cinema, students with the card are given a 2000-won discount.
Many students are welcoming the issuing of the membership card with open arms. This phenomenon shows
how thirsty KU students have been for enhancement in
student welfare. Certainly, KUSA has been successful in
quenching the needs of the students.
Photographed by Kim Hak Young
Commonly, an art theater is considered a place which attracts a limited enthusiasts. However, have you ever been skeptical about the
fact that a multiplex cinema shows only extreme commercial films
among many other genres? If so, visit KU Cinema Trap at Korea
University (KU).
W
A Way to Improve Student Welfare
As a part of their campaign,
the 45th Korea University
Students’
Association
(KUSA) Godaegonggamdae
pledged to issue Cheongchun membership cards to
the students of the Anam
Campus. Application for
the card started from March 2, 2012 on Koreapas. The
number of students applying for the card quickly reached
1000, and is still growing, proving the success of the campaign.
From March 12, the cards were distributed to those
who applied for it in advance at People’s Square. Also, students who had not applied for one were given chances to
do so at the website.
KUSA boasts that the card has a plethora of affiliates,
most of which are near the KU campus. Some of the affiliates include Valance Burger, Outback Steak House
By Jeon Shi Hyun (roben@korea.ac.kr)
Photographed by Kwon Min Seok
On March 16, 2012, there was a scholarship conferment
ceremony from Seokrimhoi at Inchon Memorial Hall. The
atmosphere in the hall was rather solemn and the faces of
students were filled with anxiety and pride. The ceremony
began with an opening address and a big round of
applause, celebrating the achievements of the students.
This semester, nearly 40 students were selected after a
thorough evaluation, with the amount of money reaching
up to 180 million won.
Seokrimhoi was founded in 1970 by a group of professors who graduated from Korea University (KU), with the
hope of fostering younger students and aiding those who
are less privileged but who are also illustrious pupils. As
of February 2012, 959 professors were enrolled in the
scholarship committee. It is by far the largest and the
most active scholarship committee in KU.
The amount of money awarded to each student was
between two million and five million won. Annually, the
scholarship is awarded to 100 students on average.
Professors of the committee stressed the value of hard
work and honor to the students who were given the scholarship.
The students who received the scholarship were
delighted by the fact that they were selected as the benefi-
ith the new construction
of the Media Hall, KU
Cinema Trap started as
the space which accepts
the demand for various
images and film media; from classical
film to the latest digital format. KU
Cinema Trap’s exterior construction
was completed in August, last year,
and the facilities related to screening
were equipped in November.
Finally, KU Cinema Trap opened in
February, 2012. A private enterprise,
Kkumgil Production Center, manages
the theater; however, essential particulars needed for the theater are decided
by a steering committee in the School
of
Journalism
and
Mass
Communication, because the theater is
located in KU.
Producer Park Sun Kyung, the head
of the Management Department in
Kkumgil Production Center, says that
KU Cinema Trap wants to meet audiences in the university through a variety
of good films, which are losing their
footing by multiplex theaters. “To the
public, we desire to communicate with
local residents and contribute to local
culture,” she says.
Film has more diverse spectrums
than other media. With its artistic
merit, film has become the industrial
media. In the system of multiplex cinema-centered screening, it is a reality
that opportunities to meet independent films of great artistic value are
limited. So, KU Cinema Trap aims to
become more popular and more familiar theater, despite the fact that it is an
art theater. For this, the theater shows
as many films as possible. “As the
school facility, KU Cinema Trap will
also conduct in-depth educational programs about film and media through
supports for technical skills,” Park
says.
KU Cinema Trap is located on the
fourth floor of the Media Hall, and has
a screen which is 8.5 meters wide and
4.5 meters long and allows 142 people
in. During the semester, the theater is
used as a lecture room until 3 p.m. on
weekdays; outside these hours, it
shows films.
Despite its small scale, KU Cinema
Trap guarantees the best screen quality in Korea. It has a Sony R320 4K
Digital projector that supports the best
resolution. The Dual Masking System
adopted by this theater helps it show
all kinds of Theater Screen Ratio without distortion. Its screen is a Harkness
Reference Screen which has excellent
angle of field and realistic reflection
characteristic.
The theater adopts Dolby Surround
Sound version 7.1 as the sound system. According to Professor Choi
Hyeon Cheol (Journalism and Mass
Communication), almost every theater
in Korea including multiplex theaters
use Dolby Surround Sound version 5.1,
while American theaters use its 7.1
version. He adds that the difference in
the sound system makes the difference in grandeur.
“In addition, KU Cinema Trap is the
only theater which is equipped with its
own classical cinema-including silent
film-screening system so the theater
deserves to be called the best theater
in Korea,” Choi comments. In fact,
Korean Film Archive and KU Cinema
Trap are the only ones equipped with
the classical cinema screening system.
The excellent technical skills are
not everything. There are experts in
classical cinema, archive film and digital cinema in KU Cinema Trap, and
they support the screening. Park says
that the managers in KU Cinema Trap
plan fruitful programs with sincerity.
“These experts play the core function
in completing our services and and values,” she says.
The admission fee 2,000 won is the
same as other theaters; 6,000 won in
early morning, 8,000 won on weekdays, and 9,000 won on weekends. But
it offers discounts to KU students and
the school personnel when they show
their student ID card or school personnel card. Also, KU Cinema Trap will
start a coupon system so that audiences can be granted free admission
after they see movies in the theater
seven times.
Park finally says, “Last year, some
historic art theaters closed their doors
because of financial difficulties.
Although commercial films are the
mainstream nowadays, I think the film
made wholeheartedly is an art film. I
hope that KU Cinema Trap will become
the place where your precious memories are built up. Please give us your
interest and affection.”■
APRIL 2012 _ 3
ON CAMPUS
Academic English, Advanced English—
Change for the Better?
Shifting Campuses Program—
A Double Edged Sword
By Lee Han Byul (forme9@korea.ac.kr)
All freshmen at Korea University (KU) are required to take Academic English. Starting this year, KU is
trying out an innovative method; whether it is for the better or for the worse remains to be seen.
It has been 32 years since the opening of the Korea University (KU) Sejong Campus. Since its foundation,
there have been several issues concerning its identity and relationship with KU Anam Campus. The most
recent issue revolves around the controversy over the program of shifting campuses, implemented in
2010. Both proponents and opponents of the program are actively raising their voices, eager to stake their
position.
F
or freshmen, the exciting first month of university life has surely passed quickly by. They are taking mandatory Academic English (AE) classes—
but this year’s class is different from the one
upperclassmen had.
On February 20, all freshmen took a placement test
which divided them into different levels of AE classes. The
top 20 percent of students were assigned to Advanced AE,
which has the perks of having an absolute grading scale
and the students being exempt from the mandatory
English certification tests required for graduation.
Advanced AE concentrates less on English language skills
and more on academic skills that all freshmen need. The
next 60 percent are placed in intermediate level of AE, and
the lowest 20 percent in beginner’s. The new standard AE
is similar to what had been taught in the past, but is aimed
more at students with less experience in English.
This differs from the former system in which the freshmen who took and passed academic exemption tests would
receive an A plus without having to take the class. In addition, the previous system divided students into classes
according to their student numbers. Through the new system, the school aims to enhance English learning abilities
and to make grading fairer.
Views on the new AE system vary. Jung Yoon Sun (’12,
Journalism and Mass Communication) approves of the new
system. She comments, “I think it is good that I take AE
class with students similar to my level.” This addresses the
fairness of grades issue. “As a student who took Academic
English last year, I thought that there were too many different spectrums of English abilities within a single class. So I
think it is much better to divide the class by academic levels to lessen the gap,” says Cho Hyeon Seok (’11, Russian
Language and Literature). He also said that although there
are some slip-ups such as last-minute class allocation,
these are natural trial and error while the system is refined.
“The primary difference is that students are now taught
at appropriate language proficiency level,” says Glenn
Sundeen, a professor at KU and an IFLS administrative
coordinator. “From the instructor’s point of view, it is difficult to have multiple level students in one class. In the past,
some students were intimidated by their peers with significantly higher language level, and others were bored by
being taught at a level that didn’t challenge them.”
The separation according to one’s command of English
may bring about invisible disparity between students and
cause lower level ones to lose confidence. “I was very nervous that the test might place me to the lowest level,” says
Kim Ae Ri (’12, English Language and Literature). “Since the
students in the English section are mostly divided into two
‘intermediate level AE’ classes, I think it would be very
embarrassing if someone asked me if I was in the beginner’s level.”
As a student who was previously exempted from having to take Academic English, Hwang Jun Churl (’11,
Spanish Language and Literature) does not agree with the
new system. “I find Academic English unhelpful. By exemption, I was able to take a different class that seemed a lot
more interesting,” says Hwang.
Furthermore, another commonly shared concern is that
it lessens students’ chances to get to know others in the
same section better. “Some of my section-mates that take
Advanced AE complain that they have to take it with other
advanced level students from Department of Political
Science. While they take Advanced AE with students from
other departments, most of the English section students
are in the same AE class. It is pretty obvious that we get to
hang out more often,” says Kim. She believes that they
might feel a little left out.
For the time being, there seems to be a lot of room for
improvement for the new AE and Advanced AE. “I think it
would be helpful to keep the old way of things,” says Kim
Jisoo (’12, Korean Language and Literature). She suggests
that, “if those who are already good at English get exempted, they could manage their time better by taking other lectures. On the other hand, dividing the class by achievement
levels could enhance good faith competition. It would be the
best if advantages of the old and the reformed system are
put together.” Moreover, Kim Ae Ri reports there are too
many students in her class. She thinks that 47 students in a
single AE class is too many, and even the professors are
worried about how to manage so many students effectively.
It is good that the school is making creative attempts to
improve the quality of courses. Nevertheless, the question
over whether the new Academic English classes really are
for the better remains to be answerd.■
T
here are several universities operating two, or
sometimes three, different campuses. Yonsei
University (YU) has two campuses located in
Sinchon and Wonju. So does Kyung Hee
University (KHU), which possesses two campuses; one in Hoegi and another in Suwon. The story is not
much different when applied to KU. KU foundation currently boasts two campuses in Anam and Seochang. The
two campuses have come to exist under the common
name of KU since 1980. Both campuses, undeniably, have
undergone several minor disputes or struggles since then,
owing to different learning environments and varying
social perspectives. Yet the most controversial issue, shifting campuses program, has been taking its toll since 2010.
Basically, the shifting campuses program is a program
in which a student from Sejong Campus who is in his or
her fourth semester with a grade point average of 3.75 or
higher along with satisfactory English fluency, is given a
chance to acquire a degree as a student of Anam Campus.
However, barely fulfilling such qualifications is not enough
in being one of the selected few. Many students from
Sejong Campus are aware of the program’s merits, leading
to a skyrocketing number of students preparing for the
program. According to students of Sejong campus, in
order to practically pass the program, one needs to have a
grade point average over 4.0 with a TOEIC (Test Of English
for International Communication) score of 990.
University officials comment that the program has
come to exist for practical reasons. It acts as a factor in
attracting talented students from Sejong Campus, while at
the same time diversifying the backgrounds of enrolled
students. Furthermore, due to such challenging qualifications of the program, students who are interested in it
would have to be extremely industrious to be eligible.
Their viable attitude would definitely lead to the development of an active learning environment at Sejong Campus.
However, the issue is in no way a simple one. Since
some students apply for a completely different major,
they may encounter problems once they shift campuses.
In 2012, the number of departments with openings for the
program in the Humanities Department was limited to
four: Business Administration, Korean History, English
Language and Literature, and the Division of International
Studies. Furthermore, the program has met with fierce
opposition from some students of Anam Campus, for they
are not allowed to change their majors for any reasons. In
fact, a plethora of students at Anam Campus taking
majors that do not suit them are having a difficult time.
Thus, the program can be seen as lacking equity. Jeong
Sung Ho (’12, Business Administration) of Anam Campus
says, “I am against the program. The very fact that such a
program exists makes it seem as though Sejong Campus is
looked upon as an imitation of the Anam Campus.” Also, a
student majoring in English Language and Literature who
wanted to remain anonymous mentions, “I do not see the
practicality of the program. It seems as if the school is
doing it for money.”
The program of shifting campuses has both its merits
and demerits. For our beloved alma mater to thrive,
school officials and students should look for ways to
maximize the merits while minimizing the demerits. One
way to make the best use of the merits is to come up with
a reasonable standard or measurements for selecting
qualified students for the program. Also, Sejong Campus
may have to toil to increase its own brand value so as to
climb upward on the ladder, instead of relying on Anam
Campus for name value. Sejong Campus has its own
uniqueness including the Department of North Korean
Studies and the Department of Pharmaceutical Studies. If
such departments were to be nurtured properly, they
would put Sejong Campus in its own spotlight.■
APRIL 2012 _ 5
ON CAMPUS
By Park Sang Eun (prizeis@korea.ac.kr)
Unlike high schools, universities offer many courses that require students to get involved in group projects or teach solely in English. Not just freshmen, but even seniors find such types of courses challenging that they often try to avoid them.
In order to assist these students, the Center for Teaching and
Learning (CTL) provides some learning programs including
Korea University Peer Tutoring (KUPT), the Creative
Challenger Program, and a learning coaching program, to
name a few.
KUPT is one of the most favored programs among them.
KUPT consists of three types of tutoring; English Mediated
Course (EMC) skill tutoring, regular course tutoring, and
international students course tutoring. In these programs,
academically successful students tutor others to assist them
with their course work.
EMC skill tutoring offers tutoring in writing, presentation,
and debate, which are basic skills in taking English courses. All
Korea University (KU) students can become tutees if they wish.
For tutors, all undergraduates and graduate students of KU
can apply. Tutors do not earn any credit or money through
EMC skill tutoring. They voluntarily aid other students having
difficulty in English courses. Once tutors are selected based on
their application and interview, they receive a concentrated
tutor training by expert instructors. Then, these trained tutors
teach tutees for at least one or more semesters based on what
they learned through training. Tutors have to submit activity
reports weekly about what they taught their tutees during the
previous week. Some tutors who complete tutoring for more
than 16 hours can get a certificate.
Regular course tutoring is a voluntary one-to-one or oneto-many tutoring program. Tutors who had received A or A
plus in a particular course can aid tutees taking the course.
Tutees can get help in obtaining learning skills or doing
assignments. Tutors as well as tutees can learn something
through regular course tutoring. It is a good opportunity for
tutors to improve their speciality in the area, their leadership
skills, and even communication skills. As with EMC skill tutoring, tutors should submit weekly activity reports and can
receive a certificate after tutoring for more than 16 hours.
International Students Course Tutoring (ISCT) offers support to international students at KU, as can be guessed by its
name. International students may struggle with Korean as
well as English. Thus, international student course training
helps them enhance their abilities in English-mediated courses and provides tutoring programs in some subjects in which
they want to get help. Areas of tutoring are decided based on
international students’ needs.
Interview with Cho Sunghee, a Researcher at the CTL
The Granite Tower (GT):
What was the reason for launching KUPT?
Cho Sunghee (Cho): Although I am not the one who
started this tutoring program, it was launched in order
to aid students experiencing difficulty in studying. There
were constant demands for assistance, and some students volunteered to help those in need. Our work was
to match those potential tutors and tutees. It was the
beginning of KUPT. A lot of students especially needed
help in English courses that require ability in writing,
debating, and delivering presentations. Nowadays, however, many students seek regular course tutoring as well.
GT: Have you ever confronted problems while managing
KUPT, and if you have, how did you solve the problem?
Cho: It is a problem that we are usually short of classrooms where tutors and tutees can study. We only have
our own offices to do administrative work but cannot
secure rooms for tutors and tutees. Thus, they have to
book study rooms in Centennial Memorial SAMSUNG
Hall, but it is hard for them to get a study room before
and during the examination period as many other students flock to book them. It is so sad that suggesting
other rooms for study and often providing our conference room are only things that we can do.
GT: Do all tutors and tutees diligently participate
throughout the semester?
Cho: Usually they participate in the tutoring system
quite diligently. Actually, some tutors and tutees are not
so diligent. In order to prevent it from fizzling out, we
adopted the weekly reporting system. For several years,
tutors have needed to submit a report about the activities they did the previous week. In some cases, however,
tutees are not so passionate in tutoring program. Thus,
since last semester, we have also recommended tutees to
submit a weekly self-reflection paper weekly, and it
turned out to be effective.
Chae Seung-wan (’08, Life Sciences and Biotechnology)
tutored biology for regular course tutoring. Kang Sung
Han (’10, Computer Education) was one of the tutees
Chae taught.
