UNESCO Sites in South Korea (2015)

UNESCO World Heritage refers to both cultural and natural heritage sites registered on the World Heritage List. In November 1972, UNESCO adopted the "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage" in the General Conference during its seventeenth session. Under the Convention, the World Heritage committee established a World Heritage List that includes cultural and natural heritage with outstanding value whose conservation is recognized to be in the interest of all humanity. 

As of July 2015, Korea has eleven cultural heritage sites and one natural heritage site.

Apart from this, UNESCO also has a separate program called 'Memory of the World' and 'Intangible Heritage of Humanity'. In Korea, there are seven and eight of them respectively.


World Cultural Heritage Sites

Korea's Cultural Heritage conveys a genuine sentiment of simplicity and peacefulness. The historical background of the heritage is diverse, encompassing the history of Korea from ancient times (Dolmen sites) to the Joseon Dynasty. The sites embody a wide variety of values from tidy and neat artistic spirit to scientific rationality as witnessed in such traditional constructions as a royal palaces or temples. A total of eleven Korean cultural sites are registered on the list of World Cultural Heritage Sites including:

1. Jongmyo Shrine (1995)
2. Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks (1995)
3. Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple (1995)
4. Hwaseong Fortress (1997)
5. Changdeokgung Palace Complex (1997)
6. Gyeongju Historic Areas (2000)
7. Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites (2000)
8. Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (2009)
9. Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong (2010)
10. Namhansanseong Fortress (2014)
11. Baekje Historic Areas (2015)

World Natural Heritage Sites

UNESCO chooses to-be World Natural Heritage Sites based on an objective evaluation of historic and academic worth, and then assists in ensuring their preservation. 

1. The volcanic island of Jeju-do has an outstandingly beautiful natural environment that is significant for its geological features and ecological value. In 2007, Jeju-do Island was listed as a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site under the name of "Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes". This includes Mount Hallasan Natural Reserve, the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System and Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. 

Intangible Cultural Heritage

An international assessment committee appointed by the UNESCO Secretary General reviews the list of World Intangible Heritage of Humanity every two years with the mission of safeguarding and protecting such intangible heritage as language, culture, music, dance, games, myths, rituals, customs and handicrafts. A total of eighteen examples of Korean intangible heritage are on the list, including: 

1. The Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine and its Music (2001)
2. The Pansori Epic Chant (2003)
3. The Gangneung Danoje Festival (2005)
4. Ganggangsullae Dance (2009)
5. Namsadang-nori Performance (2009)
6. Yeongsanjae Buddhist Ritual (2009)
7. Jeju Chilmeoridang-yeongdeung-gut Shaman Ritual (2009)
8. The Cheoyongmu Dance (2009)
9. Gagok, lyric song cycles accompanied by an orchestra (2010)
10. Falconry, a living human heritage (2010)
11. Daemokjang, traditional wooden architecture (2010)
12. Weaving of Mosi (fine ramie) in the Hansan region (2011)
13. Taekkyeon, a traditional Korean martial art (2011)
14. Jultagi, tightrope walking (2011)
15. Arirang, lyrical folk song in the Republic of Korea (2012)
16. Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi (2013)
17. Nongak, Community band music, dance and rituals in the Republic of Korea (2014)
18. Juldarigi, traditional ritual wishing for a good harvest, a tug-of-war game (2015)

Memory of the World Register

The Korean documents declared UNESCO Memory of the World include:

1. The Hunminjeongeum Manuscript(1997)
2. Joseonwangjosillok, the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (1997)
3. Seungjeongwon Ilgi, the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat (2001)
4. Jikji Simche Yojeol, the Second Volume of "Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings" (2001)
5. Printing Woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana and Miscellaneous Buddhist Scriptures (2007)
6. Uigwe, the Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty (2007)
7. Donguibogam, the Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine (2009)
8. Ilseongnok, Records of Daily Reflections (2011)
9. Arresting the demonstrating students, archives of the May 18 Democratic Uprising against the Military Regime (2011)
10. Nanjung Ilgi: War Diary of Admiral Yi Sun-sin (2013)
11. Archives of Saemaul Undong (New Community Movement) (2013)
12. Confucian Printing Woodblocks in Korea (2015)
13. The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast “Finding Dispersed Families” (2015)

Above information adapted from the Visit Korea "UNESCO World Heritage" posting.

Comfort Women Controversy between S. Korea and Japan Ended?

