Korean Court and Temple Foods

Royal food, which also reflects
the rules of the universe

KOREAN FOOD (Court and Temple)

Korea, a country that boasts 5,000 years of history, was ruled by royal dynasties. During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1920), in particular, an elegant and colorful culinary culture sprouted from the court. Today royal cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty is prized as the exquisite embodiment of a style and philosophy unique to Korean cuisine that has been designated as an important intangible cultural heritage.

FOODS REFLECTING THE RULES OF THE UNIVERSE

Korean royal cuisine developed around the traditional philosophy of eumyang ohaeng - the yin and yang forces, and the five elements of the universe. The universe can be described as the balanced co-existence of a cold and dark energy, and a warm and bright energy along with a harmonized combination of tree, fire, earth, metal and water.

Cold kimchi is complemented by hot gum (soup); meat is balanced with vegetables; products from the mountains form a parallel with products from the sea; and foods are carefully selected to include the five cardinal colors (obangsaek), in which green represents trees, red represents fire, yellow represents earth, white represents metal, and black represents water.

HEALING FOODS

One of the philosophical grounds for cuisine is yaksikdongwon, meaning food and medicine are of the same root. This philosophy was the foundation of royal cuisine during the Joseon Dynasty. “Jewel in the Palace” (aka “Dae Jang Geum”) - globally celebrated Korean drama dealing with Korean royal cuisine - well portrays this aspect. The heroine Jang-geum immerses herself in creating food that enhances health, and finding ways to cure the ill through food. In one of the episodes, Jang-geum finds out the Chinese ambassador to Joseon has diabetes and prepares for him vegetable-based dishes that are good for diabetics.

Goldongban (traditional bibimbap of the royal court)

FOODS PRESENTED TO THE KING

During the Joseon Dynasty, specialties indigenous to different regions and the first harvests of the seasons were presented to the king as offerings. These offerings included rice from Yeoju and Icheon, gochujang from Sunchang, abalone from Wando, tangerines from Jejudo, honey from Inje, oysters from Seosan, dried persimmon from Sangju, and crab from Yeongdeok and Uljin. Breakfast and dinner prepared for the king was called surasang, which was a 12-cheop (dish) table consisting of 12 different dishes in addition to bap (rice), guk (soup), kimchi, jang (condiments), jjigae (stew), jeongeol (casserole cooked on the table), and jjim (a braised dish). Through the foods set on the table, the king was able to see whether his subjects were having a bumper year or a lean year.

FOOD MADE FOR BOTH CULINARY & AESTHETIC APPRECIATION

Deformed and damaged vegetables and fish could not be used for the king’s meal. Only the best of ingredients could be included in accordance with the belief that it helped the king stay clear and right-minded. The chefs of the court carefully selected ingredients that were aesthetically representative and included only the most palatable parts to ensure the best flavors and presentation. Royal cuisine avoided the use of overly salty, pungent, and strong-smelling ingredients and spices. Instead, it focused on boosting and highlighting the flavor unique to each ingredient.

TEMPLE FOODS: AN APPRECIATION FOR ALL LIVING THINGS

Korean temple food has been prepared and consume fro more than 1,700 years. To a Buddhist monk, eating is more than enjoying good taste and nutrition; it is also a process of seeking the truth. Today, temple food is gaining renewed attention for being as close to nature as possible, and for reminding people of the essence of life.

THE AVOIDANCE OF MEAT AND THE FIVE SPICES

Korean temple food is distinguished by the philosophy that all living things depend on each other for existence. Non-vegetarain ingredients such as meat, fish, chicken, and eggs are prohibited. Also banned are osinchae, which are five spicy and pungent vegetables - green onions, garlic, chives, wild chives, and heunggeo (Scilla scilloides) - the stimulating flavors considered to interfere with Buddhist practices.

A NATURE-FRIENDLY AND HEALTHY DIET

Temple foods are often known for what they lack: not only meat and osinchae but also artificial condiments. Fresh seasonal vegetables, grains, beans, and a variety of fermented foods like kimchi, sauces, and seasonings are the staples of temple foods, all of which are a great source of quality protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and medicinal properties. Used in place of osinchae are mild-tasting seasonings like mushroom powder, kelp powder, sanchae (Xanthoxylum piperitum) powder, perilla seed powder, and fresh bean powder.

THE SIMPLE YET RICH TASTE OF NATURE

Due to the Buddhist inclination to eat seasonal vegetables and grains as close to the natural form as possible, temple cuisine has relied on basic cooking techniques that are simple and not greasy such as seasoning, steaming, roasting, picking and wrapping. Only one or two condiments are used to enhance flavors. The resulting dishes are simple and light, bringing out the natural flavor of the ingredients. The simple-tasting and low-calorie cuisine made of 100% vegetarian ingredients has come to represent a nature-friendly and healthy diet. 

