Sunday, December 12, 2010

RAS - Year-end Statistics

[These Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) statistics were summarized at the conclusion of the final lecture for 2010 ..... Since I joined the RAS 3 years ago, the society has grown and ex-pats now are pursuing more awareness of Korea and its culture. Oddly enough, after the RAS started requesting 5,000won entrance fee for each lecture, the attendance greatly increased (and I always thought Koreans were the ones who put more value on things that cost ... haha, the irony!)]

Statistics for 2010
21 lectures
1050 attendees (40% non-members)
435~450 members in Korea
260 overseas members
many life-time members
# of Koreans attending is climbing
51 cultural tours (slightly down from 2009)
47 culture tours in Korea, 2 in Japan, 1 in Mongolia/China, 1 in Nepal/Tibet

The "Transactions" continues to be published annually. It represents the oldest collection of Korean writings in the world (Universities didn't start writing on Korea until the 1960s)

The RAS library has been relocated to Inje University and the RAS has a new website (www.raskb.com) where books can now be purchsed on-line.

A (unspecified) university has donated a large sum of money for the RAS to scan their collection of "Transactions" and some even older documents only held in the RAS library collection.

Brother Anthony of Taize (안손채) will be president of the RAS as of 2011.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Sakhalin and Its Forgotten Korean Exiles

[Oops, 6 months after listening to this awesome lecture I find my notes on it and now enter the synopsis. However, there may be some small mistakes due to my note-taking shorthand and understanding it so many months hence. Please take any small errors into consideration ... they are my own and not to be reflected on the lecturer - July 2011]

Dr. Andrei Lankov, a research fellow at the China and Korea Centre, Faculty of Asian Studies, Austalian National University, received both his MA and PhD from Leningrad State University. He wrote his thesis on factionalism in Yi Dynasty Korea (Political Factions and Conflicts in Korea, 16th - 18th C) and submits regularly to Korean newspapers.

The RAS Carrot

Not only does Dr. Lankov write rather prolifically on Korea, but he also speaks enthusiastically and knowledgably on topics concerning Korea, a very entertaining lecturer indeed! So being a phenomenal lecturer and reading the RAS carrot on the displaced Korean diaspora, many people flocked to his lecture. The carrot is as follows:

The Sakhalin Korean community is one of the most interesting parts of the 5,000,000 strong Korean diaspora. There are some 40,000 Koreans who live on this sparsely populated island which in the recent decade or so became remarkably rich due to the gas and oil deposits. Some of [the disapora] are descendants of the miners and loggers who were moved there in the 1940s by the Japanese authorities, while many more are descendants of North Korean workers who were recruited by the Soviet administration in Korea. Their history was full of tribulations. For long, they remained stateless, and then many of them became citizens of North Korea (a decision which cost some of the dearly). For decades they worked hard to return to their native lands, and this struggle [has been] full of dramatic and tragic episodes. But they should not be seen as passive victims: in essence, the history of their community is also an example of remarkable social and economic success.

Some Comments on the Diaspora

Of the approximate 400,000 Koreans in Central Asia (descendants of people who fled in the colonial times, political refugees, and others deported to Central Asia), roughly 10,000 of that number were Koreans who were first relocated (for whatever reason) from Sakhalin Island, the long island above Hokkaido Japan.

But what first took Koreans to Sakhalin Island? In the 1930s, a mass migration from the combined Korea began. Many were sent there to work in mines (in the colonial period ruled by the Japanese) as miners were paid 80 yen per month whereas a steel worker in the homeland of Korea received only 15 yen a month. Others moved there of their own volition. However, with the Japanese losing the war and the Russians claiming the island in 1945, the Koreans on the island were viewed discriminatorily and some ethnic cleansing began, effectively forcing the remaining Japanese to return to Japan. Koreans desired to leave too, but Russia needed the Korean man-power so by the end of 1945, Koreans were forbidden to leave. Only those who were involved in mixed marriages (Japanese and Korean spouses) were given the choice to leave or stay; many departed.

The Russians now actively occupied the island and exploited its resources (coal mining, forestry, fishing), and the displaced diaspora could be exploited as a resource too. A larger workforce than existed was needed and so Russians recruited 10,000 Koreans from the Korean provinces under Russian control, those in present-day North Korea. The earliest 10,000 or so Koreans did not mix with these latter recruits, due to politico-cultural reasons: principally, the earlier were Koreans who had mainly come from the southern Korean provinces, and most specifically, the Kyungsando area in the lower southeast corner of the Korean peninsula. Ideologies were different and they did not mix well.