Today the Korean web began posting on the resolution for the many-decades long controversy between Korea and Japan on the topic of the Korean comfort women. There are many issues and strong points of controversy between South Korea and Japan and I'm wondering how "resolving" this issue will help resolve, or even antagonize, other issues between the two countries. Following is the first article I saw posted related to the resolution; it's also the article I see most re-posted so why not repost it yet again:

Japan and South Korea agree to settle wartime sex slaves row

Shinzo Abe offers sincere apology for use of ‘comfort women’ by Japanese soldiers, removing major barrier to better relations.

South Koreans who lost family members during the second world war demand full compensation and an apology from Japan in Seoul. Photograph: Ahn Young-joon/AP

Japan and South Korea have removed the biggest obstacle to better bilateral ties after agreeing to “finally and irreversibly” resolve Tokyo’s use of tens of thousands of Korean women as wartime sex slaves.

ANALYSIS: Korean comfort women agreement is a triumph for US and Japan

In a breakthrough that barely seemed possible a few months ago, Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, offered his “most sincere apologies” to the women in a statement issued in Seoul by his foreign minister, Fumio Kishida .

It was not immediately clear if Abe would send a letter of apology to each surviving “comfort woman”.

Later Monday, Abe called the South Korean president, Park Geun-hye , who has described the sex slave row as “the biggest obstacle” to improved ties with Tokyo, and reiterated his apology. He told reporters that the agreement was based on his commitment to stop future generations from having to repeatedly apologise. “Japan and South Korea are now entering a new era. We should not drag this problem into the next generation.”

Park issued a separate statement saying the deal was the result of her government’s best efforts to resolve the sex slave issue. “I hope the mental pains of the elderly comfort women will be eased,” she said.

Japan also offered to set up a new 1bn yen (£5.6m) fund, with the money, paid directly by the government, divided among the 46 former comfort women still alive, most of whom are in their late 80s and early 90s.

COMMENT: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe stops short of a new apology 

in war anniversary speech

Speaking after make-or-break talks with his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, Kishida heralded a new era of better relations between the two countries, whose strong trade ties and military alliances with the US have been overshadowed by the controversy.

“This marks the beginning of a new era of Japan-South Korea ties,” he told reporters. “I think the agreement we reached is historic and is a groundbreaking achievement.

“[Abe] expresses anew his most sincere apologies and remorse to all the women who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences and suffered incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women.”

The Japanese government also conceded that its military authorities played a role in the sexual enslavement of the women. While avoiding any admission of legal responsibility, Kishida’s statement said: “The issue of comfort women, with an involvement of the Japanese military authorities at that time, was a grave affront to the honour and dignity of large numbers of women, and the government of Japan is painfully aware of responsibilities from this perspective.”

Abe and other conservative politicians in Japan had previously questioned whether the Japanese government and military played any role in coercing the women, arguing that they had been procured by private brokers.

Both countries said the agreement would resolve the issue “finally and irreversibly”, adding that they would refrain from making critical remarks on the subject at the United Nations and in other international forums.

Yun said Seoul would cooperate, as long as Japan followed through on its promises. He also suggested that South Korea was willing to negotiate the removal of a statue of a girl symbolising the comfort women that stands outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul. Although the statue belongs to privately run campaign groups, Yun said the South Korean government would “strive to solve this issue in an appropriate manner through taking measures such as consulting with related organisations”.

There is disagreement on the exact number of women forced into prostitution by Japan during its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. Campaigners say as many as 200,000 women – mostly Koreans, but also Chinese, south-east Asians and a small number of Japanese and Europeans – were forced or tricked into working in military brothels between 1932 and Japan’s defeat in 1945.

Most women took their secret to the grave. South Korean Kim Hak-soon became the first to testify about her experiences in public in 1991. “We must record these sins that were forced upon us,” she said.

South Korea has long called on Japan to issue an official apology, pay compensation to the surviving women and recognise its legal responsibility. Japan stopped short of admitting legal responsibility and stressed that the new fund was a humanitarian gesture.

The Japanese government initially denied the existence of wartime brothels. But in 1993, the then chief cabinet secretary, Yohei Kono, acknowledged and apologised for the first time for Japan’s use of sex slaves.

Over the years, Japan has refused to directly compensate the women, saying all claims were settled in a 1965 treaty that restored diplomatic ties and included more than $800m in grants and loans to South Korea.

In 1995, it set up the privately run Asian women’s fund, which drew on private donations. But many women refused money unless it came directly from the Japanese state. Only about 260 former sex slaves received cash – worth about 2m yen each – and the fund was disbanded in 2007.

The agreement reached on Monday will be welcomed by the US, which has urged its two east Asian allies to settle their differences over second world war history and show a united front in the face of an increasingly assertive China and a nuclear-armed North Korea.

In Beijing, the foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said: “We hope to see an improvement of the bilateral relationship between the Japanese and South Korean side.”