GT: What made you participate in the tutoring program?
Chae Seung-wan (Chae): I had difficulty studying courses for my major in my freshman year because I had not
ever studied actively during my high school years. I
wanted to help students just like myself. Also, I wanted
to study actively. Most college students usually study
only when they have exams ahead. Through this tutoring
program, however, I have to find extra information or
preview what to tutor. I thought such studying could
improve my active studying in my daily life.
Kang Sung Han (Kang): Whenever I had difficulty during
class, I thought it would be better to get help from otherses. At the time, I found that CTL provided regular
course tutoring and I applied to the program.
GT: Did you achieve what you targeted when starting
the tutoring program?
Chae: The biggest goal
of my tutoring was to
improve the grades of
the tutees. In order to
attain the goal, I asked
tutees not to miss any
classes and everyone followed me well with
strong faith. With their
study fever, they requested classes even on weekends,
and all of them finally got a good grade. What was more,
we were able to get excellence awards as a tutor, tutee,
and tutoring team.
Kang: While participating in the tutoring program, I
received a big boost in that I came to understand difficult topics and it was a good opportunity for me to
study harder. In the end, I was able to get a good grade
and even was chosen as an excellent tutee in the excellent tutoring team. Not to mention my initial goal, I was
able to foster the habit of studying steadily and regularly.
GT: What was the toughest factor during tutoring?
Chae: The number of tutees was the toughest thing.
CTL recruits tutors before the semester starts. For spring
semester, it advertises tutor recruitment in early February.
Selected tutors get training at the end of February. After training, tutees can apply to the tutoring program in March. Even
during the semester, extra tutees can apply to the tutoring
Compared with an ordinary tutoring team, usually consisting of three or four tutees, eight tutees flocked to our
team. I had to divide our team into two teams because
too many tutees in one team might have been a problem
in that it would have been difficult to make an appointment, and courses would not have been so effective. It
was somewhat burdensome to teach the same materials
twice. Besides, it was hard to adjust the level of difficulty
while considering the differences among the students.
Kang: It was tough that I had to do something related to
studying every week. As tutoring lessons went on weekly, I had to preview what to learn or discuss and review
what I got from the lesson. I even had to write a selfreflection paper comprised of reviewing and organizing
what I learned every week. Even though I had to spend a
lot of time participating in tutoring, I felt really great
about having completed tutoring successfully at the end
of the semester.
GT: What lessons did you learn from tutoring?
Chae: I realized that a leader should set a good example
for followers. Rather than forcing tutees to be diligent, I
prepared teaching materials two days before tutoring
day and arrived and waited for tutees ten minutes
before the tutoring started. Once I become diligent, tutees also participated diligently in the
tutoring
program.
Through teaching, I was
able to learn more
because I had to know the contents more deeply and
more specifically in order to teach tutees. Moreover, I
could enhance my studying ability in the process of
debating and contemplating what tutees questioned.
Provided by Chae Seung-wan
Korea University Peer Tutoring (KUPT)
Interview with a Tutor and a Tutee for Tegular Tourse Tutoring
Provided by Cho Sunghee
A Friend in Need is A Friend Indeed
GT: What would you say to students who have not participated yet?
Chae: The tutoring program is helpful in that you can
improve your learning ability and can receive useful tips
for a career through conversations with a tutor and
tutees. Besides it can be a good opportunity to make
acquaintance with new people. I strongly recommend
you to participate in the tutoring program. I even would
like to participate again if I have a chance later.
program, but not tutors. If you have any questions about it,
you can visit Central Plaza #121 or #122, or call 02-32901576.■
APRIL 2012 _ 7
ON CAMPUS
The Locker War
become that though originally free of charge, some lockers
now come with a price tag attached. Koreapas, KU’s student
online community, is the main means through which the deals
are made. Of course, it is officially forbidden to buy and sell
lockers, and those who get caught will be restricted from
using the lockers in the future.
By Lee Han Byul (forme9@korea.ac.kr)
“Lockers wanted” articles posted on Koreapas
Every new semester starts with a war over lockers. The limited number of lockers on campus means
only a few remain victorious and the rest will be left with a load of heavy textbooks in their arms. The
overheated competition for lockers clearly demonstrates the fact that the supply does not meet the
demand.
Number of Lockers and Applicants,
2012 Spring Semester
Place
Number of
Central Central Woo Dang Science Hana
total
Plaza Library
Hall
Library Square
Lockers
1703
500
560
710
1670
5170
Applicants
2623
823
235
538
1927
6146
the fiercest in Central Plaza. According to locker administrator Gim Ju Han, the lockers in the Central Plaza are
fully occupied throughout the semester and rank first in
number of applicants. As for the Central Library, Gim
reports that there are about 70 private lockers students
have placed on top of or next to the communal lockers,
something the university discourages.
In Woo Dang Hall, the lockers on the first floor are
always full, and the second floor is 80 percent full. Yet
interestingly, the lockers at the Science Library are more
popular on the higher floors. This is because most graduate students want lockers on the fifth floor. Although
there are plenty of unused lockers on the third floor, moving them to the fifth floor is not feasible due to lack of
space.
Counting all the communal lockers distributed by the
colleges, nine out of ten Korea University (KU) undergraduates are supposed to have his or her own personal locker.
However, these are just numbers; the reality is that undergraduates are not the only ones coming to study at KU,
and the supply of lockers near reading rooms is insufficient to meet the demands.
“There have been a number of requests to increase the
number of lockers in places such as the Central Plaza or
the Central Library,” says Gim. “The staff of the Office of
Student Affairs have been looking around for room to
place more lockers for the past five years. However,
because of aesthetic reasons, putting more lockers in the
hallways is out of the question.” Although the problem is
well known, the school has done little to improve the situation.
So popular have these personal spaces to store books
As there are loopholes to almost every law, people are
quite hesitant to speak out about “selling” lockers. Hence, the
ones who desperately need them post wanted articles and the
deal is made discreetly in the dark through online messaging.
The middle three rows are more preferred, and the nearer to a
water fountain or closer to the reading rooms the better.
During March, a single locker sells for 50,000 won or more;
some even offer more than 70,000 won to secure a place. The
price gets lower as the semester continues.
“There were people who suggested I sell my rights on my
locker,” says Go. “I am not going to do it though, since I
applied for a locker because I really needed one.” However,
not all are so rule-abiding; some students who do not necessarily need a locker still apply for one in the hopes of making
a profit.
The school is also responsible for this transaction; a student who asked to not be named confided that she went to
receive the keys to a locker for her friend who is preparing for
national exams. Although she was holding her friend’s student ID card, there was no problem in her getting a key. “It is
practically impossible to compare the students one by one.
The line of the people waiting for the lockers is so long that if
the school staff meticulously compared the student ID card
and the students, it would take a whole day,” she says.
Moreover, since the black market for the lockers takes place
outside of official KU websites, regulation is very feeble.
The locker shortage has long been recognized by students
and the KU Student Affairs staff, but not much has been done
about it. The students pay an awful lot of money to attend KU,
plenty enough to cover securing an individual locker in a convenient location. It is now time that the school administrators
stop giving dead-end answers of “there is no more space for
lockers” or abstract solutions of “intensifying regulations”
and start coming up with realistic solutions.■
Photographed by Lee Han Byul
I
magine the heavy air of the Central Library, or the
Central Plaza. Students sit in silence with thick books
obscuring their desks. If you are an undergraduate,
you know how heavy those required textbooks can
be; having even the smallest space to store them can
be a great relief from the horror of having to carry them
back and forth from home to school every day. This is
exactly why Go Hyeon Jong(’11, English Language
Education), like so many others, applied for a locker this
semester. “Since I am now a sophomore, I have to attend
many major courses that require some seriously heavy
books. It would have be a total nightmare if I had to carry
them around for my 70-minute commute, especially with
my laptop,” says the lucky winner. “I applied for a locker
at the Central Library because it’s the closest to the
College of Education buildings. I am so glad that I got a
locker.”
Not all of those who apply for the lockers are as lucky,
though many students face the same problem. In fact, the
demand is so high compared to what is available that
there is a profitable black market for the keys to those
lockers. The system currently works in the following way:
the lockers in each department building are under the
management of the student council of the appropriate college. Hence, the policies on how the lockers are distributed
vary accordingly. For instance, the College of Liberal Arts
gives priority to students who applied for a single locker
together with another student.
Other more popular locker spots, including the Central
Plaza, the Central Library, the Science Library, Hana Square
and the Woo Dang Hall, are under the administration of
the Student Affairs Department. The winners of the lockers are chosen randomly according to the quotas provided
for undergraduates, graduate students, and post-graduates. Because these hotspots are mostly where many students study for national qualification exams, winning the
draw for one of the lockers is as difficult as “winning the
lottery”.
The following graph shows the demand and supply of
lockers this semester. As can be seen, the competition is
APRIL 2012 _ 9
FEATURE
Toward a More Book-Friendly Society
By Kim Do Kyung (kim917@korea.ac.kr)
“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with
the finest minds of past centuries,” said Rene Descartes.
As such, no one can deny the great value of reading
books. Reading, from an early age, has been emphasized
and encouraged as an optimum leisure activity as well as
being the foundation of a well-balanced, educated, and
culturally enriched life. Not only do books enable people
to gain knowledge in certain specific fields, but they also
lead them to travel to fantasy worlds where they can indirectly experience a different life. Bae Min Joo (’11, Chinese
Language and Literature) agrees with the merits of reading. “By looking through books of diverse genres, I feel as
if I am getting smarter, even though they may not be
directly related with academics.”
However, recent broadcasts reveal people’s lack of
reading. Research done by the Ministry of Culture, Sports
and Tourism of Korea shows that more than 30 percent
of Korean adults do not read a single book each year.
With college students, the situation was slightly better.
According to a survey done by The Dong-A Ilbo in January
2012, university attendants read an average of one book
every month. Moreover, a whopping 80 percent of students answered that they spend less than 30,000 won
every month buying books. An interesting point is that
collegians mostly read best-seller books, which are often
related with the so-called “spec(specification)” such as
self-help and employment books. Kang Dong Won (’11,
Chemistry) shares his similar personal style of reading.
“Rather than focusing on just a few specific genres, I tend
to follow the trends in books, such as when they gain
social and public attention. Thus I mostly read books that
are on the best-sellers list in bookstores.”
Before blaming contemporary society for not being
cultivated due to its lack of reading it is important to analyze the primary causes of this trend. The first and foremost reason can be attributed to the changing social
structure. Competition in diverse areas is becoming
fierce, leading college students to prepare for employment even several years before their graduation to get
decent jobs in the intense job market. In order to win and
earn high positions in the strict hierarchical structure of
society, it is inevitable for them to devote their efforts
and time to more practical issues. Therefore, engaging in
part time jobs, volunteer activities, and internship programs are preferred by the majority of students.
Moreover, revolutionary development in electronic
devices has brought about an array of leisure activities
including playing online games, getting on SNS, and
watching television. Kang says, “One of my major hobbies
is playing games while reading takes only about ten to 15
percent of my whole leisure time.” However, excessive use
of such devices causes severe negative consequences such
as addiction and health problems. Therefore, it seems
that reading, a sound activity, should be further encouraged to today’s youth.
To promote reading books, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) designated an annual event on April 23 and
named International Day of the Book or World Book Day
in 1995. This day originated from the Catalonia region of
Spain, where people who bought books received flowers
on St. George’s Day. Coincidentally, this date is the
anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, Miguel
de Cervantes, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Josep Pla,
who are all renowned historical writers. More than 80
countries worldwide celebrate World Book Day including
Spain, the country of origin, France, Norway, the United
Kingdom, Japan, and Korea. Each country has its unique
way of commemorating this day. For instance, there is a
simultaneous festival of books and roses in Spain, and a
campaign by which parents read books to their children
20 minutes a day for a month in the United Kingdom.
Korea also holds diverse events in bookstores and public
libraries to entertain citizens so that they ultimately
become familiar with reading books.
Major bookstores in Korea organize diverse events to
entice customers of all ages. Kyobo Bookstore has been
one of the most active bookshops taking the initiative. For
example, it invited celebrities including Kim Yuna to
share their dreams and visions with the general public.
Moreover, it hosted events through Social Network Service
(SNS) channels. In 2009, the bookstore requested customers to write a touching line from books written by
Shakespeare and Cervantes to commemorate their deaths
on April 23, 1616 and gave out presents to the winners.
Kim Hyo Yeon, an employee of Kyobo Bookstore, shared
some ideas of the company’s promotion team. She says,
“The main purpose of organizing these events for the
sake of World Book Day is to allow Korean citizens to
become more interested in books. As the leading company of Korea’s reading culture, we believe that we are
responsible for activating people’s reading. We are glad
that the participation of customers in each of our event is
great every year.” Kyobo Bookstore is busy preparing for
the upcoming event this month. Kim continues,
“Although we do not have any specific plans set yet, we
are aiming to have public reading sessions and meetings
with authors in each of our branches.”
The National Library of Korea has also been contributing to celebrations of World Book Day. The Acquisition &
Technical Processing Division says, “Last year, our library
held a ‘Book The More’ event in which citizens donated
their unnecessary books to the library to commemorate
the day.” The books that the library had not possessed
became registered as national documents, and those that
they already owned were sent to libraries in isolated areas
where residents did not have much access to the book
culture that was experienced by those living in big cities.
According to the library, other events included the recitation of the poets’ and writers’ own poems and novels, and
exhibitions of poetry. Librarians further mention, “About
600 people in total participated that day, giving great support and response. We are planning to hold the ‘Book The
More’ event this year as well. We look forward to citizens’
active participation.”
Although there is no solid statistic showing noticeable
success of events such as World Book Day, they are surely
great methods for promoting reading activities. There
may also be other efficient ways of making people
become fascinated with books. More promotion, such as
social campaigns through the media, can influence people’s reading habits in positive ways. Another suggestion
is to enforce reading proficiency exams in schools. Several
proficiency exams including English and Chinese characters are already set as graduation requirements in many
universities, allowing students to gain at least a minimum
knowledge in those areas. Similarly, the adoption of reading proficiency exams will hopefully make students
become more sophisticated in general. Therefore, both
public and individual efforts are necessary to enhance
interest in reading nowadays.■
Libraries around university campuses are usually crowded with students, where intense competition
occurs, especially during exam periods. These students do not hesitate to stand in long lines early in
the morning to save “good” seats for themselves. However, the majority of them have the primary purpose of studying academics, rather than reading educational books.
APRIL 2012 _ 11
FEATURES
What do you do on Valentine’s Day or White Day? Some
might go out with their respective lovers and exchange
chocolates and candies. And others might just stay at home
or take dull classes at school, ignoring many campus couples. It is likely that most students are included in the latter
group, acting as if these special days have nothing to do
with their lives. Here, a reporter of The Granite Tower (GT),
who has a lot of theoretical knowledge about dating, talks
about three secrets of relationship, connecting them with
episodes of the TV program, Jjak.
Magical Tips for Finding
One’s Love
season of Jjak, there was a woman
with a great background, graduating School of Business at Yonsei
University and working at Korean
Airlines. A car maintenance man,
whose background was far below
hers according to a materialistic
measure, kept trying to win her
love. To some audience members,
it seemed kind of reckless to target the woman with such a great
background. However, his unfailing attempts to win her love finally produced fruits by their being a
couple after all. Do not be afraid
to set your sights high. If you
think you are good enough for a
girl, she will think you are, too. If
you do not think you are good
enough for your partner, then the
person probably would not think
so, either. Hence, be confident.
This shows others that you have
good taste and that you are giving
them a compliment just by talking
to them.
2. Ask for a Date
By Kang Uoo Seob (cmzktk8585@korea.ac.kr)
The TV program, Jjak (Couple), which is aired every
Wednesday on Seoul Broadcasting Station (SBS), is one of
the most featured TV shows nowadays. This is basically a
reality TV show, in which several single men and women
come out to find marriage partners in a week. They live
together in a village named Aejeong-chon for a week to find
their lifelong partners, carefully watching who would be
the best fit for their lifestyles, characters, and ideals. Since
it is for marriage, not for merely finding a dating partner,
every cast member is serious about the whole show. Even
though all the members have one common aim, some succeed and others fail. A few months ago, it was even reported that a couple who met at Aejeong-chon promised to
marry this year. In contrast, other members left Aejeongchon without any romantic fruits. In every episode of Jjak,
it is not hard to find some kind of principles of attracting
partners. Those who fail to achieve success in finding partners were mostly
unaware of such
principles. If you do
not want to face the
same failures as they
did in the show, read
carefully the magical
rules for finding your
love.