Thus, in the 1930s, Koreans were recruited from the southern areas as miners (and other jobs) to Sakhalin; in the 1940s, the Koreans were shipped in as a mandatory work force; and in 1945, the Russians further changed the dynamics by recruiting Koreans from northern provinces. In 1950, 2,000 Soviet Koreans from Central Asia (loyal soviets and with even a more radically different ideology) were sent to "control" the Koreans on Sakhalin. They were brought in as supervisors, "spies", policemen, educators while those directly from the Korean peninsula were only given menial and laborious jobs.

In 1952, the Koreans (in Japan, on Sakhalin, wherever they were) who had been declared as Japanese citizens under colonialism were suddenly denied Japanese citizenship, approximately 42,000 Koreans from the southern provinces on Sakhalin (8,000 Koreans from the northern provinces and 2,000 Soviet Koreans). In effect, 50,000 stateless people! And so most Koreans were "foreigners" in their (frequently) birth country which disallowed freedom of movement and enforced police checks every 3 months on its "foreign" population. In 1958(?), Russia so briefly allowed the Koreans to acquire Russian citizenship ... but only 3% accepted. Why? Because they would NEVER be allowed to go "home" due to the Russian immigration policy of Russian citizens. [This immigration policy lasted until the 1960s and very few were allowed immigration privileges.] The displaced diaspora with second and sometimes third generation children had a yearning to return "home".

In the late 1950s, about 4,000 of the displaced group were allowed to return to North Korea, although not all had originated from the norther provinces. As an aside, Dr Lankov mentioned the tension between the returning diaspora and those in power and many of the 4,000 ended up in prison.

As citizen-less people, they were forbidden to do many types of occupation as to "work" would be to have legal permission from the government, but without citizenship, no legal permission could be given. In the late 1950s, the Koreans discovered yet another job that they could do with citizenship: agriculture. They were fortunately the only ethnic group that was allowed to have private farms, although they had to give a fixed percent to the state and the rest would then be theirs. This was a great advancement as they could then have something besides dried potatoes and onions.

Time passed and 2 kinds of discrimination are found to exist. (1) official discrimination against the Koreans (principally the older generation) who are stateless (not so many left now), (2) non-offical discrimination exists from the Russians as prejudice although, thankfully, not all Russians have this prejudice. By the time the third generation was old enough to get jobs, they were fluent in Russian, had been able to get good eduation and thus were able to be equally employable with the Russian-Russians. Dr. Lankov conluded that there is little prejudice against the displaced diaspora to this day on Sakhalin.

Some Personal Comments

For two years (2001~2003) I lived on Sakhalin Island and worked at a university there that had several Korean-Russian students and employees. I also was involved in the Korean church in Yuzhno-Sahkalinsk and visited many Korean home churches in isolated places. I was accepted as I was great friends with the Korean pastor and spoke some Korean as well as had lived in their "home"land. What the Korean-Russians told me does not reflect a country without prejudice. I met a few citizen-less Koreans (men) and their lack of "good" work prevented the family from getting accepted. The Korean-Russians were often segregated from the others; some of this segregation was due to still using the Korean language and eating somewhat differently, and some I'm sure comes from the more independent attitude of Russian non-conformity. Other reasons exists too which would be interesting to explore.

Of the many Korean-Russians I met, only two had highly educated positions: a doctor and a manager; the others didn't have very estimable positions, but then the whole of the Russian community that I moved within was lower-middle-class. The one theme which I found most interesting, however, was the point of discrimination. Many Korean-Russians said that Russian-Russians discriminated (to some extent) against them. However, the vast majority talked about the discrimination experienced by themselves or others by South Koreans, who many identified with, as being even more discriminatory! The South Koreans, they said, treated them like they were provincial (an insult in Korea), as if they were uneducated (perhaps less educated but certainly the Korean-Russians are not uneducated), and worst of all, that they were inferior because they did not speak Korean like the South Koreans or behave like the South Koreans (South Koreans are still very collective and homogenous in a lot of their behavior).