Hiroka Shoji , an east Asia researcher at Amnesty International, said: “Today’s agreement must not mark the end of the road in securing justice for the hundreds of thousands [of] women who suffered due to Japan’s military sexual slavery system.

“The women were missing from the negotiation table and they must not be sold short in a deal that is more about political expediency than justice. Until the women get the full and unreserved apology from the Japanese government for the crimes committed against them, the fight for justice goes on.”

The spread of frontline brothels coincided with Japan’s military campaigns in large parts of China and south-east Asia. As colonial ruler of the Korean peninsula, Japan was able to target poor and uneducated victims, typically aged between 13 and 19.

Speculation that a comfort women agreement was in the offing had risen following a bilateral meeting between Abe and Park in early November, their first for three-and-a-half years, and the decision by a South Korean court to acquit a Japanese journalist accused of defaming Park.

The South Korean president had voiced hope that a deal would be reached by the end of this year, 50 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Seoul and Tokyo.

The Korean web is alive with comments and Facebook is filled with postings of the controversy finally being resolved, but there are questions about just what are the ethics employed in "resolving" this? What politics are driving sudden humanitarian apologies? Here's one of the earliest responses, published today also no less!

Apology Isn't Justice for Korea's 'Comfort Women'

By Noah Feldman

At long last, Korea's “comfort women” are getting a real apology from Japan's government for being forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during World War II. But the moment is bittersweet, and not just because it’s taken 70 years. The apology comes not out of a change in Japanese sentiment, but from a change in geopolitics -- namely, the rise of China and the increasing need for Japan and South Korea to cooperate on mutual defense. And it comes at the price of a promise by the South Korean government not to criticize Japan over the issue again -- a trade of moral claims for compensation and finality.

The saga of the Japanese non-apology has had many twists and turns, demonstrating that in the contemporary political cultures of both Japan and Korea, apologies aren’t mere formalities but are laden with symbolic significance. A muted 1993 apology was accompanied by compensation from private donors and marked a refusal by Japan’s government to acknowledge its role in the sexual enslavement. Koreans got the point, and some women refused to take money from the fund.

The question of state responsibility has remained a sore point. A South Korean historian who has written about the role of private entrepreneurs in enslaving women during the war has been condemned by survivors who say she is minimizing the Japanese government’s guilt.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a strong nationalist, isn’t naturally inclined to apologize for Japan’s wartime atrocities. In the past, he’s angered Chinese and Koreans by visiting the controversial Yasukuni shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals.

What motivates Abe is the quest to improve Japan’s national security. China’s military expansionism is the main cause. Almost equally important is an accompanying perception that the U.S. may not be the strong protector it has traditionally been. Would the U.S. go to war to defend Taiwan from China? If the answer is no, then why would the U.S. go to war to protect Japan or South Korea? If there’s doubt about the U.S. commitment, Japan and Korea need each other.

The Pacific security arrangement is often described as a “hub and spokes” model, with the U.S. at the center. Abe is setting out to strengthen the ties between the spokes -- because he recognizes that the hub is not as willing a gravitational force as it once was.

In this increasingly uncertain Cool War environment, the perception of Japanese-Korean solidarity is an important aspect of Abe’s program. It’s why he was willing to pay the political price at home of an apology to the comfort women that accompanies an $8.3 million fund -- this time paid by his government. And as a nationalist, he can afford to draw on his store of right-wing credibility to buy political advantage.

But the apology and the money came with a price attached: South Korea’s promise that the issue of the comfort women would be settled once and for all, and that its government wouldn’t complain about it further. And Abe can tell his constituents that he has bought the Koreans’ silence, removing an argument that always came up when Japan was accused of being aggressive or nationalist.

That’s almost always how reparations, whether legally formal or (as in this case) informal, work in the real world: The wronged party gets compensation and an apology; the party that did the wrong gets a de facto promise that it won’t have to be reminded of what it did. Without this trade, countries wouldn’t voluntarily pay up, so it may seem naive to criticize the exchange, provided you think compensation is a good thing.

All tort settlements, even those between private parties, have something of this character. Compensation functions as corrective justice, and the injured party is expected to be satisfied by the deal.

But morally speaking, crimes against humanity aren’t the same as car accidents. Those who enslaved women during World War II weren’t being negligent; they raped and dehumanized these women in particular, and the status and fundamental rights of women everywhere.

Promising a form of silence about such crimes in exchange for an apology and compensation seems inadequate to the scope and meaning of the wrongdoing. During negotiations, Japan also sought the removal of a memorial statue in front of its embassy in Seoul. South Korea’s government promised to take up the issue with the survivors – implying a good-faith effort to make the memorial disappear.