1. Be Confident, No Matter What
“What college does he or she go to?” “Is he or she good
looking?” “Where does he or she live?” These are several
top questions people ask before they date someone. The
bottom line of asking such questions is that one’s background is one of the most significant factors in dating.
Materialism already seeped into people’s minds and
replaced innocent feelings with a calculating attitude to
find partner with a nearly “perfect” background. Due to
such mindset, many college students tend to give up asking for a date from those considered “superior” with better
backgrounds. Just because a man goes to a less prestigious
college, a woman refuses to meet him. Just because he is
not good-looking, she does not react to his unfailing
attempts to win her love. However, this is such a silly bias.
According to a book, Techniques of Attraction, written by
Song Chang Min, the most popular date consultant who
gives advice to others
regarding dating and
relationships, it is very
important to say to
yourself that “they got
nothing on me,” as
Bruno Mars says in his
song, “Nothing on
you.” On the eighth
episode of the current
Many of us are afraid of asking
for a date from those we like. It is
because we fear that he or she
would reject our asking for a date.
Before asking, we think of every
situation we might face and fall
into a delusion of grandeur, most
of which will never happen. For
instance, a man usually imagines
that if he asks for a date from a
woman and she rejects it, the relationship with her would be totally
messed up in the future. Yet, this
is not true. Do not get disappointed easily with only one rejection.
Keep asking for a date until your
beloved one accepts your proposal. In his book, Song says that, “It
is important to ask for date before
somebody else does.” In the 18th
episode of Jjak, two men showed
interest in one woman. One man
had nearly no experience of dating
a woman, and the other was full of
experience, knowing much about
woman’s mentality. The first man
had many opportunities to ask for
a date from the woman, but he did
not just because he knew nearly
nothing of how to win her love. In
contrast, the second man kept asking for a date to attract her. At first,
the woman seemed reluctant and
careful to such proposals. However,
after he won several opportunities to
date her, they went out of Aejeongchon as a couple. Do not be afraid of
asking for date. There is nothing better than showing your charm and to
win his or her love.
3. Do Not Get Disappointed
Easily.
When the person whom you are
interested ignores your text message, what would be your first reaction? Most people get disappointed
and even give up on him or her.
When their text messages are
ignored, they start to think that “Oh,
my God, he (or she) does not like
me. We are over!” However, this is
not true. He or she might have been
in a situation in which they could
not send a text message. Be optimistic. Even if he or she intentionally ignored the text message, do not
give up on him or her. It is important to learn from rejection.
Rejection is just part of the game,
and being rejected does not necessarily mean there is something
wrong with you. Repeated rejections, however, should prompt you
to evaluate yourself and look for
changes. In the ninth episode of
Jjak, a man smothered a woman. He
gave presents to her, made a special
event for her and took her out for a
romantic dinner. Yet, her reaction
was not as great as he had expected.
He was disappointed and shifted his
attention to another woman.
However, his disappointment was
misguided, given that the original
woman chose him at last. Just
because he or she does not fervently
react to your show of love, do not
get disappointed and give up easily.
It is just too early to give up.■
APRIL 2012 _ 13
FEATURE
The People,
Sounding the Alarm
Toward Corrupt Society
By Kwon Min Seok (emes@korea.ac.kr)
“The reason why the government protects whistle-blowers is that it is hard for investigative
agencies and audit institutions to detect covert
corruption through temporary investigations,
while it is fairly easy for insiders, who have many
chances to witness it, to leak information.”
- Lee Jimoon, a whistle-blower
T
oday, Korean
society is suffering from
many affairs
associated
with corruption and bribery. To
be specific, Koh Seung-duk, a member of the National Assembly,
revealed a money envelope filled
with bribes which he had rejected
during the past party convention of
the Grand National Party. In addition, most of the national sport
leagues bothered their head about
fixed matches manipulated by some
immoral players and brokers. Such a
corruption-prevailing atmosphere
even is swallowing justice in Korea.
This society absolutely needs brave
whistle-blowers in order to cure
itself, like our bodies need white
blood cells.
It is certain that our society
and laws should protect whistle-blowers from being treated
unfairly after their disclosure. However, our society is
inclined to turn its back on people who tell what Koreans
have generally thought righteous. Lee Jimoon (’87, Political
Science and International Relations) is one of the people
who received unfair treatments because of his revelation.
Lee was not a student political activist, but just an average
sort of university student during his campus life. He just
served in the army so as to perform his obligated tour as a
commissioned officer of Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
(ROTC).
However, Lee ran into irrationalities of the Korean
armed forces. In the armed forces, moral education which
forced the ranks to support the ruling party at that time
was practiced and elections were conducted by proxy and
in the form of open vote. In the end, he decided to let the
public know such truths and to improve this system
because he thought that those illegal actions of the military
were not desirable. Moreover, he could not hesitate to do
so after watching enlisted men remonstrating about the
difference between reality and what they were taught at
school.
After his disclosure, he was placed under arrest for
being absent without leave (AWOL) and was demoted to a
private. As a result of this demotion, Lee lost his job at
Samsung, which he got before joining the army through a
special employment program for commissioned officers.
At the end of trials which lasted for three years, his exposure proved to be true and he could hold his honorable discharge. Nevertheless, Lee could not get his job back
because Samsung turned down his application for reinstatement by reason of exceeding the limit of leave of
absence.
Lee Mun-ok, a former examiner of the Board of Audit
and Inspection of Korea (BAI), also unjustly received undeserved treatments on account of his revelation. By providing information for The Hankyoreh, he made it public that
an inspection, which he took the responsibility of, was
stopped by directions from the lobbied superior office.
After his exposure, BAI asked him to write a memorandum
including an acknowledgement of his fault and to submit
his resignation. Moreover, the prosecution detained him on
the charge of revealing classified information.
During his review of legality for confinement, what he
exposed turned out to be facts. Nevertheless, he was not
found innocent but was released on bail later. After this, he
was expelled by BAI and he had to have long legal battles
for six years so as to show that he was not guilty and to
regain his job. In 1996, he received a judgment of an
acquittal from the Supreme Court.
Brave informants were neither protected by Korean
society nor the Korean government since the Corruption
Prevention Act was established in 2002. Although the law
took effect, there were plenty of weak points. The monetary reward guaranteed by the law was too little to bet
one’s life in a situation where nobody ensured their future.
Furthermore, temporary employees could not be within the
boundary of this law. Because only companies can extend
the contacts between temporary employees and companies, the employees always become the weak. Last but not
least, this law only dealt with whistle-blowers relevant to
corruption of public officials and public institutions. In
other words, whistle-blowers who disclosed decadence in
the private sector still were exposed to a lot of dangers.
Also, the Public Interest Disclosure Act has been in
force since last year. Fortunately, this law protects whistleblowers in both private and public sectors. Still, it has several problems. People who expose corruption through the
media or civil groups are not safeguarded from threats. In
addition, disclosures about slush fund creation, tax evasion
and accounting fraud of private enterprises are not included in the law because the report procedure of aforementioned crimes already has been fixed by another law.
Lee Jimoon said, “Concerning only the laws for whistleblowers, Korea has the most systematic laws about whistleblowers except the U.S.” If so, why do brave people hesitate
to tell the truth? The most important reason about the hesitation is a social atmosphere where speaking about inside
problems to the outside means betraying their group. In
other words, other people are inclined to regard a whistleblower as a person who does harm to them and their
group. In such a situation, whistle-blowers fall to a disloyal
person to their colleagues in the society where a group is
considered prior to an individual. Lee said, “No matter how
many times the laws will be established and be strongly
amended, the laws cannot protect whistle-blowers from
being ostracized and isolated by their company and fellow
workers.”
Korea ranked 43rd among the 182 countries in the
Corruption Perception Index which was presented in 2011
by Transparency International, one of the most famous
non-governmental organizations (NGO). Compared to other
members of Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), this score is not enough. It means
that we need more courageous voices in this situation.
However, the society, which has to encourage honest people to do the right thing by keeping them safe, forgets its
duty. For the righteous and fair Korea, our attitude toward
corruption and whistle-blowers needs to change, although
legal protection is also important.■
APRIL 2012 _ 15
FEATURE
In recent years, Korea has witnessed an increasing number of people who start their own businesses;
some call this phenomenon a “venture boom.” Today, success stories of self-made entrepreneurs,
especially young ones, occasionally make it in the news, and the government is vigorously promoting
new support measures for startup companies. All of this make us wonder if it is time to give a wake up
call to our very own “entrepreneur-in-us.”
O
ur parents’ generation grew up at a time when
the nation was not well off. In times of poverty,
getting a secure job was naturally considered a
highly admirable achievement. Over time,
Korea’s economy grew substantially and society underwent some changes accordingly. However, our
parents still hold onto some old values to this day, the
classic one being the near-obsession with secure, goodpaying jobs. Many have tried to instill the old-fashioned
value into us ever since we were young.
As we grow tired of the same preaching—that entering
Samsung or KT, for example, will guarantee a decent life—
the stories of people in their 20s becoming entrepreneurs
and CEOs strike us as impressive. Ticketmonster, Groupon
Korea, Ogada, Add2Paper, and StyleShare are just few of
the successful companies that are in the hands of young
men and women.
It may be the fatigue coming from society's—and our
parent's—expectations, the sweet talk from the government about how much support will be available, a much
lowered initial cost of business thanks to the Internet and
the smartphone, or even just youthful enthusiasm and
high spirits; whatever the impetus is, a notably increasing
number of people are now making an early debut into the
world of enterprises. With the exception of a very few,
however, they usually meet with little success and stop the
journey at that. They go back to reality, and they are lucky
if they have not run into debt.
Feet Back on Ground
“This is really going to be something!” At the spark of
a seemingly brilliant business idea, such a thought flashes
through the mind of an ambitious student. He grows convinced of the business potential until he takes action and
starts a business. He takes a semester off to fully immerse
himself in making his business as big as he imagines it to
be. Far from hitting it big, however, the aspiring entrepreneur is instead saddled with some tens of millions of won
worth of debt.
This student took a course called Campus CEO at KU.
As to why this student was bound to fail, like so many others, Kim Chang Hwan, who co-conducts Campus CEO,
points out the fact that students “walk on a cloud.” They
get easily excited, picturing their future in every rosy way
possible, and hence, lose touch with reality—a fatal mistake for an entrepreneur.
“Some students just do not take it seriously enough
from the very beginning. Then there are others who get
frightened as they go along. They realize, often too late,
how difficult running a business really is.” It goes without
saying that chances for both types of students to succeed
in business are low.
Song Eui Jeong (’07, Mechanical Engineering), also a
Campus CEO-graduate, has tried running a business, too.
He was very ambitious at the beginning—youthful blood
all stirred up—but he quickly learned his lessons as he
saw his business crumble. “KU students are generally very
smart, but with our smart minds, we are busy thinking of
how to expand the scale of our businesses,” says Song.
His observation is that many of us think we are
“almighty.” “We go far above ourselves, increasing the
scale of our business to a point where we just cannot manage it any longer,” laments Song. That is when we “chicken
out,” and laugh it off with the usual saying (yes, you
guessed it), “It was a good experience.”
The core curriculum of Campus CEO lies in coming up
with and fully developing a business item, after which
each team presents its business plan. If and when there is
a team or a particular team member that shows potential,
the professors then initiate a full support system made up
of mentoring, networking, and funding. Cha Wonyong, an
adjunct professor who mainly leads the course, says, “only
Most universities usually have one or more student-run
clubs dedicated to studying and training entrepreneurship
skills or the alike. However, many of these clubs have a
bad reputation for not being run smoothly. “It is because
everybody in the club wants to be CEOs,” explains Kim
Juwhan (’03, Yonsei Universtiy (YU)).
Kim is the president of INSIDers, a KU-YU united startup club that now has 80 KU and YU students after its
recent recruiting. “Members of INSIDers luckily vary in
their goals and ambitions. We especially have many design
major students who specialize in the area,” says Kim.
People who have little experience in the field of business
tend to vaguely think that they want to be leaders. It is
part of one’s instinct, almost. However, he speaks from his
own business experience that, in the end, team members
know where they fit best and learn
how to cooperate as a team. People
matter that way.
During the first Campus CEO
class, a student asks the professor, "What do you think is the
most important factor for a startup to succeed?" A banal yet
thought-provoking question it is,
to which the professor's immediate
answer is "business philosophy." A
clear business philosophy not only
guides a company through
difficult times, but is
essentially what the
company is all about.
"Just as important
as philosophy," continues the professor,
"is people." More
specifically, it is the
ability to find people who share your
philosophy and
therefore are willing
to walk with you
through a fairly long
journey.
Provided by Daehak naeil
By Park Jin Yung (pjy1372@korea.ac.kr)
People First
Photographed by Lee Jeong Min
about eight to ten percent of students go on to do real
business, which we do our best to support by all means.”
Among those means, mentoring is what the professors
attach key importance to. They try to bring students down
from the clouds and keep their feet on the ground. It takes
a lot of mind-training to let them understand that sometimes slow is better than fast.
APRIL 2012 _ 17
FEATURE
Photographed by Kang Uoo Seob
Venture
doing business. People like Kim look at the bigger picture
and point out that society becomes a better place when
entrepreneurs, whatever their “real” motive may be, do
their job—grasping people’s needs and fulfilling them
through business items.
While refraining from making value judgments, Kwon
puts emphasis on entrepreneurs’ motive more than anything else. “When I meet entrepreneurs, the first and foremost question that I ask is ‘why are you starting a business.’” He believes that not just entrepreneurs but all men
make decisions and take actions according to their values.
If your business plan does not revolve around your values,
then your “decisions and actions” will not be the best ones
for the future of the company. Whereas if it did revolve
around them or accord with your values, then you would
make far greater choices that may completely change the
company’s fate.
Provided by Small & Medium Business Corporation
From Different Planets
What
Tomorrow
Wants from
Today
During orientation of Campus CEO, Cha makes one
point clear to the class: that the goal of the course is not
launching a startup. (As mentioned, only a small number
of people end up doing it). He intends the course to be
helpful for everyone—in specific words, “to do well wherever it is you may be at.” Preparing startups, though it is
only a simulation, can provide many valuable lessons, and
eventually alter thoughts and beliefs. Kwon puts it as
“people from different planets”: people who have and who
have not experienced running their own businesses.
“We have some salt of our youth in us,” wrote
Shakespeare in one of his writings. On top of that, today’s
people have some salt of entrepreneurs in them. Whatever
motive you might have, how about not minding it for a
while and just sprinkle that salt of yours onto the world. It
may make you a whole different person.■
By Choe Heejung (theheejung@korea.ac.kr)
Photographed by Kang Woo Seab
"I like our society. I really do," says Kim. This seemingly
casual remark turns out to be part of a significant insight.
"The problem is, it is dead." Our society today has, if not
everything, at least a little bit of everything that we may
ever want or need. It is hard not to "like" society when it
can offer us so much. At the same time, however, it is
equally hard not to grow complacent in such an environment. There is nothing more dreadful than a generation of
complacent young adults. Society has no future to look
forward to.
Just a few decades ago, especially in the 1980s, there
was a wide student movement in Korea. Students fought
fiercely in the streets against the dictatorship, and their
spirits of self-sacrifice spread a powerful message to the
nation. It greatly contributed to bringing an end to military
dictatorship.
Kim believes that the contemporary equivalent of student movements—that has a similar power to change society—is young people doing business. However, not everyone starts business from noble motives. In fact, reasons
vary greatly when young people decide to run businesses.
Some people start just for the money, some do it for the
sake of experience, and a few others even hope that it look
good on a resume. It may be inappropriate and even careless to judge these people who have “ulterior” motives for
The bright sunlight of 2062 beaming through the window wakes you
up. Lying on your bed, you turn your aged face to the left, but you see
no one by your side. College students are so involved with filling out
their resumes nowadays that they do not seem to have much time to
ponder the days when they will be in their 70s, even in their 80s, or
over. We cannot deny the fact that we will all get older some day.
And we cannot deny the fact that one day, each of us will be left
alone.
APRIL 2012 _ 19
A Voyage to the Past
Nakwon Instrument Market is known for selling all
kinds of musical instruments. You would then be surprised to see the Silver Cinema on the fourth floor.
Entering the Silver Cinema leads you to another world,
somewhere in the mid-20th century. Near the ticket booth
lies a room especially prepared for elders to rest. With
each movie ticket, you are able to bake two
kukhwabbangs, Korean traditional bread originating in
Jeonju.
Inside the building, many senior citizens were sitting
around the table. Jung Han Ik (78, Seoul) was one of them.