As a white American female expat in Korea, I get treated very well. Sometimes I get preferential treatment (which can irk me at times) because I'm white and I'm American and I'm trying to speak Korean. My Korean-American friends who speak Korean even better than I get some of the discrimination however, because they do not speak Korean like the South Koreans. And so when the Korean-Russians speak of South Korean discrimination being worse than that in their birth country, I so understand. [I know of several Korean-Russians who were able to move to South Korea, their "home"land, only to realize that Sakhalin Russia is their true home, and so they returned.)

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Gumgang Migratory Bird Observatory

Two weeks ago I was down in Gunsan and finally had the pleasure of going to another of Korea's migratory bird parks ... although I have to say, I didn't expect the park to be developed to the point that people would go there for entertainment rather than as a natural habitat. The park is located along the western sea where people could easily and seasonably view birds in a bird santuary, but instead, the park has bird iconography everywhere, picnic sights (very picturesquely placed), various viewing cages based on habitat (water, field, tropical, etc), and even a museum with 3D cinema and an aquarium. Little attention is given to the waterways across the wide street from the park and where the wildlife is in its natural habitat. That said, there are tour buses that go out four times a day (on weekends and holidays from mid-November through February) but the buses rush quickly through and disallow people to get to really view nature. Nature has been reduced to a tour and the bus returns the people to the more entertaining aspects of the bird park where there are facilities, gadgets to turn and twist, and birds in cages that cannot escape the eye.

At the top of the museum tower is an observatory with a 360 degree panoramic view of the western sea, the artificial fountain which has colorful light displays, and the hills behind the observatory park. The other migratory bird areas have not been developed, but then neither did they have a brown historical interest sign directing traffic to them from major roads and the highway approach, and neither do they have a huge Baikal teal overlooking the park. Interestingly but not for the vivid minded, the teal can be walked inside as if walking inside the body of a duck, and as one descends through the duck, one can view the location of a duck's body parts before exiting out the duck's rear. All body parts have video footage and explanation to further understanding - very informative and ideal for educational school trips.

School children participate in art projects. One of the art projects was making "bird" boxes and putting them on display on one of the floors of the museum.


Another art project was a competition among elementary school children for drawing their concept of the migratory bird park. About 12 of the pictures were framed and highly awarded. Those pictures were also printed on large banners and hung throughout the park in honor of the children and to further interest in the bird park.

Migratory bird areas in Korea

On the outskirts of Gunsan located on the west coast rich in tidal pools, mudflats and inlets is one of the best areas in Korea for viewing migratory birds. Even as my bus was approaching Gunsan and we were passing along the waterways and wetlands, looking out my window with its western view I saw my first swans ever in Korea - just five or six but I had never seen this particular bird grace this country. When I lived on Sakhalin Island, Russia, the island above Hokkaido, Japan, we were graced every year with a huge migratory cloud of swans and people of Sakhalinsk would plan trips to the Sea of Ohotsk to see them. So Gunsan is probably on a narrow leg of the Russian migratory route to warmer climes. Inside the museum is a globe with four migratory routes mapped out (unfortunately I can't remember which birds these routes were designated for.)

This map of the Koreas together is anthropologically rather interesting. It seems that whenever maps are concerned (by the South that is), both North and South Koreas are drawn on the maps but the data for the topic is usually only for the southern half. Even though South Koreans (especially since the IMF period of 1997) do not talk about reunification, the concept that South Korea is only part of a whole is strongly embedded in their map iconography. This map likewise shows both of the Koreas with only the designated migratory bird parks being shown in South Korea - a total of six bird areas.

Han-gang lower end (the lower end of the Han River) is a delta made by the Imjin and the Han Rivers. It is Natural Monument #250 and is a natural habitat for the White-napped Crane. The habitat is being overtaken by plants (among them Susong vegetables) that do not attract the crane and so the crane is also disappearing. Recently bulrush and turkeys are its residents. It still attracts migratory birds like snipes, wild geese and ducks, and other water fowl.

Cheonsu-man is an artifical bay created by a tide embankment constructed on 8 kilometers of mud beach between Chungnam and Hongseong-gun. The swampy areas and shallow lakes are "developed" each year [developed means that the food chain has to work hard to stay in existence]. Thousands of migratory birds hibernate here during the winter. In fact, about half of Korea's migratory birds - such as the Oriental White Stork, Hooded Crane, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black-winged Stilts, Grey Heron, Little Grebe, Cattle Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Mallards, to name a few - can be found here.