Crimes against humanity are the world’s business. They shouldn’t be forgotten, and discussing as well as memorializing them shouldn’t be suppressed or discouraged.

The interest in keeping the memory of such crimes alive also extends to the victims themselves. Of course they’re entitled to compensation. But it feels wrong if they can only get it because their government has agreed to drop their case and, to a degree, is encouraging them to drop their efforts to shame the perpetrators.

The realities of international practice are inevitable and harsh. Individuals need states to prosecute claims against other states on their behalf. And once states are in the game, they’ll behave as states usually do: trading values and ideals and honor for advancement of their interests. But that doesn’t mean we always have to like it. The memory of terrible wrongs should be preserved, as a goad to stop them from happening again.

Our horror about the treatment of the comfort women should steel us to act on behalf of women kidnapped into sexual slavery by Islamic State and Boko Haram. No amount of reconciliation with the past should make us reconcile with those crimes of the present.

Gongju and Buyeo (Baekje Culture)

Dating back almost 1700 years, the Baekje Kingdom at its height was the center of arts and culture on the Korean peninsula and beyond.

King Munyeong's Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, was molded on a Boshan incense burner. A Boshan incense burner symbolized the mountain dwelling of the gods, and such incense burners are covered in symbols portraying celestial affairs. This incense burner is mounted with the mystical phoenix, the lid is mountain shaped and filled with holes for the smoke to escape. Since its discovery in 1993 and then its designation in 1996 as a National Treasure of Korea, the incense burner became a symbol of national pride and an icon of age-old art in the Korean peninsula.

About the Baekje Kingdom

Baekje (18 BC - 660 AD) was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea—along with Goguryeo (37 BC - 668 AD) and Silla (57 BC - 935 AD)—and its people were descendants of Buyeo tribes people of Manchuria. Baekje tribes migrated southward to what is now Seoul where the Baekje leaders set up a capital, asserting control over the local tribes people and beating back pressure from the northern kingdom of Goguryeo.

Baekje flourished in the 4^th century, trading with Japan and the Chinese kingdom of Chin. Goguryeo then forced Baekje south from Seoul to Ungjin (now Kongju) in 475, so for the next 63 years Ungjin became the Baekje capital. Ungjin was near water—the Geum or “Brocade” River—and well defended by the Kongsan fortress, but it was too far from the sea and too surrounded by mountains to allow easy communication with the outside world.

Click to enlarge

King Song-wang (ruling 523 – 553) moved the capital downstream to Sabi (now Buyeo) to a place on the Geum River now known specifically as Paengma or “White Horse” (the name explained later). Sabi was nearer the sea, had a large, rich farming area, and also had the nearby riverside Sabi fortress at Puso-san.

Cultural Sharing during the Baekje Kingdom

Baekje made many contributions to the Japanese culture in the 6^th century—most obviously, the teachings of Buddha and Buddha temple architecture, some of which can be still seen near Nara, Japan, at the Horyuji Temple (the world’s oldest wooden building). 

Baekje also benefited from the direct importation of Chinese culture. The Baekje upper class knew the Confucian classics, Chinese medicine, and divination.

Baekje artifacts speak of a society that was interactive with a wide range of tribes people and cultural interactions. Baekje tombs remain distinct from other tombs of contemporary kingdoms. Burial urns now housed in the Buyeo National Museum hark back to tribal culture, while Buddhist temple objects and figures testify to a strong religious flavor and the import, assimilation and development of Buddhism. The tombs give some indication of the society and economy—elite clans which evolved from tribal holdovers as well as elaborate ranks and grades of salary for officials and military leaders (as can be seen through Chinese imports used by military elites). Farmers paid taxes in silk and rice. In battles, prisoners were taken as slaves.

The Demise of Baekje

Baekje came to an end in 660 when it was overcome by combined forces from T’ang China and the neighboring Silla Kingdom, which was based in Gyeongju. The interference of Chinese forces came after a long hiatus (220 – 589 AD) during which China had been fragmented into many small kingdoms. Prior to 220 the Han dynasty had claimed large parts of northern Korea (the Lolong colony) but the fall of Han allowed the Koreans (or proto-Koreans) to develop their own kingdoms—Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje. In the early 600’s, China was reunified by the Sui (581 – 618 AD) and then the T’ang (618 – 907 AD). T’ang, which was the greatest empire the world had seen, naturally aimed to recapture the glories of the long-gone Han empire, and gaining control over Korea was part of this design.