He was looking through the movie schedule, which contained three movies that would be playing for the next
three weeks – the movie changes once a week. “I tend to
come here quite often,” he said.
Most of the films that play at the Silver Cinema are
classics, possibly to stimulate nostalgia for the elders.
“Sometimes I just watch the movies with indifference
either because I have already seen them or because I have
nothing else left to do. However, sometimes it is fun to
watch because it reminds me of the old days,” said Jung.
A Visit to a Senior Citizen Center
One Tuesday afternoon, Oh Mi-yeoun, assistant manager at the Seongbuk Senior Welfare Center, drove to one of
the senior citizens’ centers in Seongbuk-gu with another
assistant. They were ready to show a movie, and grandmothers were ready to watch the movie.
The programs they provide are different every day.
Twice a week there is gymnastics; song class and movie
day are once a week. Seniors gather around to cook
together for lunch. They seem to have created another
family.
Oh said, “The seniors are usually in their 70s or 80s.
We visit about four to five senior centers a day to hear
what kind of programs they would like and also to chat
with them.” The most popular program among many is
the music class—trot, the oldest form of Korean pop
music, which is often sung. Next is oriental medicine, Oh
added.
One of the grandmothers at the center said, “What I
want from the adolescents is not a big thing. I just want
A Student Shares Her Experience
Since 2007, the Korean telecommunications company SK Telecom has been working with the Korea Association for Senior
Welfare Centers to provide lectures on
mobile handset utilization. Approximately
3,000 senior citizens had participated as of
2009. The classes are taught by members of
Sunny, SK Telecom’s collegiate volunteer
group.
Ho Ga Ju (’11, Japanese Language and
Literature) is one of the Sunny members who
has participated in this program. “The reason I chose this volunteering program when
there were so many others is because it
focused not just on giving out help, but on
sympathizing with the seniors,” said Ho.
Such arrangement promotes communication
between different generations and social
brackets.
“You get to pick your partner and teach
them how to use the alarm and calculator in
the first week. On the following week, you
show them how to do text messages, and on
the third, you teach them how to take pictures and then send them via texts. On the
last week, there is a competitive exhibition
and a graduation. Providing this kind of
practical help is what I regard as special and
fresh,” explained Ho about the program that
lasted for two months.
“The feeling that you get when you see your partner
graduating is indescribable. Four weeks is short—but long.
I gave myself a pat on the back when seeing the elders
using cell phones to a full extent when just four weeks ago
they only used them for calling someone and answering
phone calls,” added Ho.
Ho would like to participate in the program once again
this summer because it had been an unforgettable experience: “I occasionally contact my partner and even the
other college students whom I met. Seniors treated us as if
we were their grandchildren so we were able to open up
our hearts.”
According to her, although studying and reading are
Provided by Ho Ga Ju
T
he Senior Welfare Center in Korea is for those
who are 60, or sometimes 65, or even older.
There are 25 districts within Seoul Metropolitan
City alone and each has a senior welfare center
whose purpose is to give hope to seniors.
Programs include activities such as providing massages,
cooking, or showing movies, as well as programs to take
care of the elders. According to the 2011 Social Survey carried out by Statistics Korea, 34.4 percent of those aged 60
or over thought that a “'medical checkup” was the most
desired welfare service.
While there is an elder like Jung who hangs around the
Silver Seniors’ Center, one senior citizen dressed in hanbok enjoys walking around in Tapgol Park. “I think it is
silly to just sit and lie around in one of the senior centers.
I tell them, ‘Why are you just sitting there counting your
last days?’ They need to go outside,” said Shin Ji Woo (80,
Seoul).
Shin seems to enjoy striking poses for strangers. He
walks around with a cigar in his hand, wearing a gat, a
Korean traditional hat made of bamboo and horsehair. As
he was talking, visitors gathered around to hear what he
had to say and sometimes nodded to his stories.
“Some people call me a fool because I would not just
sit in the Silver Seniors’ Center. But I think it is sillier of
them to just sit around doing nothing. What could be better than walking around under the sun telling people the
moral stories that I have thought of based on my experience? Humor is my strength and energy,” almost boasted
Shin.
What Shin regards as the main problem of today’s society is too much use of English among Korean adolescents.
“The reason we elders do not know much about Korean
pop songs is because there are too many English words in
the lyrics. I have written some on my own and have had
them published, for I have written them beautifully in
Korean.” He wishes Korean adolescents to have much
affection for their mother tongue.
essential as a college student, doing various activities is
the most precious gift that one can get. “Knowledge that
you gain from texts can be forgotten afterward. However,
what you get from experiencing something stays in you
forever. It is like nourishment.” Filling out your resumes
one by one does not assure one’s success. “Volunteering
and doing club activities give the effect of killing two birds
with one stone--you get to improve yourself, and you contribute to public welfare.”
With this in mind, Ho would like the collegians to enjoy
their youth heartwarmingly. By spending time with the
elders, she has learned how to narrow the gap between
different generations and listen to others. What she
Photographed by Kang Uoo Seab
Tapgol Park:
Where the Eternal Sunshine Can Be Seen
them to be polite and have manners.” When asked in what
way she would like the adolescents to change, she
explained, “Nowadays, I see many young smoking on the
streets. More absurd are the couples showing too much
affection in public places.” This seemed to correlate with
what Jung said at the Silver Cinema.
Oh has been working for the senior welfare center for
quite a few years now. “I have done a lot of volunteer work
including various kinds of social welfare. However, what
really suited me was working with elders. It is worthwhile.
And I enjoy talking to them.” What gives her and possibly
many others working at the center, strength to carry on is
their smile, as well as their appreciation.
Jung does not expect much from others in the way of
help. “What I truly want is a friendship. Adolescents these
days have changed too much—to an extent that it will
never be able to be the same again. When I was in their
age, no one could have even imagined the young smoking
in front of elders. Besides, we greeted those whom we did
not even know,” said Jung with a shadow across his face.
regarded as easy was, in fact, difficult, so she was able to
look at things from others’ perspectives.
Put down what you are holding right now and search
for something that you can do to contribute to helping
elderly. Lee Seog Young (’12, Foreign Language and
Literature) says that you will feel delighted just to see
them smiling at you. “I had a grin on my face before I
entered their house, but a smile when I came out of their
house,” added Lee.
Though it may be uneasy to approach elders, you will
realize that their smile is absolutely priceless. Even a short
conversation can make someone happy for the rest of the
day.■
APRIL 2012 _ 21
COVER STORY
E
very day, seven to eight abandoned animals are
rescued on the verge of death in Korea. Some are
rescued while giving birth to their offspring or
suffering severely from starvation. Humans treat
their pets as broken toys when they get annoyed
by their existence. Once these pets are abandoned, they
roam across the empty streets. There may be several reasons to this misfortune. It may occur because the pet owners have gotten tired of raising them or could not afford to
pay for their health care any longer. As a consequence, a
large number of abandoned animals is suffering and dying
tragically on the road.
Luckily, some are adopted by a new family and live a
happy life. Nevertheless, the number of these animals is
only about 20 percent of the total rescued abandoned animals. The rest are managed under poor condition. About
70 percent of the abandoned animals, which are not
adopted, are euthanized. According to the government’s
official sum, 80,000 animals are abandoned or lost each
year. One fourth of them are led to mercy killing.
Obviously, this phenomenon is not restricted to Korea. To
a certain extent, it is also a problematic issue in other
countries as well.
Problematic in both Korea and
Foreign Countries
Animals,
on the Verge of Death
By Bae Mi Seon (rrkseekdls@korea.ac.kr), Choi Ji Won (mongsilee@korea.ac.kr)
“Screeeeeeeech!”
The horrible sound of a driver slamming on the brakes echoed down the block. The victim-to-be was a
small dog, wearing disheveled clothes. It appeared to be mopping around the district like a stray dog. The
driver soon reported the animal rescue team and the lost dog was sent to an animal shelter. There, the
volunteers named it Harry. Unfortunately, the story of Harry is not unusual. The phenomenon of abandoned animals is out of hand, the number skyrocketing up to 120,000. The Granite Tower (GT) met with
concerned people and got deeply engrossed in the subject matter.
Compared to other nations, Korea still has a long way
to go. In foreign countries, most people take a walk with
their pets in the neighborhood. Pets are rather appreciated
as companions. Since 1983, dogs, cats, and other animals
living with people have been called life companions. The
term “pet” has a negative connotation, meaning that animals are "belongings" of human beings. After the international conference that was held in 1983, animals became
our companions, friends, families, and partners of life,
sharing equivalent value with humans. Animal lovers, witnessing these earlier introduced abandonments, started to
raise their voices. Nowadays, animal rights are being
sought.
Taking a closer look into more developed countries, we
find ourselves in great need of improvement in the management system of abandoned animals. As introduced in a
documentary named “Companion animals… a courtesy to
their lives” of Sisa Gihwaek, which heavily covers current
issues, of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), England
is referred to as the “heaven for companion dogs.”
Animals are regarded as human companions for a life
time. In 1900, an environmental protection law was made
and the government official workers were allocated in
every division to manage abandoned animals. “One can be
sentenced to a six-month imprisonment or fined 20,000
pounds for abandoning animals.”
England has adopted a system using microchip; its size
of a grain of rice, which keeps information of registered
animals and the owners on a database. In such way, a lost
animal can easily find its owner and vice versa. After this
system was brought in, the number of abandoned animals
decreased to a third compared to the past.
Another measure worth following is making sure animals in the shelter have enough room allotted and equipping each of the rooms with a television. An associate
explains that this method helps an animal to adapt more
easily to the new home it might move into. Television noises and phone calls are some of the sounds that an adopted animal is likely to perceive every day once they get
adopted. To make these animals more comfortable and
easily adjustable, the shelters in England take these kinds
of measures.
Last but not the least, there are a large number of volunteers who help the associations. At present, it is estimated that a volunteer can be assigned for each animal in
the protection center. These statistics show how much
England cares about and shows affection toward abandoned animals.
Japan also stresses the expression “companion animal.” In Tokyo, there is an animals’ almshouse. Japan has
special charnel houses where the owners can place their
animals’ ash pot just above their own in a little space allotted for each cabinet. Japan also suggests a law to restrict
selling animals indiscreetly online.
Korea is far behind England and Japan regarding animal protection. According to the Animal, Plants, and
Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency, there were
about 120,000 abandoned animals last year. The number
has been increasing dramatically since 2005, marking
100,000 in the year 2010. Sadly, a huge percentage of
these animals end up being mercy killed, which is pointed
out as a problem.
Another difficulty regarding abandoned animals is the
cost of taking care of these animals. In 2010 only, approximately 10.2 billion won was spent into managing animal
shelters. As a result, there are about 397 shelters today. 25
percent of the animals are euthanized and 19 percent
meet a natural death due to lack of systematic care.
Korea is also looking over a law that demands the
rights of animals. However, passing the law does not mean
the problem can be marked as solved. Though many animal-lovers are supporting this bill and protecting abandoned animals by encouraging adoptions, it is not yet
enough. It surely is a good start but there are still a lot to
supplement. Here are two real stories of an abandoned cat
and dog in Korea.
APRIL 2012 _ 23
COVER STORY
adopted, she did not have any extreme fear for humans. It
is said that many abandoned animals have traumas due to
their childhood memories of being abandoned. As time
went by, Yuri started adapting to the new home and recovered quickly.
When asked about the most impressive moment in
raising Yuri, Heo recalled “Since she was only a puppy, she
did not know how to tell where to poop. We taught her
from the very basic steps, and the time when she mastered
pooping lessons is most unforgettable. I was extremely
happy and proud.”
Interestingly, Yuri was not neutered. Some associations
require abandoned animals to get neuter surgeries to prevent indiscrete breeding and vaccinate the animals against
viruses. However, Heo seemed a bit provoked when asked
why he did not neuter Yuri. Heo asserted, “I certainly do
not feel the need for a neuter surgery. I feel it is like treating the animals as a ‘toy’ of human beings, not a real
‘family’. I simply think if the reason for neuter surgery is
to stop indiscrete breeding, it is only for the convenience
of humans, which should be frowned upon.”
As we can assume from his comment, it is surely those
who like animals and have liked them from their childhood who make up their minds to raise an abandoned animal. While interviewing Heo, it felt good to be with someone who cared for animals; of course, it helped that Yuri
was truly adorable.
Photographed by Choi Ji Won
Story2: Heineken’s Story
Heineken was found on a drizzling rainy day in May,
2011. The person who took him in was walking on a hill in
Jaegi-dong when he found Heineken crying and huddling
itself up under a building roof. Heineken could not even
open his eyes then. He was in such bad condition that he
had to be taken to the hospital for about a week, being
abandoned when he was only a month year old.
“I really liked animals since I was young. Accordingly, I
wanted to become a veterinarian but I could not make it. I
always wanted to raise a pet and I finally got a chance to
when I saw a posting on Koreapas. This is how I first met
Heineken,” reminisced Shim Hyo Jin(’08, Mathematics), the
owner of Heineken, an 11-month-old Gray Tabby. Since
Shim did not know much about raising a cat before, he
asked a veterinarian and collected information from an
Internet community for abandoned cats.
Interestingly, Heineken was not his original name.
When Heineken first came to live with Shim, he called the
kitten Can, named after his favorite German mathematician, Cantor. Unfortunately, Heineken rarely responded to
Shim when he was called so. A few days later, Shim was
drinking a can of Heineken with a classmate at his house.
Surprisingly, the kitten showed reactions when Shim’s
classmate called him “hey, Heineken.” So he thought it
would be better to name him Heineken and he calls him by
his affectionate name Neken.
Shim explained that it was not that hard for him to get
familiar with Heineken. “Since he was abandoned right
after his birth and raised in humans’ hands, he thinks he
is a human. I am just kidding. Still, it is a fact that he is
used to being with humans and has a good character,”
added Shim. In most cases, cats are very reluctant to leave
their home and travel far distances. This is no exception
for Heineken who gets frightened whenever Shim tries to
take him out to the HanaSquare turf on a sunny day. Thus,
it was a great surprise when Heineken visited the office of
GT, which takes about 20 minutes from home by feet.
Most cat owners know that kittens need castration. “I
heard it was better when done young. He used to be so
small that he could pop into a baseball cap,” recalled Shim.
However, after castration Heineken’s appetite took place
of his sexual desire, which was warned by the veterinarian.
Suddenly his weight doubled and eventually by thrice that
his size grew big too. Shim said he felt that Heineken’s
mind seemed to have become calmer after then.
When questioned about when Shim is most proud of
Heineken, Shim answered, “When he gladly greets me as I
come back home after a tiring day studying. Since I live on
my own, I feel the warmth of a family when he rubs his
head against my leg when I get into my room or when he
lays by my head as I go to bed. Heineken is my companion,
my family, possibly my son.”
When asked about the hardest part of raising an abandoned animal, Shim replied, “not being able to leave my
house for a long period. For example, I cannot go visit my
parents on holidays since I cannot leave Heineken by himself or leave him at an animal hospital.” Though the hospital gives him food regularly, they cannot give him the
“love” Shim does. Fortunately, people who love cats post
on Koreapas saying they are keen to take care of others’
cats for a day or two. There is even a cat-lovers’ community on Koreapas, where cat owners can share information
about raising a cat or help each other, for example when
faced with a sudden cat feed shortage.
“Before meeting Heineken, I could not understand people posting lost pets saying they will reward, for example
1,000,000 won, to the finder. Now I see why they do so.
When having lived with an animal, they are not animals
but family members. Returning to an empty house without
Heineken is unimaginable,” Shim highlighted. He truly
wishes someone who has the financial ability and enough
time for looking after an abandoned animal will decide to
raise one so that he or she can at least take the smallest
responsibility.
“It was a long-time dream of our family to raise a dog.
My older sister and I wanted one ever since we were
young, and my dad gladly allowed us to raise a dog. While
we were wondering what kind of dog we would adopt, we
suddenly came upon abandoned animals. It took some
consideration, but we firmly made up our minds to raise
an emotionally hurt but cute doggy.” Heo Sung-goo (20,
Seoul), the owner of Ku Yuri, a six-year-old Cocker Spaniel,
relentlessly talked about his lovely pet. He seemed to really care for Yuri, even giving her a family name. The story
behind it is very touching. “Since children go by their
fathers’ last name in Korea, we thought of giving Yuri our
mother’s last name. It would make my mom feel less lonely thinking that one of the members of our family shared
her last name.”
However, it was not always so easy to raise Yuri like a
family member. The first time Yuri became their family
member, she was sick and had troubles due to the poor
environment of the animal shelter. She constantly puked
since the shelter’s hygiene is not so good for the animals.