BARU BONGYANG

Baru gongyang (literally, "wooden bowl" + "offering") is the communal meal tradition of Buddhist monks originating from the asceticism of Sakhamuni Buddha 2,500 years ago. This ritual meal begins with an expression of appreciation to everyone involved in the making of the food. Then, rice, soup, side dishes, and water are placed in one of four baru bowls. Gongyang means eating, and is the assertion of determination to find the truth and practice it in life; thus, the term signifies that eating is also a part of the Buddhist discipline.

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SOURCE: e-book “Hansik” on the Visit Korea webpage.

Esther Park, First Female Medical Doctor in Korea

Kim Jeom-dong (Esther Park), 1879-1910, Paving the Way for Women

Today, it is natural to see a doctor when we are sick, like when we catch a cold. Until 100 years ago, however, when Western medicine was first introduced to Korea, Western doctors were considered scary people who wielded injection needles and knives. 

For women, the situation was even worse. Women patients could hardly let male doctors feel their pulse for diagnosis, and they would never show the ailing parts of their body due to a strict separation of the sexes fixed in Confucian orthodoxy. When women fell sick, they would simply perform shamanic exorcism several times, only to die. 

In those days, there was a medical doctor who was devoted to women patients. Her name was Kim Jeom-dong, the first female practitioner of Western medicine in Korea. 

Ewha Student Kim Jeom-dong Dreams of Becoming a Doctor 

Born in 1879 in Jeong-dong, Seoul, Kim Jeom-dong entered Ewha School, the first modern educational institution for Korean women, in November 1886. 

She was the youngest of four daughters in a poor family. But she became the fourth student at the school, thanks to her father who had been exposed to Western ideas earlier while working for American missionary Henry Gerhard Appenzeller. In school, she quickly mastered various subjects, including the Korean [English?] language, arithmetic, the Bible and Chinese classics. 

Kim was particularly good at English. Her outstanding language skills led to an encounter with Rosetta Sherwood Hall, an American doctor who came to Korea for medical service missions. Mary Fletcher Benton Scranton, then-principal of Ewha School, introduced Kim to Hall as an interpreter so Hall could better communicate with Korean people while engaging in medical activities. That was how Kim was first exposed to Western medicine. At first, she wasn’t interested in medical work very much and only carried out her duties faithfully as an interpreter. But her life completely changed after she witnessed Hall successfully performing an operation on a patient with a harelip, leaving no scars at all. 

At the time, harelip was known as an incurable disease. But the surgery changed the life of a girl who would otherwise live uncomfortably for her entire lifetime. Deeply impressed, Kim made up her mind to learn medicine and help people suffering from diseases. 

From Kim Jeom-dong to Esther Park 

Hall welcomed Kim’s decision. She helped her study medicine and also introduced a man to her. He was Park Yu-san, a Korean man who helped Hall’s husband with his missionary work and medical activities. The missionary couple arranged a marriage between Kim and Park, and they held Korea’s first Western-style wedding ceremony in a church in 1893. 

From then on, Kim began to call herself Esther Park, after her Christian name and her husband’s surname. The following year, Esther and her husband left for the U.S. to study, following Rosetta Sherwood Hall who was returning home after her husband died. Esther stood out in high school in the U.S. and became the youngest student to enter Baltimore Women’s Medical College.

Her husband, who recognized her talent and hoped that she would become a doctor, supported her while working at a farm in New York. Unfortunately, he did not survive to see his wife become a doctor, as he died of tuberculosis in the U.S., six months before Esther graduated from college. 

In Esther Park's time treatments of illnesses were often based on superstition rather than scientific fact.

Fighting God, Fighting Diseases 

Esther earned her M.D. in June 1900, becoming the first Korean woman to receive a degree in Western medicine. Remembering her husband’s last wish that she should become a doctor, she returned to Korea and began to work at Bogu Yeogwan, the forerunner of today’s Ewha Womans University Medical Center, Korea’s first hospital for women, located near Dongdaemun. The hospital was named by King Gojong. For the first ten months, she took care of some 3,000 patients. 

Female doctor Esther Park was the only hope for women patients who couldn’t get proper treatment, as they weren’t allowed to show their bodies to male doctors. She went everywhere in the country, as long as there were women patients waiting for her. She moved to Pyongyang in 1901 when Rosetta Sherwood Hall came back to Korea and established a hospital there. Esther traveled across Hwanghae and Pyongan Provinces to offer free medical services to women who couldn’t benefit from medical care due to their remoteness. In recognition of her service, King Gojong presented a silver medal to her. 