Overcoming one of the Three Kingdoms in the Korean peninsula was not so easy as the kingdoms were adept at alliance politics, manipulating each other and foreigners in China and Japan. Koguryeo in particular was armed, and it beat back the repeated Sui and T’ang invasions in Manchuria. Since force was ineffective, the T’ang government combined forces and political manipulation with the Silla kingdom, knowing that Silla and Baekje were at odds. T’ang struck an alliance with Silla, and their combined forces destroyed Baekje in 660 AD.

Modern Buyeo Reveals the Denouement in 660 AD

The T’ang forces, purportedly numbering 130,000, approached Sabi from the north. The commanding general, Su Ting-fang, stopped when he reached the river facing the Sabi fortress on Puso-san. The diviners said that he couldn’t cross the river until he got rid of the river dragon which protected the Sabi fortress. Knowing that dragons were pushovers for white horses, General Su went fishing using the head of a white horse for bait. As the story goes, he lured the dragon to the surface, killed it, and then led the army across the river to assault the Baekje capital. Another version of the story is that a storm caused by the protective dragon raged, and so Su Ting-fang using the head of a white horse which dragons have a special attraction to, fished for the dragon amidst thunder and lightning and was able to lure and capture the live dragon, who, in exchange for its life, stilled the storm so the general's army could safely cross the river.

The Chinese were not alone in their assault. Kim Yusin, the great Silla general, had fought his way through the Baekje army led by General Kyebaek (see statue in Buyeo) and had laid siege to Sabi fortress all around the south wall. The Chinese assault across the Geum river and directly into the fortress left the Baekje people nowhere to flee. 3,000 court women unable to flee and preferring suicide to being taken captive by the horny hordes flung themselves over a cliff, now called the Nakhwa-am or “Falling Flowers Cliff”.  Though King Uija managed to get away to Ungjin (Kongju), his kingdom was crushed.

Mural on one of the walls of the Goran-sa. The mural faces the healing medicinal waters of Goran-sa.

Buyeo Town

The name Buyeo comes from the ancestral home of the Baekje people in Manchuria, and for a while it was called Nam-Buyeo or “South Buyeo”, but it is universally known as Baekje, the “Hundred Tribes”.

Cheongnim-sa was once an elaborate temple, but now all that exists is a site marked in downtown Buyeo and two important stone relics—a weathered stone Buddha (National Treasure #108) and the five-storied stone Baekje Pagoda (National Treasure #9), which is only one of two pagodas that have survived since the Three Kingdoms period. Su Ting-fang added insult to injury when he carved the story of his victory over Baekje on the base of the pagoda, hence the “Pacifying Baekje Pagoda” name which is sometimes attached to it. The shame of this inscription was such that the survivors buried the pagoda and it lay buried—and therefore better preserved—at Mireuk-sa some kilometers away until the 1890’s.

The five-storied stone Baekje pagoda (National Treasure #9),
sometimes shamefully known as the "Pacifying Baekje Pagoda".

Strangely, this Buddha looks very much like the Easter Island moai at Ahu Tahai ...

Puso-san has a hiking road from the Baekje museum that goes up the mountain and into the forest on what used to be the Sabi fortress. At the top of Puso-san is Yeongil-lu (“Greeting-the-sun” Pavillion) and the Songweol-lu (“Seeing-off-the-setting-moon” Pavillion), and the Nakhwa-am (“Falling Flowers Rock”).

One of the pavillions at the top of Nakhwa-am.

Goran-sa is the "Korean Orchid" temple below the Nakhwa-am near the water’s edge. Its name is derived from the Gorancho plant (Crypsinus hastatus), which is something like an orchid and which grows in profusion near the adjacent spring of medicinal water. This spring is where the Baekje kings got their drinking water, and the temple site was constructed to commemorate the “Falling Flowers” of Nakhwa-am. According to legend, the king enjoyed drinking water from Goran-sa and sent someone to fetch his mineral water every day. Before drinking, court ladies floated leaves on the water to prove it came from the temple. Legend also has it that if a person drinks a cup of Goran mineral water, he or she will become three years younger. [It didn't work. Several of us tried it.]

For those interested in a boat ride on the Geum “Brocade” River, the boat will take passengers past the Choryong-dae, or “Fishing-for-the-Dragon Terrace”) where Su Ting-fang is said to have caught the dragon.

King Munyeong’s Tomb in Kongju

Kongju, capital of Baekje from 475 to 538 AD, lies upstream from Buyeo on the “Brocade” River. As the Middletons point out in their Some Korean Journeys (RAS, 1975), Kongju has twice had its status as capital taken away—it lost out to Buyeo in 538 and then to Daejeon in 1931 under the Japanese Government-General.