Fortunately, since she was only a baby at the time she was
Story1: Yuri’s Story
APRIL 2012 _ 25
COVER STORY
The Media Shedding Light on the
Phenomenon
Recently, the public has become more widely exposed
to issues regarding abandoned animals. Celebrities such
as Lee Hyo-Ri and Song Joong Gi are supporting campaigns for abandoned animals’ adoption. For example, Lee
Hyo-Ri has donated all the money earned though the selling of her calendar, which includes photos of her and her
adopted dog. Lee is also known for her personal adoption
of an abandoned dog. Moreover, in recent years, she has
become notable for her continuous postings about abandoned animals on her Tweeter account.
The issue of abandoned animals is also handled in
television programs such as The Birth of a Family (Gajokui Tansaeng). This program intends to help abandoned
animals find new homes. Many different celebrities,
including idol singers show the audience how the animals
are like by spending some time with them. Then, after
watching these animals on the show, interested audiences
can apply for an adoption through the web.
This fresh-idea program works to familiarize abandoned animals to the adopters-to-be beforehand, so that
they do not feel like strangers to each other once adopted.
Once a new animal is introduced in the program, a lot of
applications are posted on the official website, wanting to
adopt a new member. The program seems to be working
up to its expectation and raising
awareness
for
abandoned animals.
Moreover, there
is an omnibus film
named Thank you,
Sorry, that comprises four stories about abandoned animals. The people
who work in the abandoned animals association have
gathered to make a film portraying touching stories of
happily-adopted abandoned animals. The stories based
on real-life events are warm, captivating and fuzzy, depict-
ing animals and the owners as best friends.
Associations such as CARE and the Animal, Plants, and
Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency are campaigning for abandoned animals. They put up banners of animals on the web and ask the public to help these poor animals. These associations also have programs that are provided to schools and organizations to educate people on
the serious situation of abandoned animals. The associations try to let the public know the poor environment of
animal shelters and calls upon people to donate to the
shelters. Sadly, most of the shelters are not located in
Seoul, where many animals are abandoned, due to expensive land cost. Therefore, the need of fundraise is critical
in order to create shelters where it is most desperate.
Three Steps in Helping Abandoned
Animals
FINDING
HAPPY-ENDING
The home-lost and abandoned animals are rescued and
brought to the abandoned animals’ shelter. There is a hotline directly connected to the rescue team in each association which is continuously updated. The rescue team is
always ready, equipped with navigation system. If the animals are injured, they are provided with free medicine and
healthcare, which is funded by fundraisers and volunteers.
Once the new home-to-be has gone through a careful
inspection, the animal is ready to be adopted. After all the
official documents are filled out, the only task that remains
is for animals to adapt to the new home environment. They
should be loved by their families and hopefully become the
family’s life companion. It would be best if the association
that connected them together regularly update on how the
adopted animals were faring.
FINDING
FINDING
FINDING
FINDING
HAPPY-ENDING
HAPPY-ENDING
HAPPY-ENDING
HAPPY-ENDING
HELPING
SAD-ENDING
After ten days of legal obligatory sheltering by the associations, abandoned animals are killed by means of
euthanasia. There are countless animals that meet this
tragic fate. They are either incinerated after being put to
sleep or just thrown out in a garbage bag. These animals
are problematic due to the aftermath of its death, becoming trash for human beings to undertake.■
SAD-ENDING
SAD-ENDING
SAD-ENDING
SAD-ENDING
Provided by Google
HELPING
HELPING
HELPING
HELPING
Illustrated by Bae Mi Seon
Abandoned animals protection associations help abandoned animals find new homes. Yet, when these animals
are brought to the shelters, there are still hopes of going
back home if they were just lost rather than abandoned.
Therefore, upon acquiring an animal, the association
immediately puts up a notice with detailed description of
the animal on their sites.
If ten days go by without anyone claiming ownership, people can sign up for adoption. Naturally, since these abandoned animals are fragile, the waiting-to-be-adopters have
to go through a thorough investigation carried out by the
association. First, the adopters need to fill out adoption
forms. The forms include questions about experiences
with animals and their future plans. Then, the person in
charge of the association carries out a phone interview
with the adopter. They also agree upon a time of third
interview over the phone where the adopter is asked to
come to the association in person. After the third interview, the association visits the adopter’s home and
inspects the surroundings of the animal’s soon to be new
home. This is the final step of the adoption and the only
step left afterwards is for the animals to adapt quickly.
APRIL 2012 _ 27
Photographed by Kwon Min Seok
PHOTO ESSAY
By Photo Division
Edited by Lee Jeong Min
APRIL 2012 _ 29
Photographed by Lee Han Byul
Photographed by Kang Uoo Seob
Photographed by Park Sang Eun
PHOTO ESSAY
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APRIL 2012 _ 31
Living History of Korean Forensic Science
Professor Emeritus Moon Gook Jin
By Kweon Yun Jin (alphabrain92@korea.ac.kr)
“An authority of Korean forensic science” or “the origin of the Korean version of CSI” is the title that follows Professor Emeritus Moon Gook Jin (Medicine). As the very first forensic doctor in Korea, Moon has
also shown incessant passion as an educator and writer. Ahead of his 50th publication, Olfactory
Appreciation of Arts, The Granite Tower (GT) had an honorable interview with him on March 13 at
Yeouido.
M
oon is a well-known figure in Korean forensic
study, but it does not mean that he wanted
the life of a doctor at the outset. “My mother
forced me to major in medicine, saying that
she would not pay for the tuition fee unless I
studied to be a doctor,” says Moon, recalling his old days
at Seoul National University (SNU). He was just like many
of today’s undergraduates, who do not have any idea
about what they are eager to do in the future.
It was in his junior year, however, when he finally
found his dream. One day, while he was on the street, it
suddenly rained hard. So he jumped into a secondhand
bookstore nearby where he found a book entitled The
Story of Forensic Science. “Flipping through pages, my hear
kept pounding. I was totally captivated by the phrase—
‘Whereas clinical medicine is based on respect for human
life, forensic medicine is based on respect for human
rights. It only develops in a democratic state, in which the
value of human rights is highly regarded,’” describes
Moon.
Setting the goal of a forensic scientist, however, did
not resolve anything, as there was nowhere to learn forensic science at that time. Luckily, however, an opportunity
came to him before long. In 1955, shortly after he graduated from SNU, the National Forensic Service (NFS) was
founded. “After three days or so from my entrance into
the lab, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security
sent an official document to search for a doctor for the
NFS. On the recommendation of a professor, I became the
first staff,” recollects Moon.
Just as many other professions, he found both bright
and dark sides while working at the NFS. “The most glorious moment of autopsy was when I made clear what the
cause of death was, which had bewildered investigators
due to its uncertainty. Whenever the real criminal was
arrested, I felt like the victimized soul was comforted at
last,” explains Moon. On the other hand, he points to
“public ignorance against forensic science” as the most
difficult thing he had to put up with. Owing to conventional prejudice that harming the corpse is no more than
killing the dead man again, Koreans have shown strong
aversion towards autopsy. “Not only did I come near being
stabbed with an ax, but women in rural village sometimes
threw rocks at me during the autopsy,” says Moon.
Talking about the limits of a forensic scientist, he told
one episode. One day, an engaged young couple went hiking to Mt. Seorak. At night, the man found out that his
fiancé had atrichia, which was considered a bad omen for
marriage, in particular for husbands in Korea. After being
dumped, the woman left for countryside where she met a
barber. The barber vigorously asked her to marry him, but
“
Whereas clinical medicine is based on
respect for human life, forensic medicine is
based on respect for human rights. It only
develops in a democratic state, in which the
value of human rights is highly regarded
she refused because of her disease. Listening to her
excuse, the barber simply said, “My job is to get rid of all
hair on body.” Touched by his words, she married him and
lived happily. Several years later, however, misfortune
occurred to the couple. One day, after returning from the
town, the barber asked his wife if her ex-fiancé knew
about her atrichia; she said yes. From then on, the husband spent drinking every day which made his wife hang
herself out of feeling tortured. “I conducted her autopsy,
and the only thing I could write in the report was ‘suicide.’
If her ex-fiancé had not shot off his mouth, she would
have not made such a horrible choice. Indeed, it was a
murder. It was without the boundaries of forensic scientists to pay attention to what the truth was,” adds Moon,
accentuating that it is the task laid upon law.
Despite his bottomless enthusiasm, there was one
thing he failed to overcome: financial hardship. Making up
his mind to move to a university in 1970, he firstly visited
SNU medical college. However, when he was talking about
his plan of setting up a forensic laboratory, the first
response was “What is forensic science?” Then, he went to
Korea University (KU) to meet the President Kim Sang
Hyup. “Being all ears, the President Kim straightly ordered
the dean of the College of Medicine to give me a new position, saying, ‘Who would lay the groundwork of forensic
science in Korea, if KU, the representative of Korea, did
not do it now?” recalls Moon.
Moon led KU as the first and best forensic study institution in Korea. Now that KU was the only school that provided young medical experts with a forensic medicine
course, it came to be a byword of Korean forensic study.
Among his many pupils who followed his footsteps,
Professor Hwang Jeok Joon (Medicine), famous for his
autopsy of Park Jong Chul, the former SNU student who
died of torture, that ended the former president Chun
Doo-Hwan’s dictatorship, is the most well-known example.
In fact, he is one of the earliest bestseller writers in
Korea, too. For example, Jisanga (foetus papyraceus), a
group of essays dealing with autopsy and murder cases
published in 1986, has been printed over 30 years. Atop
this, many of his other works, like Saeteuni (the ghost of a
little girl who dies of smallpox), were tremendously spotlighted. “My written works were surely dedicated to
enhancing public awareness of why forensic science is crit-
”
ical in the society.
Plus, they could
raise the attention
of young doctors
on the study,” explains Moon.
Even after his retirement, his passion for writing did
not blow over. He proceeds, “What rendered me depressed
the most was the fact that I could neither conduct an
autopsy nor experiment any more. I came to question
myself if forensic science is no avail without evidence or a
corpse.” One day, while reading an article about the mysterious death of the greatest composers, something struck
him in a flash that he could unveil the unknown cause of
many artists’ death, now called “book autopsy.” “The first
case I dug up was Tchaikovsky. Carefully looking into the
remaining reports of autopsy and biography, and listening
to his masterpieces, I concluded that he died of poison,
not hanging himself as announced,” says Moon. He ended
up introducing dozens of books regarding relation
between medicine and art, including Ears of Mozart and
Art and Crime.
Moon still has a sharp opinion about Korean forensic
academy. “The standard of Korean forensic science is very
advanced. However, Korean legal procedure is totally not
enough to support it,” criticizes Moon. In the case of the
U.S., forensic scientists, otherwise called Medical
Examiners (ME), not only carry out a spot inspection but
independently decide whether to conduct an autopsy. On
the other hand, Korean ME neither has access to the
corpse without the judge’s permission nor investigates the
scene of the accident. “I do not believe that politicians are
able to change the system. Rather, it is the public who
could play such a role. That is why I have endeavored to
approach the public with my books,” emphasizes Moon.
As of the 50th publication, Moon is going to put down
his pen. “Throughout my life, I have endlessly chased after
something. But I think it is time to take a rest,” adds Moon.
As one of the greatest teachers at KU, he offered some
advice to today’s younger generation. “Do not give out a
flash. Just be the person who shines brilliantly. Learn one
thing at a day, and you will be such a person,” remarks
Moon.■
APRIL 2012 _ 33
Provided by Munhakdongne Publishing Group
KU PEOPLE
CAREER
Yumma, and
Her Illustrated Life
“It is not only mine, but when I look at other illustrations, I see that they are all reflections of their illustrators,” said Lee. Characters, vibes, emotions, and even the
objects drawn in illustrations are all somehow related to
who the illustrator is. In Lee’s case, her ego as an illustrated character lies in “girl with antlers.” At first, she drew as
her feelings led her; the result was a girl that resembled
Lee, both on the outside and inside. Antlers on the girl are
the transformed feature of dry twigs, by which she wanted
to express loneliness; the girl’s thin, peaked eyes look as if
they are closed or cast down, which was the effect Lee
wanted—indefinable expression and emotion.
For the vibe and texture she wants to display, Lee uses
acrylic paints and canvas. The objects that appear in her
materials, and other goods, Lee has also published a book
on illustration, Drawing Illustrations with Yumma. It introduces how to easily draw what is in one’s mind, inducing
one to practice along with Yumma. Although an illustrator
should not imitate others’ work, it can still be helpful
when practicing. “This book is to make people feel that
drawing is not a hard thing,” said Lee. A second edition of
this book will be published this year, with more details
and examples. Reading books on illustrating, or studying
illustrations in other books can be of great help. “I sometimes go to a bookstore in the morning and just ‘watch’
books with beautiful pictures until it gets dark,” said Lee.
There is more to illustrations than just learning to
draw, however. Illustrating requires people to come up
drawings, such as birds, flowerpots, paper boats, and
clouds, are her favorites. When asked to explain the exact
emotion displayed in a certain illustration, she told us to
just feel the way we feel. Figuring out the characteristics
and messages of illustrations and illustrators is up to the
viewer, according to Lee, and it is the beauty of their drawings.
To become an illustrator, Lee suggested primarily three
things: practice, experimenting with different styles, and
perseverance. The first two steps are for setting one’s own
style of illustrating—although it is not like one has to stick
to only one style—and the last one is for surviving the
process which is uncertain in length and reward. There is
also the matter of paving a road until one becomes an
acknowledged illustrator who gets paid. Lee chose making
her own website as her path to gaining others’ attention.
Lee’s blog displays her works and processes. Before long,
she was contacted by publishing companies that wanted
to use her illustrations in their books.
Other than illustrating children’s story books, study
with original ideas; this can be difficult. Also, working
mostly as freelancers, illustrators might, from time to
time, grow bored with the monotonous life of drawing all
day indoors, Lee said. Considering that there is no guarantee of salary or fame, one really needs endurance, and of
course, a genuine love for illustrating.
“I do not restrict my illustrations to mean only one certain thing,” said Lee. “Still, sometimes people post replies
on my blog saying, ‘I totally sympathize with you,’ and it
makes me so happy,” she said. For her, this kind of emotional sympathy means more than just “well-done” compliments—besides, she does not believe in drawing well or
poorly, because everything has its own aim and value.
Illustrators express and share their emotions—sometimes with specific messages—to others by the means of
drawing. Lee emphasized that illustrating should not be
regarded as work, but rather as communication and a
hobby that one does eagerly and of one’s own free will.
Just like in any other work, to excel at illustrating one
needs to really love doing it.■
By Kim Hak Young (jensophie7@korea.ac.kr)
Provied by Yumma
O
n books, magazines, diaries, bags, and so many other stationery goods, there is something that brightens them up and
helps form their images: illustration. Lee Yun Mi (28,
Dongducheon) is an illustrator who goes by the pseudonym
Yumma. She draws the character “girl with antlers,” with
bobbed, red hair, and of course, two antlers.
Lee first entered the College of Visual Design because she found
working with design interesting. While taking the courses in visual
design, however, she realized that she wanted to draw, rather than just
design. Among different kinds of painting, illustration was the most fascinating to Lee. “Most of all, illustration is a freewheeling expression of
thoughts and emotions that are more common and close to everyday
life,” said Lee. “I can draw whatever I feel at the moment, and this drawn
diary becomes an illustration. This is what I love about it.”
One day, Lee tried drawing on the computer what she had sketched
on her notebook. It was her first actual illustration, and she was dazzled
by the new experience. She started looking for illustrations on the web
and began her own blog (http://www.yumma.co.kr) to post her works.
She also experienced and learned through illustration communities,
because there was little source at school.
Showing her small, red sketchbook, she said, “I carry this with me all
the time. I draw on the subway, in bed, wherever and whenever I feel like
drawing.” It has become one of her habits, and through it, she discovered
a certain type of illustration that suits her best. “Expressing lots of things
in drawings, and trying out different materials and skills is essential for
finding one’s own illustration,” said Lee, emphasizing the importance of
establishing one’s own style.
Photographed by Park Sang Eun
A red-haired girl with two antlers on her head has her eyes
closed, or is looking down. Behind her reddish cheeks and
eyes, she displays a slight wave of emotion—maybe sadness,
loneliness, or shyness. From the girl’s slight expression, we
feel some intense emotion surging through us. If we could
look up and see who is drawing her, we would observe a girl
with misty big eyes and with shades of shyness, which recall
the horned little girl on the canvas.