Lower region of Geumgang [THIS LOCATION] has well-developed reed fields, broad mud beaches, and ample food, all important for seasonal birds. The surrounding area is rather undeveloped compared with other parts of Korea, and so migratory birds are still relatively undisturbed in their watery mudflats. Especially protected here are the Baikal Teals and Saunder's Gulls.

Suncheon-man is a deep bay developed between Yeocheonbando and Goheungbando. It is a natural wetland with still well-preserved mud beaches. In its northern reaches, thick reed forests are utilized as birds' hiding places and approximately 180 kinds of birds like the Hooded Crane and snipe live there. Only about 9,000 Hooded Cranes, Natural Monument #228, are left around the globe.

Junam Jeonsu-ji is a big lake connected to Sannam, Junam and Dongpan in Changwon-si Dongmyun water reservoirs. With some surrounding wetlands and reed islands sustaining foods like frogs and crucian carp, it remains an ideal location for a migratory bird habitat. Every November around 20 kinds of birds fly in by the thousands - the Tundra Swan (Natural Monument #201), White-naped Crane (Natural Monument #203), Eurasian Spoonbill (Natural Monument #205), etc. and they remain to feed and shelter until the following March.

Nakdong-gang lower end has rich food sources throughout the four seasons, and due to its more southern location, does not freeze over in the cold winter. The largest number of birds in all of Asia habitat here. Several hundreds of kinds of birds - a total of 167 kinds - are flocking in and out of here during all four seasons. Mallards, Bean Geese, Tundra Swans, Dunlins, Common Shelducks, and many more.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Kimjang Season

The beginning of December usually wraps up the kimjang making season. Depending on temperatures the season can fluctuate a bit but while late fall temperatures have cooled down and yet still dependably hover above the freezing point, making kimjang (winter kimchi), is the seasonal activity. This year due to the unseasonably wet August and September when cabbage were peaking and getting ready for harvesting, this year they were rotting and plants were being uprooted. So, while there was some cabbage for the kimjang, it was expensive and not the typically densely grown cabbage leaves desired for best preserving the kimchi.

In late November many supermarkets were hawking the remaining, and not so wanted, cabbage heads for 1000won or about $1. Takers were few. In the Ssangbong area where there are a number of street stalls, one had piles and piles of pretty good looking cabbage heads and the local old people mixed in with a few housewives were swarming through and over the heads looking for the best. One older gentleman was loading up his heavy-framed old-fashioned bicycle with bags and bags of cabbage heads to cycle home for probably his wife to prepare.

Unlike in former years when kimjang absolutely needed to be made just before the winter freeze, Koreans are no longer dependent on brown ceremic jars buried in the soil to preserve their "vegetables" for the winter. Now Koreans have their very unique kimchi frigerators - refrigerators designed with various drawers for storing and keeping chilled several different kinds of kimchi with the bonus of not smelling up their other produce and purchases kept properly chilled in their regular refrigerator.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Cheonpung Cultural Park

[This is a continuation of November 21, Gosu Cave and Thereabouts, especially important to note as this traditional village was flocked to by Korean tourists but relatively ignored and probably unknown to the foreigners living in and visiting Korea - as said earlier, someone needs to conduct research on tourism and marketing in Korea.]

Cheonpung Cultural Heritage Park

천풍문화재단지, Cheonpung Cultural Heritage Park was built because of the Chungju Multi-purpose Dam which would submerge houses and cultural sites, so from 1983-1985 the government along with the Korea Industrial Development Corporation worked to do research on and/or relocate several artifacts. The following were intensely studied: 33 archeological sites, 10 historical sites, 5 Buddhist sites, and then 36 tangible cultural properties were moved. Included in this park are five old government buildings including Hanbyeoku Pavilion, Cheonpung Hyanggyo (Confucian shrine-cum-school), Buddhist statues, stone monuments and four traditional residential houses.

The highlights for me in the park were the performers wearing colorful hanbok in their proper traditional setting, and the sign painter who was painting the park landscape map as a true artist guided by his own inspiration and inner eye should.

And then of course the scenery from a pavillion on the highest overlooking hill provided a phenomenal view of Cheongpung Lake in one direction and the culture-village in another.