Kongju also has a mountain (Kongsan) on the river, a fortress larger than the one in Buyeo on the mountain (Kongsan-seong), a Chinese connection (the Ming helped fight Hideyoshi’s Japanese invaders here in the 1590’s), a set of royal tombs, and a branch of the National Museum.

dragon on the tilework in King Munyeong's tomb

fanciful tilework inside King Munyeong's cave

Kongju’s greatest treasure is the Baekje tomb of King Munyeong (also spelled Muryeong) and who ruled 501 – 523 AD. Munyeong’s tomb is in the tomb complex near the river. Over the centuries the other tombs were picked clean by thieves and scrofulous antique dealers, but Munyeong’s tomb remained undiscovered until, by accident, government restorers happened on it while working on a nearby grave in 1971. Excavations revealed an undisturbed Baekje royal tomb, guarded in the entry chamber by a little stone pig and containing hundreds of jewels, decorations, pots, and a very diverse assortment of artifacts. Discovery of the tomb was to Korea what the discovery of Tuthankhamen’s tomb was to Egypt, or like the discovery of Ch’in Huang’ti’s terra cotta army was to China.

Outstanding among the tomb objects is Munyeong’s gold crown ornament, in a flame-shaped pattern hung with gold decorations and sewn, apparently onto a silk cap which did not survive the centuries. In the Kongju National Museum along with the guardian pig and the crown ornaments, are bronze mirrors, gold earrings, jade, hairpins, pots, headrests, figurines, and decorated bricks and roof tiles. Where Baekje studies prior to that time had relied on the likes of Su Ting-fang’s carved account on the Baekje Pagoda in Buyeo, Munyeong’s tomb opened up new vistas for comparisons and studies of the transmission of culture among the kingdoms and peoples of East Asia. Until recently, visitors could enter the now emptied tomb but which has intricately designed tile work; however, now that a replica of the tomb has been included in a nearby viewing room, the tomb, having survived centuries is being preserved and removed from the influx of visitors so that it can continue to survive and breathe the presence of the past to the present and future generations.

Imagery of King Munyeong wearing his Baekje crown ornaments.

The mythical, mystical creature - the guardian pig of King Munyeong's tomb

References:

Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch detailed printout (take the tour of Buyeo and Kongju)

Visit Korea. "Gongju: The Glory of Baekje Lives On" by Robert Koehler. June 27, 2008.

Kumbak: Gold Leaf Embossing

In ancient times gold was a symbol of eternity, beauty and authority, and gilding clothes was symbolic of showing one's elegance and "planting hope on every pattern and character" [sic - from the KumBakYeon brochure]. 

Generally in China, Japan and Europe, the gilding technique was used for architecture, for the exterior and interior decor or even furniture decor. In contrast, Korean had little (if none) gilding of buildings, limited gilding of ritual wares, but its gilding of clothing was highly advanced and employed a detailed and technical woodblock imprinting technique on silk. Developed in ancient times, this technique or gilding of clothing remained unique to Korea through the centuries.

Clothing having gold was limited to royalty, or perhaps the highest royal officials, and wearing it "revealed the authority of the royal family and the ruler's desire for national prosperity through various patterns of gold leaf." [sic] Therefore, every pattern of gold leaf had to be followed by strict rules. The clothes with gold leaf were used as ceremonial robes, usually used only once, but they could be re-used on wedding days, 60th birthdays or other such highly important events. 

Passing down gold leaf embossed robes gave prestige and status to one's family. One family known to pass down gold leaf embossed clothing can trace five generations as having inherited it. 

1st generation: Kim Wan-hyeong, who worked under the control of King Cheoljong (1849-1863), Joseon era

2nd generation: Kim Won-sun, who worked for the last imperial family of the Korean Empire 

3rd generation: Kim Gyeong-yong, who was first appointed as human cultural asset 

4th generation: Kim Deok-hwan, who is currently appointed as national important intangible cultural asset No. 119 

5th generation: Kim Gi-ho & Park Soo-young, who are currently working in succession to Kim's father, Kim Deok-hwan

Four of us gathered at the KumBakYeon gold leaf experiential house in Bukcheon to make a gold-embossed greeting card and a gold-embossed bookmark.

Materials: paintbrush for the sticky glue, special glue, gold foil leaf papers, (wood) stamps, silk or material to stamp, and not pictured but a place to warm the glue for a few seconds just prior to stamping (trade secret!) 

The stamps all mean something different: peony for yangban, the Chinese character of "luck/propitiousness" ...
The design of the stamps used dictate the message being conveyed to the wearer or recipient.

My card on the left symbolizes luck/good fortune as I've stamped with Chinese luck character, the flower for fortune or good returns, and the butterfly which brings luck or fortune. The bookmark on the right is a wish for scholarliness and wisdom.