APRIL 2012 _ 35
FOREIGN REPORT
munity appears to identify with South Korea concerning
the issue. Not only did the UNHCR request China to guarantee the safety of N.K. defectors, but Amnesty
International (AI) launched an online petition to earn signatures of thousands of people. Moreover, the minister of
Foreign Affairs and Trade promised support from the
European Union (EU) when visiting Germany on February
27.
Is South Korea Opening a Can of Worms?
China, the Dead Zone of Human Rights?
By Kweon Yun Jin (alphabrain92@korea.ac.kr)
Last February must have been a tough period for the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, as a series of campaigns urging China not to send North Korean defectors (N.K. defectors) back were held in front of it.
On February 22, around 30 Korean celebrities scraped a number of reporters together near the embassy
to protest against China. Four days later, 40 refugees from Congo, Myanmar, and some other places,
raised their voices at the same spot, for the same purpose, as well.
China, the Dangerous Shortcut
Because of the great economic recession that has made
tens of thousands of North Koreans die of hunger, people
began escaping from their homeland for survival since
1995. Crossing the border to China in the middle of the
night, they often risk chances of being caught or even shot
dead. Although they succeed in stepping onto Chinese territory, they should hide somewhere so that Chinese police
could never find them until reaching a third nation. In that
China made a mutual agreement to repatriate fugitives
with North Korea in 1960, it has strictly carried out its
duty for the last 17 years. According to statistics released
by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the number of
forcibly repatriated N.K. defectors was up to 100,000.
Regarding the issue, China is accused of violating the
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. In order to
protect a large number of Chinese-Vietnamese refugees
after unification of Vietnam, China entered into the agreement in 1982; yet, it has never observed the rules with
respect to N.K. defectors. In article 1, it says that a refugee
is someone who “…owing to well-founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is
outside the country of his nationality and is unable or,
owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country…” Based on this condition, China
maintains that the law does not pertain to N.K. defectors,
for they ran away mostly
due to economic difficulties.
Although this sounds
plausible, there is no denying that China breaches the
international norm, which
gets even clearer considering
article 33. This clause articulates that any country
should not return refugees
to where their lives are
“threatened on account
of…race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political
opinion.” Experts suggest that N.K. defectors, though they
did not cross the border for political reason at first, are
meant to be “traitors” as soon as they did it. It also runs
counter to the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
which is similar to article 33. Besides, by blocking the contact of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to N.K. defectors,
China is criticized for going against article 35.
For years, reports about human rights in North Korea
have shown that those of fugitives are severely infringed
in re-education camps where they are imprisoned. On
March 5, the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on
China (CECC) held a hearing regarding human rights abus-
es in North Korea. At Washington D.C., two N.K. defectors
testified how they had been treated in a re-education
camp. “We used to work from 5 a.m. to midnight in the
camp. In winter, people suffer from frostbite for working
barefoot; and sometimes we disposed of dead bodies with
our bare hands,” says one of them. In fact, a level of an
abuse of fugitives is currently getting much harsher. Since
Kim Jong Il, the former North Korean leader, died last
December, Kim Jong Un, his successor, cautioned that anyone who defect the country during the mourning period
would be sentenced to death with his or her entire family
annihilated. Besides, if someone is convicted of heading
for the South, he or she would be sentenced to additional
penalties.
China Driven Into a Corner
Meanwhile, it is not true that the issue suddenly
popped up. Rather, the government has discussed it with
China since the late 1990’s. However, the Chinese government lately behaved in an uncooperative manner. It is said
that not only does a large influx of N.K. defectors render
circumstances of Chinese border areas unstable, but China
cannot help but keep amiable relationship with North
Korea. Due to these factors, experts analyze that the bilateral talk is no longer efficacious as before.
So as to cope with the change, South Korea has altered
its attitude the from low-key to aggressive. It is by far different from the prior stance that it has so far asked China
for favorable arrangements behind closed doors. On
February 19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(MOFAT) strongly insisted China abide by the international
law via official channel. Atop this, the government
demanded the Chinese minister in the Foreign Office
accept its proposal when he made a visit to South Korea
on March 2.
What is more interesting is that South Korea is intensifying its attacks by publicizing the issue in the international community. On February 28, the government drew global attention by sending a representative to Geneva where
the 19th United Nations Human Rights Council was ongoing. In the keynote address, the deputy minister of multilateral and global affairs, Kim Bong-hyun, evinced South
Korea’s demand of halting repatriating N.K. defectors,
without mentioning China. Luckily, the international com-
Against South Korea’s unprecedented raid on it, China,
which had been assailed for its poor human rights status,
flew into a rage. Last February, a spokesman of the Foreign
Office announced that China has dealt with N.K. defectors
according to humanitarian principles, international and
domestic law. However, in terms of international law,
China meant mutual agreement of repatriating fugitives
with the North. With respect to this, however, experts
point out that such a duty to repatriate fugitives is completely invalid in a situation where it violates the peremptory norm, the most representative examples of which is
the entrenched principle that prohibits torture and other
cruel punishments
In the face of the current issue, some people suggest
that it is inevitable for South Korea to confront China to
solve the problem. “Someone needs to publicize the controversy to correct China’s misdeed,” says Lee (’12,
Nursing), who refuses to reveal her full name. She proceeds that it is our duty to endeavor to rescue N.K. defectors, since South Koreans originally shared bloods with
North Koreans. Nonetheless, negative views on abrupt
change to antagonistic diplomacy existed, as well. “I am
afraid that the recent governmental action might provoke China. So as to defend itself from the condemnation from without, the state is likely to take far less cooperative guidelines, such as refusing to provide information about N.K. defectors in China,” remarks Sim Ji Eun
(’11, English Literature and Language). In addition, others
are worried if such a dispute might result in disadvantages to South Korea—collapsing the ongoing discussion
of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between China and South
Korea or strengthening political tensions in North-East
Asian district.
Notwithstanding potential disadvantages for South
Korea, it is undeniable that China acutely breached the
international law. Over the last few decades, North Korea
has threatened the security of the world and degraded
human rights, but China, the closest ally of the North and
one of the most influential states at the same time, has tolerated misdeeds of the Communist country rather than
fixing it. Unless China observes international law, there is
little possibility that it would be respected as a decent
member of the world. China must soon realize that the
permanent seat of the Security Council and the fastest
growing power do not automatically make one country
venerated.■
APRIL 2012 _ 37
STUDENT LIFE
T
he auditorium was crowded with fans and spectators, including not only the families and friends of
the dancers but also those who were purely
intrigued by the name of the performance, and
eager to view what BURAS was to offer. Each series
of dances received heartfelt applause from the audience, and
the performers danced with even more enthusiasm and joy,
being in their element. After watching the performance in
awe, one inevitably imagines oneself dancing on the stage.
Indeed, this is one of the very reasons that draws a number of students to BURAS, an acronym for Korean words
meaning “sport dance glowing like a fire flame”. BURAS
members cover a broad range of sport dances, including several Latin dances and ballroom dances (also called standard
dances). “A lot of the students join BURAS primarily because
they want to perform on stage, and the majority of them
turn their dream into reality at the end,” says Jung Jinhwan
(’10, Electrical Engineering), who has undertaken the role of
male president at BURAS since March. Currently, the club is
composed of thirty members who are actively participating,
mostly juniors and seniors, with the ratio between male and
female members equivalent to one to two.
Although the female dancers remarkably outnumber the
male dancers at present, it is a phenomenon inconceivable
when the club first initiated 11 years ago with the effort of
four male students tied by their common interest in sport
dance. President Jung explains, “During that period, sport
dance was not a mainstream dance genre welcomed by the
Korean society, so our founding members struggled to familiarize the KU community with the dance.”
The continuous effort of the club to promote the dance
among students is well reflected in its regular performances
presented each semester. Aside from merely showcasing a
series of dances that the members have practiced all semester, the club organizes the whole performance under a spe-
ing a solid foundation for dancing
through rumba and waltz.
“Because the senior members
will surely instruct the newcomers from the very beginning, such as finding the
right step, a newcomer has
nothing to worry about,”
adds Kim Eunji (’11,
Chinese Language and
Literature), who has been
enlisted in the club since
her freshman year and now
ascended to the position of
the female president.
During vacations, BURASers
hold training camps to prepare for
the performance that is usually scheduled in the beginning of each semester.
President Kim explains, “We rent a practice room
and practice throughout the night, sometimes practicing in
parts and sometimes as a whole group.” As the performance
day draws near, the members undergo three times of
rehearsals. “Although the practice is rigorous and physically
demanding because all parts of muscles would ache from
stretching and posing, I feel immense pride for myself and
my partner after the performance. Moreover, it is inevitable
cific theme to entertain the audience, connecting each round of dances with different stories, associating famous songs,
and choreography.
“Once we organized the performance to resemble High School
Musical, a popular American TV
drama, dancing waltz during the
Christmas party scene and chacha-cha during the classroom
cleaning scene. For the
September performance last
year, we borrowed the format of
the TV program Dancing with the
Stars, pairing dancers into couples
and making the couples compete
with each other. We even heard comments from a panel of judges on the spot
and had the audience vote by text messaging.
Both the audience and members enjoyed it a lot,” recalls
President Jung.
To reach this high level of satisfaction for their performance, the members of BURAS gather twice a week during
the semester to practice diverse forms of dancing, ranging
from rumba, cha-cha-cha, and jive, to waltz and tango. For
the newcomers, the club seniors offer special sessions that
introduce the novice to the world of sport dance, establish-
Photograph by Choi Ji Won
By Kim Minhee (minhee713@korea.ac.kr)
BURAS
Provied by BURAS
Dancing with Fire
Arms and legs stretching out elegantly in the figure of a
swan, striding in swift, brave steps at times and tiptoeing at other times, the dancers at the stage articulate
their blazing passion according to the dynamic beats
through their bodies. This is not a scene from a dance
film, such as Dirty Dancing or Step Up, but from a real
dance performance named “Starry Night”, presented by
Korea University(KU)’s only sport dance club, BURAS,
on a Friday night on March 9, 2012.
that I become better friends with members since I see them
almost everyday, rehearsing and having meals with them,”
comments President Kim.
The friendship and closeness among members of BURAS
never pause at dancing, but it extends to other fun activities
as well. Besides going on Membership Training (MT)s and
picnics each semester, the club arranges a unique Christmas
party that combines party with sport dance. The members
dress up formally according to the set dress code and even
select the best dresser. In May, homecoming day is scheduled to bridge the current BURAS members and the alumni.
In addition, BURAS also interacts with other sport dance
clubs in other universities, SPIN in Seoul National University
and SWAY in Sungkyunkwan University, cheering for each
other during each school’s performance. Last October, the
three sport dance clubs collectively staged a united sport
dance party for the first time.
BURAS requires no interview or screenings in recruiting
newbies, so those interested in dancing may consider joining. As the last say toward the readers, the two presidents
had their own. “Some students misapprehend that sport
dance is something that demands a great amount of physical
contact between the dancers, but in reality it is not. Holding
hands would be the most you would have to do,” says
President Kim. President Jung adds another word to the male
students, “Some male students feel shy to join our club, but
please do not hesitate. On the stage you could also become
impressive, and your confidence would grow.”
For those who seek a physically and mentally rewarding
hobby which will thrill them as well as provide them with
relaxing moments among the busy times, sport dance might
be a perfect match. Dancing with zeal and zest in BURAS,
one would discover the vitality and liveliness hidden inside
one’s heart.■
APRIL 2012 _ 39
LETTERS FROM HOKKAIDO
Precious Gift of One Year
in Hokkaido
By Lee Sang-jun (esj1016@korea.ac.kr)
A
t first, when I was decided
to be sent to Hokkaido
University as an exchange
student for one year, fear
preceded excitement and
expectation. The image of Hokkaido
was the land of far northern part of
earth with lots of snow and extreme
coldness; above all, I could not speak
Japanese. I had about six months
before leaving Korea, and so I started
studying Japanese immediately.
Behind the fear toward my life in
Hokkaido, I could feel an ambiguous
excitement after doing some researches about Sapporo, where Hokkaido
University is located. Sapporo has
beautiful nature coexisting in a big
city with many famous sightseeing
spots. The snow festival of Sapporo
(Yuki Matsuri) is also known as one of
the top three festivals in the world. Six
months passed by and I flew to
Sapporo with the expectation of joyful
memories of one year.
The first impression of Sapporo to
me was a very clean and quiet city. It
was so clean that I could not find any
trash on the road. Compared to the
scale of the city, there were not that
many people, making the city so quiet
and peaceful. Furthermore, the people
had such good manners and they
made me feel welcomed everywhere. It
seemed like a perfect city to live in.
Hokkaido university is located right in
the center of Sapporo. The campus is
so huge that when I tried to look
around the school for the first time, I
lost my way and it took so much time
to get used to it. Because Hokkaido
University is famous for its
Department of Agriculture, there are
huge farms and many agricultural
facilities at campus. Hokkaido
University is one of the most presti-
gious and old national universities in
Japan, and the school is maintaining
its tradition and the early facilities in a
state-of-the art campus. The campus
is so beautiful that almost all the travel packages to Sapporo of Korean travel agencies include the course of sightseeing Hokkaido University. It is like a
national park of Korea with so many
big trees, a big pond, and a wide lawn.
In October, with buoyed heart, I
went to the first class in Hokkaido
University. For the HUSTEP students
(Hokkaido University Short-Term
Exchange Program), the class schedule
is composed of two parts of the following: Japanese classes and major
classes. Because there are many students who are not good at Japanese in
HUSTEP program, students have to
take Japanese classes according to
their Japanese levels. There are three
levels which are composed of
Introductory, Intermediate, and
Advanced, and there are many kinds
of classes including grammar,
Kanji(Chinese characters) communication, reading, listening, and writing.
Also, for the core courses, there are
various kinds of classes for students
from various majors. In my case, I was
able to select many engineering classes from various majors; because there
were many graduate and research students in the same classes, I could
learn advanced material about the
subjects. Besides the normal classes,
the HUSTEP students can participate
in independent study. Students who
participate in this program do their
own research with the tutors. The students can select the study theme purely by themselves and they meet the
professors regularly to discuss the
theme. I am now studying about mini
rockets in the Space System and
Utilization Laboratory.
The school life of Hokkaido
University is very fun. Because there
are so many students from a variety of
countries, students like to get together
quite often after school. To celebrate
the birthdays of HUSTEP students or
to simply enjoy free holidays, the students like to throw a party at the dormitory or at the bars near school. It is
a lot of fun and I could not only make
exchange-student friends but also various friends from graduate school to
business men, and even students from
other schools, because all the parties
are open to everyone. Also, there is a
club of Japanese students in Hokkaido
University that mainly supports programs or hosts cultural activities and
various parties for the international
students named “Sakura”. I could
make many Japanese friends by participating in many programs hosted by
Sakura. Especially it was easy for me
to make many Japanese friends
because there were lots of students
who were interested in Korean culture,
language, and K-POPs. Japanese students were quite open to foreigners,
so we became friends soon.
In addition to the enjoyable
school life, Sapporo is always filled
with lots of events. In autumn, the
bear garden is formed in Odori park,
located near the school. So I enjoyed
many delicious foods and watched
bears. Moreover, because Odori park is
very beautiful with lots of trees, fountains, and the famous Sapporo clock
tower, I could take many pretty pictures. During the winter, Sapporo is
crowded with a huge number of
tourists from all around the world to
see the snow festival called “Yuki
Matsuri” in Japanese. It lasts for about
a week and I could see many big ice
sculptures and many small, cute
sculptures made by snow. Also, there
are many fun events held in winter
like a Christmas event or light show in
Odori park. Though the winter in
Hokkaido is very tiresome with severe
coldness and lots of snow, I had a
pretty good winter time.
Now my Sapporo life already
passed the halfway mark. Looking
back the six months from when I
arrived in Sapporo until now, it was
like a dream. So many things happened and I met so many people. I
miss my family and friends sometimes, but I feel so blessed to be in
Sapporo now. I have about five
months more to go, and I really want
to make an unforgettable one year in
Japan.■
[Lee Sang-jun is a junior at KU
majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
He writes every other month on his
experiences on exchange at
Hokkaido University in Japan.]
APRIL 2012 _ 41
COVER
STORY_2
ARTS & CULTURE
: BOOK REVIEW
The White Man’s Burden
Let the Games Begin—
Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have
Done So Much Ill and So Little Good
The Hunger Games
By Kang Uoo Seob (cmzktk8585@korea.ac.kr)
By Kim Tae Rim (taerim1991kim@korea.ac.kr)
Great books of the sci-fi and fantasy genre are hard to come by
since the ground-shaking wonder of the Wizarding World of the
Harry Potter era, and past ground breaking disappointments of the
hideous werewolf versus vampire chronicles of the Twilight zone.
The Hunger Games series thus fills the empty void for fantasy
lovers craving for an adequate replacement.
The Hunger Games is more of a game
for readers, whether they have the
ability to stop and drop the book or to
stick it out and skip a meal or two. It
is that good.
The first of the series, The Hunger
Games is an addicting read written by
author Suzanne Collins, who has created somewhat of an adventure masterpiece. Listed as a New York Times
Bestseller, it is thrilling and exciting to
the core with a hypnotic and thoughtful storyline, exhilarating by twists
and turns. Collins brings a brand new
world wrapped in oppression and
tyranny to the table, its characters
desperate to claw their way out by
beating the system.
The Hunger Games is written in
first person perspective through the
eyes of sixteen-year-old leading lady
Katniss Everdeen, living in a postapocalyptic world of the nation of
Panem once known as North America.
Divided into twelve distinguished districts, all of Panem is controlled by
one shining advanced metropolis, the
Capitol. To keep the people in check at
the grasp of their hands, the Capitol
holds annual Hunger Games in which
one boy and one girl from each of the
twelve districts are selected by lottery
to fight to the death amongst each
other—in a man-made and televised
arena shown live to all districts. There
is only one catch, one rule: the last
person standing wins. The Hunger
Games are seen as a diabolical and
inhumane annual tradition the Capitol
created to flaunt power, but naturally
authority comes off as intimidating
and ruthless that none can object to.
Rebel-rouser Katniss Everdeen
steps up as one of the champions of
District 12, along with simple-minded
Peeta Mellark. Katniss is an illegal
hunter and sole provider of her starving family, paired up with run-of-themill baker’s son Peeta. They’re the regular odd pair, one with strong survival
skills and one without. Thrown into
the arena that is the Hunger Games,
they are faced with more than just
hunger—death, pain, torture, and perhaps, of course, a little love.
The Hunger Games is perfectly
paced and brilliant at worst. Reading it
is much like playing a game. You
know none of it is real, but you play it
anyway into the night, as an escape
from reality. Virtual reality becomes
reality. You are the protagonist to
bring hope and honor to your dying
hometown, defying evil and bringing
down the tyranny of the oppressors—
you are Katniss. It is a game that is in
no way a game to you.
What sets The Hunger Games way
above the bar is its breathtaking and
actual hypnotic narration. Collins’
world-building ability of every detailed
observation, thought, feeling of lead-
By Suzanne Collins
Scholasticc
374 page.
ing lady Katniss is addicting to read
and hard to stop at that. Nothing can
come as a distraction as readers get
sucked into the adrenaline-spiked
world that is the Hunger Games, and
into the memorably complex mind of
our heroine.
Not to mention there is much to
take from Collins’ latest masterpiece
as well. Tackling such issues as poverty, oppression, effects of war and
hunger can take a hold of readers as
they contemplate society in their own
lives. Doesn’t the government hold citizens as puppets they control to master their own plans for their own wellbeing? What of war to take place in
the future, by North Korea and perhaps Iraq? Self-preservation and survival become key factors in the future,
and ought to be, but should they be at
the cost of the lives of others?
“Big Brother” is always watching.
So watch out lower case. The world
may seem a TV show, like the Hunger
Games was, as our two heroes create
fake personalities to advertise themselves to sponsors. And isn’t just anyone creating fake personalities out in
the open these days, in real life?
The Hunger Games is as thoughtprovoking as it is intense, and is a
rollercoaster ride of emotion and
thrills for readers. In fact, the film
adaptation is set to premiere this coming April 5 in Korea. Movie adaptations are never as good as the original
book…but we shall see. ■
After decades of Western aid with more than 2.3 trillion dollars,
people in poor countries are still living on one dollar a day, starving
and lacking access to drinking water, sanitation, and basic education. Moreover, children are dying everyday from preventable diseases. Why is it that so much money has brought so little improvement in poor countries?
The deadliest form of disease in the
world, malaria, infects nearly 50 million people a year, causing severe pain
and debilitation. Millions, mostly
infants and young children, become
severely ill. Insecticide-treated mosquito nets, which cost five dollars or
less, could prevent most infections.
Mere 2.5 dollars of medicine can treat
and prevent the disease, according to
reports by the World Health
Organization (WHO).
So why do we not just buy the nets
and medicine? Many people believe
that poverty in Africa and the developing world is a simple problem, persuaded by the media and the politicians. If the rich countries just give
more money, we can solve many problems related to poverty. It is that simple. All we have to do is to donate
more and more money to deal with
poverty, malnutrition, lack of access
to drinking water, HIV/AIDS, and
other problems. If we really try to
solve the problem regarding poverty
and preventable diseases, could not
the rich countries eradicate malaria
and also alleviate the world's worst
poverty by allocating or donating
funds?
It is not that simple, William
Easterly argues in The White Man's
Burden. When aid agencies hand out
aid in poor countries, he says, “nets
are often diverted to the black market
or wind up being used as fishing nets
or wedding veils.” Nets provided by
Western countries do not reach those
who really need them for survival.
Another reason that development
aid failed is, the author strongly
asserts, that a large part of the blame
lies in donor governments, the World
Bank, IMF, and other organizations.
For the most part, donor countries,
mostly in the West, see fit to impose
central planning on the recipient
countries. Easterly contrasts the activities of Planners and Searchers—those
By William Easterly
Penguin Press
436 page.
who believe in command and control
economics and those who just look
for something that works.
A professor at New York
University and a senior fellow at the
Center for Global Development,
William Easterly spent most of his
career as an economist at the World
Bank. The world's poor need more
focused, trial-and-error programs like
the Malawian net distribution and
fewer ambitious plans to cure poverty. In The White Man’s Burden,
Easterly argues, if we truly want to
help the poor, rather than just congratulate ourselves for generosity,
rich Westerners have to give up our
grand ambitions. Piecemeal problemsolving has the best chance of success.■
APRIL 2012 _ 43
ARTS & CULTURE : MUSIC REVIEW
Boys Dream of
Cheeky Revolution
Move Over K-Pop,
Make Room for Ailee
By Park Jong Hun (polo3355@korea.ac.kr)
By Kim Tae Rim (taerim1991kim@korea.ac.kr)
Annyeongbada (ByeByeSea) revolution just got started with its latest album, Pink Revolution. Escaping
from their original fresh boyish charm shown on their previous albums, their new one exudes more
matured manliness.
ByeByeSea is a Korean indie band composed of four members: Namu (Vocal,
Guitar), Jun Hyuk (Base), Myeong-Je
(Drum), and Dae Hyun (Keyboard).
They made their first debut in 2009,
and since then, their captivating voice
has created a huge fan base, planting
them as a unique indie band in Korea.
Through their first mini-album, Boy’s
Universe, released in 2009 and full
album, City Complex, in 2010, they
impressed their audience with their
distinctive sensibility and addictive
lyrics. Immediately after their first two
albums, they attained national fame
with their hit songs like “Beautiful
Dance” in Boy’s Universe and “You &
Me” in City Complex.
Since the release of their first two
albums, their fans became more curious than ever of their next album.
Receiving those expectations,
ByeByeSea finally revealed the recent
album on February 28, 2012, two years
since their debut. In their second
album, Pink Revolution, there are 12
top quality tracks about love of adolescent boys and girls. This album is produced by Kim Sang Hun, one of the
members of the popular Korean band,
W (Where The Story Ends). In addition
to it, Son Jun Ho, a professional photographer well-known for his fabulous
photographs, made the different and
distinguishing artwork of the album
under the concept of “a little exhibition
in my hand.”
The name of the album, Pink
Revolution, seems a bit weird at a first
glance because revolution, by its very
nature, does not easily blend with the
album filled with love songs.
According to ByeByeSea however, Pink
Revolution means love affairs of young
people in their twenties or thirties. So
to speak, the pink stands for love, and
consequently the name of the album
signifies the explosive experience of
falling in love which appears like a revolution. Indeed, this album has the
sounds of love that touch people's
emotions.
The title track,
“The Devil,” is one
of the most beloved
songs. Though this
song consists of
just several simple
repeated patterns,
it captures listeners’ hearts with its
straightforward and
strong sound compared to any other
tracks in the album.
Besides, songs like
“Morning
Bell,”
which was made in 2006 when they
first organized the band and
“Babobus,” which is the remake of the
same name song of PIPI LONG STOCKING (Korean punk rock band) make
this album more outstanding than
their previous albums. ByeByeSea also
arranged the song, “Things Change,” of
Kim Kwang Seok (a famous Korean
artist).
Other tracks cannot be missed out.
In fact, every single song in this album
has its own story related with love, the
main theme of Pink Revolution.
Considering that we, as listeners, can
empathize with the situation delicately
described in each song enjoyable it is
to say that this album is evidently
worth listening to. Especially in an age
of mainstream pop and prepackaged
artists, their unique voice and laidback style definitely captivate fans’
hearts.■
Ailee is, or was, a Jersey girl, born and raised, who has
taken Korea by storm, becoming one of the high prime rising stars of today. She has made both her acting and
singing debut on stage and on set in the motherland, with single Heaven and popular Korean
drama Dream High Season 2 this year.
Initially seeking some mediocre fame and
attention on her YouTube channel, aileemusic, Ailee caught the eyes and ears of
international YouTubers alike with more
than two million total video views to date.
It is plain to see the dedication and passion she has for her music through her
videos, just as her fans do. She had
already begun to cause a sensation by
her strong vocal control and passion in her videos, in such renditions of Mariah Carey’s
“Hero” and Miley Cyrus’ “The
Climb.” Through abandoning
her amateur and stagnant
stature on the Internet, Ailee
sought bigger and better things
to voice herself in the real
world.
Ailee made brief shining
moments in various miscellaneous singing competitions
and music scenes in America.
However, her life-defining
moment was to come upon her
arrival in Korea and her firstever step into the K-Pop scene
last year. Singing with popular
Korean singer Wheesung on
MBC’s Chuseok special episode of
Singer and Trainee, she made an
easy but astounding impression
on the judges of the show and
Korean viewers alike that shot her
from simple music lover to
national superstar. Judge BMK, a
prestigious K-Pop singer, noted
Ailee’s talent, “wherever she
goes, she has the potential to
be a big star…she definitely has
the voice.”
It was pretty much smooth sailing from then on for
Ailee. “First impression means everything,” then you’re
good to go. And that was so. Starting January of this
year, Ailee went on to make her acting debut on
popular teenage drama series Dream High Season
2, based on idol stars on their path of achieving
their hopes and dreams in singing and dancing on stage. And isn’t she one? She is thus
currently working on set with actual top idol
stars as SISTAR’s Hyorin, and T-ara’s Ji-Yeon.
Ailee’s multi-talent in both acting and singing
has hence sparked quite a fire of attention
and fame surrounding her as she progresses
through the K-Pop music scene.
Now competing with a busy schedule,
far from her days as a run-of-the-mill
singing aficionado on YouTube, Ailee
finally made her singing debut this
February with her first single ever,
Heaven. From her vocal talents
and thriving passion for music,
Ailee is probably the first Korean
singer recognized as not really
completely submerged into the KPop genre, but an all-around brilliant artist in general.
Her rising fame in the local
scene are rumored only to be temporary, as fans from all parts of the
world are now listening and watching in on her performances on television as both actress and singer.
Ailee’s days of parading just her
YouTube channel may be over, but
traces of her charm and innocence
as a typical music and fun-loving
Jersey girl still remain throughout. “I
am a very determined person with a
hopeful heart…the most important
thing about me is the fact that I am
completely in love with music; I
wouldn’t be able to picture my life
without it,” as she describes herself
in the “About” section of her channel.
Move over K-Pop, and make
room for Ailee. ■
APRIL 2012 _ 45
ARTS & CULTURE : FILM REVIEW
Do You Have a True Friend?
Intouchables
By Jeon Shi Hyun (roben@korea.ac.kr)
What is a friend? Is a friend a person near your age? Is a friend a
person in a similar position to yours? Or, is a friend a person
who shares similar interests with you? In this film, Intouchables
(named Untouchable in Korea), the special friendship of two
men who have no resemblance begins.
Directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano
Starring Francois Cluzet, Omar Sy, and Anne Le Ny
For those over 12 years old
112 min.
Philippe, the main character in Intouchables, is from the
one percent upper stratum of society. He is one of the top
French aristocrats. He lives in a palatial mansion with many
caretakers and has the six finest automobiles.
Unfortunately, however, he was paralyzed after a paragliding accident.
On the other hand, Driss, another main character in this film, is
from the one percent lowest
stratum of society. He comes
from a slum. He lives in a
rented apartment and has a
dozen dependents. The
only thing Driss, who is
penniless, can count on is
his healthy body.
The two men are
poles apart. It is not
only because of the
gap between rich
and poor. There
is no resemblance what-
soever—from age to character-between them. They, who
seem to bear no relation to each other, encounter each other
by chance.
After Philippe’s unfortunate accident, Philippe seeks an
assistant to take care of him all day long. Then, Driss, who
is poor and has a criminal record, comes to him. Driss just
wants to obtain a confirmation stamp on the assistant application in order to receive unemployment compensation.
However, Philippe feels a great curiosity to Driss who has a
freewheeling character, and decides to hire him as his assistant. Philippe offers Driss a bet on whether Driss can take
care of him for two weeks. Driss, whose competitive spirit is
aroused, accepts the bet, and their pleasant cohabitation
begins.
The music in this film is one of the must-points to ponder. In Intouchables, audiences can meet gems of music:
from Earth Wind And Fire’s music to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
From the film’s opening scene, a car chase scene, September
of Earth Wind And Fire flows. The song captivates audiences
from the beginning. In Philippe’s birthday party scene, the
role of music is maximized. In other words, music dominates the image. The exquisite harmony between classical
music and pop draws audiences into the scene, adding to
the fresh atmosphere.
The O.S.T. (Original Sound Track) of this film made a
hit. The 50 thousand first editions of the O.S.T. albums
released only in France were nearly sold out, and the O.S.T.
became a golden record.
Another impressive point in this film is that the film
does not make audiences’ forced laugh. Though the genre
of Intouchables is comedy, there are not actor’s exaggerated gestures or constrained humor. Instead, small wits melt
into the plot naturally. It makes audiences laugh from
beginning to end, and the directors of this film do not forget to put touching factors between the wits.
The acting is also like a masterpiece. Especially, the two
main actors, Francois Cluzet and Omar
Sy, get absorbed in each role with all
their heart, and it lets the audiences
regard the characters in this film as
real people. The combination of the
actors’ superior acting and their effort
makes it possible to captivate audiences.
Omar Sy, who acted as Driss,
reduced his weight by ten kilograms
and shaved his head after he had been
cast in this film in order to look like a
real person in a French slum. He
changes not only his appearance and
body type but also his accent and fashion style.
Francois Cluzet, who acted as
Philippe, a paralyzed character, had to
manage to play the exceptionally difficult part in a wheelchair only with
lines and expression; without any
motion. Although Francois Cluzet is a
top French actor, the role of Philippe
was like a challenge to him. For the
role, he met the real person who had
been model for the character, Philippe.
During three days, Francois Cluzet
lived with him, and studied his behavior, his words, and his inner side.
At the 24th Tokyo International
Film Festival (2011), the two featured
actors, Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy,
shared the best actor award. Omar Sy
also got the best actor award at the
37th Cesar film festival (2012).
The actors’ passion and effort lead
to the success of the film. Intouchables
was released last year in France and
set a remarkable record; it was top at
the box office for ten weeks in a row.
(2011. 11. 2~2012. 1. 8. France) As
many as 21 million people watched
this film in Europe. Moreover, the film
maintained its top place after beating
out the big Hollywood films including
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Puss
In Boots, and Breaking Dawn. In addition, this film is topping the box office
for six weeks in a row in Germany and
Austria (February 23, 2012).
Intouchables also has favorable
notices in the press. “It attracts the
audiences like a magnet,” New York
Times said, and The Guardian commented that it stirs up a tempest in the
box office with reviews as a masterpiece. With these, the film achieved
good results at various international
film festivals. In a word, this film is not
only commercial but artistic.
Intouchables is a French film. In
French films, the feelings of the characters are usually restrained extremely,
and French films have normally been
recognized for being too artistic to be
interesting. So, French films often draw
unwelcome attention to the audiences.
However, Intouchables is different.
Because the film guarantees both fun
and artistry, it is like killing two birds
with one stone.
Intouchables is similar to The
Bucket List, released in 2007, in that
both films are based on true friendship
between two men who are dissimilar.