Among all the beautifully embossed pieces of clothing and accessories on display in the modern hanok KumBakYeon, this silken purse of a scholar with exquisite embossing caught my eye. Symbols of 싶장생 (the 10 symbols of longevity) are on it wishing the bearer a long and happy life. 

The ceremonial robe of [someone important (king?) and donated to the KumBakYeon]. This robe is for royalty as can be assured by the intricate high-quality of gold embossing and the type of symbols employed.

Clusters of grapes are symbols of fertility beside a character of buddha-like figure with a staff which exemplifies wisdom.

This belt is for the one-year-old baby. The butterflies are symbols of fertility, the red and blue colors are the balancing of yin and yang, the five balls are for five happinesses, and each ball having five grains inside which make wishes for blessings. [This is much like the propitious grain offering at Sajikdan at which offerings for prosperity of the nation and fruitfulness of the earth are prayed in hopes of the bestowal of heavenly blessings in the upcoming year.]

the five balls wishing for five happinesses

This is the seal of the emperor of the Daehan Empire, before royalty ceased to rule in the Korean peninsula.

금박의 순서 - Working Process

• 도안 - design (first, a design is imagined)
• 금박판 조각하기 - carving (the woodblocks for the design are carved)
• 금박풀 만둘기 - making fish-based (mina) glue to adhere gold leaf (preparing dried mina cartilage, boiling it and squeezing out the cartilage to make a very sticky glue - used also in traditional bow construction)

금박믄양 올리기 - Sticking on the Gold Leaf Pattern 

• 금박풀 칠하기 및 찍기 - brushing glue on the woodblock and imprinting (The mina glue is brushed but not gummed on the woodblock in smooth strokes, not clogging the carved fissures; the woodblock is stamped and pressed firmly onto the cloth.)
• 금박 올리기 - sticking on the gold leaf pattern (The gold leaf is dabbed on the glue imprint and quickly and repeatedly tapped with the fingers - through repetition the gold leaf adheres to the cloth and the excess is flaked up through the repetition.)
• 건조 - drying (the cloth with mina glue is hung to dry)
• 뒷손질 - later adjustments (taking a tissue or soft smooth cloth and lightly wiping back and forth picks up the non-glued areas of gold leaf; a fine needle or point can lift excess leafing or clean up rough edges.)

Chosin Reservoir and the Hungnam Evacuation

Andrew Salmon gives commentary through the new exhibit at the National Museum of Contemporary History, located conveniently next to the US Embassy in Gwanghwamun. The exhibit is on the Hungnam Evacuation of December 1950.

December 1951. The Korean War appears to be over. Communist troops have disappeared. As a Siberian cold front descends over the freezing battlescape of North Korea, UN troops mass for their final "Home for Christmas" offensive. In fact, only the ones who will be "home for Christmas" will arrive in body bags ... for the unknowing troops are, in fact, advancing into the greatest ambush of the 20th century. 

In Korea's worst terrain -- around a frozen highland reservoir named "Chosin" -- the UK's 41 Commando, embedded with US 1st Marine Division finds itself surrounded by eight Chinese divisions. Their mission: to annihilate the marines "like snakes in their own homes". What follows is now legend: a harrowing breakout in a battlescape higher than Cassino and as cold as Stalingrad, that carves a path through the enemy ranks; a "scorch earth" retreat that devastates the land; and the winter evacuation from Hungnam into the freezing waters of the north Pacific (recently captured, quite accurately, in the hit film "Ode to My Father"). 

In the Royal Asiatic Society / National Museum of Contemporary History joint event, Andrew Salmon will give background as well as run "Green Beret, White Hell" a presentation covering the role of 41 Commando, Royal Marines, in the eye of the hurricane. 

Events covered (and he swears he's not making it up) will include:

• The 9-1 battle in "Hellfire Valley"

• The "Cairn of Corpses" at Hagaru

• The "White Star of Koto-ri"

• The "Bridge of Bodies" at the Funchillin Pass

• The "Ship of Miracles" 

• The greatest man-made explosion since Nagasaki

all pictures provided by Andrew Salmon

Carving an Artist Mood Seal

Henry Li of Blue Heron Arts really inspires me. A friend who does intense calligraphy introduced me to his web site as a supply store, but Henry has much more than supplies. He has an online calligraphy-Chinese-style painting course, hosts painting seminar programs at his own home, does custom seal carving and just exudes talent and passion in his art. He also has many YouTube videos on how to paint, the process for custom carving his seals, and more. Basically, the man is an inspiration! 