Among recent films, 3 Idiots, released
last year, seems to be similar to this
film, Intouchables, given those films’
genre. However, Intouchables is more
special than The Bucket List or 3 Idiots.
The power that makes this film
special is from its plot which is based
on a true story. The episodes in this
film are not forced and not artificial,
and at the same time this film leaves a
deep impression, because the film is
based on a true story. In fact, 3 Idiots is
too optimistic to agree. On the other
hand, Intouchables is more persuasive
because of its true story.
What is a true friend? If you are
just happy when you are with someone, he or she is your true friend.
Other conditions do not need to be discussed. In this film, Philippe says, “For
me, it does not matter where Driss
came from and what he did.”■
APRIL 2012 _ 47
ARTS & CULTURE : PERFORMANCE
Who Dares to Blame Them?
Bad Boys
By Kim Yoon Sun (netshine@korea.ac.kr)
When: 2012. 2. 3~ 4. 29
Location: Art-One Theater, Daehak-Ro
Weekdays at 8 p.m.(no performance on Monday)
Saturdays at 4 & 7 p.m.
Sundays & Holidays at 2 & 5 p.m.
Looking at themselves in the mirror, two men are
readjusting their suits in the hotel restroom. They
seem to be having a silent competition as to who is
more attractive, peeking at each other in the mirror.
They soon find out that they were once close classmates in high school. However, even after they
learn this, their unspoken competition does not
stop. Making exaggerated smiles and gestures,
they are apparently typical men in their thirties.
The above is the opening scene of the play, Bad Boys. But soon the four 35-year-old men are back in time, wearing school
uniforms instead of neat black suits, sitting in small school chairs. Today’s prosecutor is then the class president. Today’s
elite are common hard-working students. Bad Boys realistically portrays what is happening in Korean high schools and
how much pressure high school students are under. It further shows how the pressure students have then continues even
after they go out into the world.
Bad Boys is a long-running play that first premiered in 2007. The Art-One Theater is located in Daehak-Ro near Hyehwa
station exit number 2. The stage setting is remarkably simple with only four school desks and chairs with a wall that
resembles a built-in wardrobe. With the limited use of lights, the play has a dark and gloomy atmosphere.
SYNOPSIS
Three 35-year-old men, Myung-Joon, Soo-Hwan, and
Jong-Tae, encounter each other at Min-Young’s wedding in
a five-star hotel. Myung-Joon and Soo-Hwan have made it
into the so-called three percent upper stratum of society
by becoming an accountant and a politician’s aide respectively, while Jong-Tae has not been as successful. MinYoung, on the other hand, made it into the upper stratum,
having become a prosecutor.
The scene then travels to the past when they were
seniors in the German department of the Daerim Foreign
Language High School. It is September of 1992, when the
university entrance test is on the verge of changing.
Students are under extreme stress that they must qualify
to enter universities with only one chance. The play
revolves around the four protagonists making a plot for
cheating on the mid-term exam. Will they succeed without
being caught? What will happen to the four bad boys?
ATTRACTIONS
Bad Boys’ best attraction is its realistic storyline.
Indeed, as the overall plot deals with Korean society, it
arouses the sympathy of Korean audiences. Many Koreans
can understand the pressure of having to get good grades
on every single test in high school in order to get into
prestigious universities. Sometimes, we miscalculate out
of extreme tension and cannot find the right answer from
the multiple choices. The depiction of the tension with
stage props, along with lighting and sound effects, is
impressive.
Moreover, having only four actors appear on the stage
enables audiences to focus solely on the acting. Of course,
the storyline requires several other actors and actresses,
but they remain off stage. Often, a single actor commands
the stage, so that it seems like a one-man show.
Surprisingly, this does not look awkward but rather aweinspiring. Just watching how the four actors lead the play
and fill the stage is itself a good way to enjoy Bad Boys.
Another interesting trait of this play is that many
German famous sayings are spoken here and there during
the performance. The German proverbs, which all have a
cynical mood, fit each scene and underline the meaning of
the scenes.
For example, Myung-Joon says, “Jedermanns Freund
ist niemandes Freund(Everyone’s friend is no one’s
friend),” and “Die beste Taktik, einen Gegner anzugreifen,
ist es, seine Achillesferse zu attackieren(The best deal is
made when a man finds out the enemy’s weakness).” It is
possible that the playwright intentionally set up the situation that the four characters were German students to put
these proverbs in the play. In any case, the proverbs are
remarkable, not because German arouses an exotic atmosphere to Koreans, but because they give audience some
food for thought.
Furthermore, the sound and lighting effects are outstanding. Even with the limited stage setting, the play
avoids monotonousness through diverse use of stage
effects. As the overall mood is dark, only a little use of
light makes a big difference to the atmosphere of the
stage. The most impressive ones include making a big
shadow of the character on the wall and drawing a centerline of the street with a lighting effect. The sound effects
work to place the audience in the characters’ thoughts and
feelings
Lastly, the irony found in the play is its most important feature. There are many witty lines and comical
scenes in Bad Boys. However, it is hard to laugh out loud
delightfully, probably because the overall mood of the
play is dark and resembles Korean society so closely that
it is hard to just laugh at it. Thus, rather than feeling
catharsis through laughing out loud or shedding tears, the
audience chooses rather to smile bitterly.■
APRIL 2012 _ 49
OPINION
Cyber Witch Hunt
By Park Sang Eun (prizeis@korea.ac.kr)
Photograph by Lee Sihyoung
The Actual Way
We Love
By Kim Hak Young (jensophie7@korea.ac.kr)
In order to deal with cyber witch hunts, we should recognize the causes and strive to find out
suitable counter measures.
Originally, witch hunts were used in medieval time in
order to wipe out heretical faith caused by the failure of
the Crusades. Once a woman was suspected of being a
witch, she was burnt alive at the stake regardless of
whether she was actually a witch or not. Similarly, a witch
hunt is taking place in the 21st century on the Internet.
Netizens, who mainly used to condemn public figures
such as entertainers, are nowadays turning their attack
against ordinary people with reckless verbal abuse, even
harming personal lives by exposing personal information.
Recently, a pregnant woman posted a complaint about
Chaesundang, a popular franchise restaurant, on the
Internet. She criticized one of the Chaesundang employees
while insisting that the worker kicked her in the stomach.
This posting infuriated thousands of netizens, who
demanded Chaesundang to apologize and even suggested
to boycott Chaesundang. A few days later, however, police
announced that it was not the fault of the employee but of
the woman. Such an extreme reversal surprised netizens
who hurled criticism toward the employee, and even
toward Chaesundang at large, based on only the woman’s
statement. This incident led netizens to reflect on how
harsh they had been on an individual as a part of their
cyber witch hunt.
There are some factors that cause to the cyber witch
hunts. The great ripple effect of SNS is one of these contributing factors. As SNS users can read and quickly
spread the news, a lot of netizens are able to take notice of
incidents requiring blame within a short period of time.
Portal websites as well as SNS further stimulate the ripple
effect. For instance, NAVER, a well-known portal site in
Korea, provides hit lists showing what items are being
searched most at a particular time. The more people click
on the witch hunting posts, the harsher the victim is condemned by numerous netizens. Actually, we can clearly
see that the number of cyber witch hunts has dramatically
increased compared with the past when SNS was not so
popular among netizens.
Netizens are also showing off their power to create
social issues and dominate public opinion. In the real
world, most people are merely ordinary citizens, who listen to what the ruling class says rather than influencing
the majority. On the Internet, however, each individual has
the same authority to make people listen to them thanks
OPINION
to anonymity. So every netizen listens attentively to what
everyone else has to say. In order to gain vicarious satisfaction, netizens tend to spread witch hunt incidents.
Anonymity also leads to being less responsible for making
groundless comments about someone. Showing off domination and anonymity are combined, causing emotional or
arousing statements rather than rational ones.
As modern people are usually so busy, they are liable
to perceive some issues based on a single opinion.
Although there are various viewpoints toward certain
issues, netizens do not have enough time to cover all of
them. Once they decide their own stance, extra information is selectively perceived. In order to avoid a clash with
one’s original standpoint, they unconsciously filter diverse
information and accept the only one that fits their opinion.
To some extent, hot-tempered Koreans have contributed to the cyber witch hunt. Not always but often,
Koreans fly into a rage easily and forget it easily. When an
alleged witch appears, a bunch of netizens flock to the
issue so rapidly. Then, after harshly throwing verbal
arrows at the witch, they soon disperse without taking
enough time to verify the truth of the incident. Such a tendency makes cyber witch hunts even more severe and
hurts the victim.
Whenever a hasty cyber witch hunt proves to be a misdeed of netizens, they close their mouths as if nothing
happened and run away quietly. The problem cannot be
solved unless they fully regret their rash attack and biased
criticism. Specific changes in the system are needed, as
well as improvements in netiquette or behavior. The green
box system has received attention as it could be a help in
alleviating the problem. This system allows victims of
Internet news reports to directly require the media to correct any mistakes in their reporting and to receive a written apology from them. Although this system has some
drawbacks—it is limited only to online media and the
media has to report the corrected article without any oversight by a third party—it is recommendable because hottempered netizens can be informed of rectification soon
afterwards. Based on such improvements or changes in
behavior and the system, the problem of cyber witch
hunts can be alleviated and hopely solved, at last.■
Once upon a time, a servant girl met a prince, and they fell in love. They overcame all obstacles, got
married, and lived happily ever after. The girl was named Cinderella, and she was pretty, and the
prince was, indeed, “the prince.”
Recently, a stunt woman met a CEO, and they fell in love.
They overcame all the obstacles, got married and lived happily ever after. The girl was cool and chic, which was new
and attractive to the Mr. Rich and Handsome, who had it all.
Once upon a time in Joseon Dynasty, a shaman met a king,
and they fell in love. They overcame all the obstacles, got
married and lived happily ever after. The woman stole the
king’s heart in just one encounter, and the king fell for her
immediately.
“What beautiful love stories!”—this is probably your
response to these tales. Millions of others have responded
the same way to these demonstrations of undying love and
shaman—and love is returned by the girl. Then there are
powerful obstacles. They are not everyday problems, but
magical problems, assorted threats, and enormous social
gap. In reality, such a wide gap in backgrounds is rarely surmountable, and even if it is, it is followed by huge regret.
Nonetheless, something dramatic happens—for example
in the two dramas mentioned above, one of the lovers gets
almost killed and loses memory—which makes their love
more precious and noble. Then there is always a happy ending in the last scene, saying that they got married and lived
happily ever after. However, what the stories do not tell us
is life after marriage. There is a saying that comedy ends in
aspiration; to Cinderella Story for 2000 years, to Secret
Garden in 2010 and 2011, and to The Moon that Embraces
the Sun this year. It is enthralling that two people from different backgrounds meet and fall in love in ways which
seem impossible in reality. It gives us hope and vicarious
satisfaction. Then, what comes after that, later in their lives?
A Cinderella Story and many others have put in our
minds a certain love story as an ideal; love at first sight with
a handsome prince, and marriage—or any other form of
accomplishment of love—in the end. People crave the experience of falling in love like Yeon Woo and Prince Lee Hwon
in The Moon that Embraces the Sun. The problem is not in
the craving itself, but in setting it as an absolute value to the
rejection of all others. This does not concern only women;
men are no less affected by traditional love stories.
There are four main elements of these famous love stories. First there is a prominent male—a prince, CEO, or a
king—who falls in love with a normal girl—a servant girl,
stunt woman, or a subordinate’s daughter who becomes a
marriage, and that is when tragedy begins. It does not mean
that marriage necessarily leads to tragedy; it just means that
reality sets in after all the romantic moments of dating end.
What is wrong with taking comfort in fictional stories,
one might ask. It is not wrong, and I actually enjoy this
repertoire, myself. Even so, too much fictional comfort can
be dangerous because it affects the way we deal with reality.
Besides, acknowledging—instead of beautifying—reality
helps sometimes. We hate to admit it but there are impossible loves, and some happily-ended loves start again with
realistic hardships that are not described in stories.
Sometimes, it is better if the story tells you “It did not work
out and they thought they would die from a broken heart,
but they somehow lived on” or “It did work out and they
were happy, but then followed some realistic problems that
cast a shadow on love,” instead of just concluding that
“They lived happily ever after.”■
APRIL 2012 _ 51
VOICE ON CAMPUS
To Be a Liar or
To Be an April Fool
By Park Jong Hun (polo3355@korea.ac.kr), Kwon Min Seok (emes@korea.ac.kr)
Every one of you may have told a lie or fallen for lies on April Fools' Day. On that day, people across the
world tell lies or play jokes to people around them. So when we talk about the first day of April, humorous episodes can never be missed out. A variety of experiences could be both entertaining and embarrassing at the same time not only to you but also to those close to you. The Granite Tower (GT) therefore,
met five students on campus and asked them about their unforgettable events that occurred on that day.
Ryu Seong Shick (’10, Chemistry)
On April Fools’ Day, my friends and I
went to classes, wearing high school uniforms. We took pictures and enjoyed playing
a game. In the middle of playing, it occurred
to me that we could not leave out alcoholic
beverages on this happy day. So, I went to a convenience
store to buy some alcoholic drinks with a friend wearing a
high school uniform. The clerk rang the items up without
checking our ID cards. Therefore, we thought the clerk was
aware of April Fools’ Day so he did not have to ask us to
show our ID cards. However, he thoroughly examined the
next customers’ ID cards. My friend and I discussed who was
in charge of an aged face which unburdened the clerk’s
effort. We did not come to a conclusion and left it unsolved.
Kim Ki Yeon ('11, Healthcare Management)
Greeting April Fools’ Day, I determined to
play a funny trick on my friends. I pondered
ways to make a “good” prank. That moment,
I came up with a really good idea. I first
bisected the Oreo and then put toothpaste
instead of the cream, which originally was there. After preparations had been completed for the mischief, I went to
school and gave my friends the Oreos that I made in
advance. They, to my embarrassment, just took them, not
eating even a bit because they are, of course, aware of the
day’s arrival. To make matters worse, one of my friends gave
it to the teacher just for fun. I expected him not to eat it. He,
however, broke a bit away and popped it into his mouth.
Eventually, I got punished for the well-made fruitless Oreos.
Lee Suhun (’12, International Language and
Literature)
In my high school, there was an auditorium, which was adjacent to the main stairway. Thus, nobody could move to other
floors unless they go through this auditorium. On April Fools’ Day, about 20 senior students came to
school at dawn, bringing a lot of cans with them. Then, they
filled all the cans with water. In addition, they fetched every
desk that was placed in the first floor and the second floor.
WE LISTEN
After carrying all the cans and desks, they started to heap
them up in the auditorium. At last, the place was full of
them. Students and teachers were astonished by this sight at
morning and they could not go anywhere because of such
mischief. As a result, they had no choice but to spend their
first class cleaning up the mess.
Park Min Jun (’12, Interdisciplinary Studies)
The night before April Fools' Day, I had
many assignments for my Chemistry class,
so I had to stay up all night doing them.
After finishing all of the homeworks without
sleep, I prepared to go to school the next
morning. Then, one of my friends said that the class that
gave us the assignments had been cancelled because the professor was sick. Though his voice seemed to have a true ring
in a way, I knew that it was the first day of April. So I just
ignored his words, sneering at his palpable lie, and rushed to
school. When I finally arrived at the classroom, to my surprise, there was an announcement on the door of the classroom saying that the lecture was really cancelled. I got totally
shocked. Even on the bottom of the paper, was a scribble
that reads "Seriously, it is not an April Fool."
Min Hyeong Gi (’12, Materials Science and
Engineering)
When I was a middle school senior, one
of my friends invited me to his birthday
party, giving me an invitation card. I naturally thought he was just playing an April
Fools' Day trick on me, so I did not go to the party. The following day, I realized that almost all the friends who were
invited to the party did the same, thinking it was just an
April Fool’s prank. At that moment, my friend came in with a
long face. I suddenly had an impression that yesterday might
have been his real birthday. So I asked him. Only then, I figured out that his remark and invitations were true and that
yesterday was, in fact, his birthday. Feeling awful, we held a
magnificent birthday party for him the next day.■
The Granite Tower (GT) values your opinion.
Send us detailed feedback on GT’s April issue—anything from what
you liked or disliked reading or seeing to what you would like to see
more of in our upcoming issues.
Your correspondence must include your name, year of entrance,
major, and cell phone number.
Contact us at thegranitetower@gmail.com for more information.
OCTOBER 2010 _ 53
APRIL 2012 _ 53

GT - The Granite Tower

Transcription

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