I ordered some brushes from him, especially my experience with calligraphy style painting is limited and Henry gives detail on how to use each of the brushes he markets. On his web site Henry explains the function of each brush and has application video clips so that the customer can clearly see the value of each brush or even each kind of artist paper. I went all over his web site just looking and soaking up information. What really caught my attention most, however, was one of his pre-carved seals. (Am writing this a couple months later) It seems to be either out of stock or no longer an order option now, but the message was powerful—something like, “the overflowing of creativity” or “creativity without one boundary”. I loved it and I wanted it!

But because I’m in Korea where there are tons and tons of Chinese calligraphers who do traditional seal carving, I took the four-character Chinese expression and went to Insa-dong to have my seal of choice done by a local, who I could watch and talk with during the whole process. Korea has a hot trend of seal-carving, but the popular seals for foreigners and young people are not for professional use, just something to have that are cutesy. I wanted a professional one though.

Some of these are really clever. I especially like the pair of cats in the yang style.
To carve in yang, the background is carved out leaving the characters or pictures in bas relief - a much more time-consuming method than carving in the yin style.

All of these are done in the yin style of carving, the easiest style.
To carve in yin, just the characters or pictures are carved out.

After checking out the many booths for the silly seals, I started popping my head in at calligraphy brush shops (and there are several). Finally, I found a guy who was friendly, reasonable, and very important, was willing to interact in Korean and a smidgeon of English on the seal carving process. He liked my interest; I liked his style. Harmony was created and he carved my seal.

Because my mood seal was about creativity overflowing, I didn't want to have a typical shape (rectangular, square or, less commonly, round) or a typical material (jade - too expensive anyway - or soap stone). I browsed through the large selection of blank seals/chops and selected two cut stones—both had tapered oval faces. I gave them to the carver but my favorite stone had an area in the face that was too hard to carve. The other one was a bit smaller so I wasn't sure he could carve all four Chinese characters in its face. He looked it over, did a quick practice-write on paper, and said it was possible.

He then prepped the face of the stone by grinding it across 120 grain sandpaper and then briefly across 300 grain sandpaper to make it satiny smooth.

To write the character, he consulted a calligrapher's book which seemed to tell how to stylize the characters—drawing characters like people write is not the goal of the professional carver —and I think the book also guided him on how to write the character in mirror image so it could be readable when stamped.

With the stone dust wiped off, he dipped the face in a gummy solution similar to rubber cement, which became the medium for writing the pattern to be carved and making the pattern viewable.

Once the pattern has been written (and revised if necessary) it is ready to be carved. This rubber cement mixture and all scratchings on it do not affect the actual stone in any way. And if a mistake is made, when writing with a felt-tipped brush over the scratchings, an alcohol solution can erase the mistakes, or, in worse case scenarios, the rubber cement mask can be peeled off and the prep marks can be done again.

The stone, to protect it in the hard-wood clamp, is wrapped in toilet paper. It prevents any fine scratching to the stone and gives the clamp a better grip, especially as my selected stone was so irregular in shape.

Once the stone has been carved, it is wiped free of stone dust and then vigorously tapped in the seal paste. My carver tested it two or three times and then did some fine-tuning carving to ensure that all the details were clearly visible. When he was satisfied with the results, he stamped out the newly created seal pattern on his professional paper and asked for my approval. If I hadn't liked something, I could have asked for more minor revisions but I was very happy.

He then selected a small padded seal case and tucked in the seal to protect it. And he gave me the stamp print of my seal in a folder. Not sure but this could be for "legal" purposes to state that this seal is mine and I have a printed copy for my file to prove in case someone counterfeits it.

Also, not pictured, but after he was finished carving my seal he asked if I was left- or right-handed. I'm right-handed so he took the seal and carved the season (one of the 12 traditional seasons—spring, summer, fall, winter, and each are divided into three sub-seasons) on the area where my right thumb would be positioned while stamping. The season told the mood in which it was carved, and the position of thumb-carving is for easily picking up a seal and not painstakingly figuring out which is top or bottom but to confidently and accurately stamp an artwork each time.

Just a few days after getting this seal carved I was wandering with a couple of friends in the 서울풍물시장—Sinseoldong station, exit 9—and saw calligraphy brushes and a calligraphy set, and at very reasonable market price! Now I'm ready to use my overflowing-of-creativity!

various brushes, a calligraphy paper weight (sandstone), inkstone and ink, a water dripper, three uncarved seals/chops, and bamboo holder for transporting brushes (even damp brushes) so that they remain aerated and mold free.
And yes, that is a 1.5 kilogram chunk of turquoise. Why not create a great mood while painting!

My heart's joy!