While she was enthusiastic about her medical volunteer work, one thing was missing in her life. She was so busy looking after patients that she didn’t take care of herself very well. She died of tuberculosis, just like her husband, in 1910 at the age of 33. 

Esther Park was like a ray of sunshine in those days when there wasn’t any female medical staff whatsoever. At the time, it was hard for women even to attend school. But Esther went to the U.S. to study and after returning home, she devoted her life to medical services and social work. It would be fair to say she is called the female Schweitzer of Korea. Her spirit and achievements were reevaluated by the later generations, and she was inscribed at the Korea Science and Technology Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Esther Park Award was established in 2008 by the alumnae committee of Ewha School of Medicine to commemorate Park’s achievements and award Ewha alumnae who carry on the legacy of Park as women doctors and scientists. 

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References:

• PowerPoint slides by Min Seong Jin, student at Korea University 

• Article by KBS World Radio - "Kim Jeom-dong, the First Female Medical Doctor in Korea"

• Article by Katelynjun@ehwain.net, Ehwa Voice, in her online article "First Korean Female Doctor and Scientist, Esther Park"

Sujok: Fist/Foot Accupressure Therapy

Fingers Can Reveal Your Health – Sujok Therapy for Preventing Certain Diseases

Posted by Ivan Andreevski on January 23, 2015 Fingers Can Reveal Your Health – Prevent Certain Diseases Just in Time with Su-Jok Therapy 2015-01-24 19:14:41 under General, Health, Healthy & Natural Life, Recipes

When the modern era came it changed many things, and one of them is the approach to human’s body and health. So, we are no longer able to notice the early signs of a certain disease anymore.

The only thing we can do is visit our doctor, do the lab test and wait for the diagnosis. But, since ancient times Ayurvedic medicine nurtured a holistic approach to body and health. According to the Ayurvedic medicine, our body is a complete system that has many different methods to warn and defend us from different diseases, especially severe ones that occur when we ignore all previous warnings. 

Every single human being has the ability to come to some conclusions by listening to their bodies. Simple examples are, when we can notice the smell of gases, urine, sweat and faeces we release and which leads us to the conclusion that our bodies are overloaded with toxins. These natural things can be felt and sensed by every human being.

In order for us to start with the application, there are alternative methods of treatment and diagnosis that do not require much knowledge. Su Jok (Su Jok – Korean: fist + foot) acupressure is one of them. Similar to Ayurvedic medicine or traditional Chinese acupuncture, this method is based on learning about the meridians of energy, connected with our bodies.

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The YouTube link "Full Treatment with Sujok and Therapy" (10:28) gives a pretty good idea how sujok is used for diagnostic as well as healing purposes.

Korean Temple Food Culture Experience Center

Near Anguk Station (line 3) is the Korean Temple Food Culture Experience Center. On weekends special cooking classes are offered, but for those who don't have time to sign up or are unfortunate in signing up too late for the limited 20-person participation per event, then just popping into the center to see the spectacular food display is educational in itself!

The food is displayed by seasonal foods and festive event foods. However, it's important to say that Korean Buddhist food is (1) based on the whole and nature food concepts valued in current society (making it very popular), (2) it's based on vegetarianism and the concept of living in harmony with the animal world and not having a hierarchical food chain, and (3) it has limitations on five foods (onions, garlic, chives, green onions and leeks) that excite the senses and affect those in the early stages of cultivation.

Natural food ingredients:

• Soy sauce, soybean paste, red pepper paste, and salt are often used to create the salty taste of temple food. 
• Honey, brown sugar, white sugar, and starch syrup are used for sweetness. 
• Spicy flavors are provided by ginger, red pepper powder, red peppers, green peppers, piperitum leaves or powders, and occasionally black pepper and mustard. 
• Some of the condiments used include: vinegar for the sour taste; sesame seeds, perilla seeds, sesame oil, perilla oil, and soybean oil for savoriness. 
• Kelp, shitake mushrooms, dried Cedrela sinensis branches, and white radish are flavor enhancers. 
• Chinese pepper, bang-a (Korean mint), and perilla seeds improve and balance flavors.

Three Merits and Six Tastes:

Traditionally temple food should have three merits and six tastes. The three merits are: purity (referring to cleanliness and freshness of ingredients), flexibility (from the tenderness of food); compliment tastes of all ingredients used.

The six tastes are: saltiness, sourness, sweetness, bitterness, spiciness, and astringency, all of which must be in harmony.

However, the tastes and aromas of temple food are unavoidably limited, as the usage of meat and the five pungent vegetables (onion and onion family) are prohibited. Buddhist monks and nuns have overcome this challenge by developing a variety of natural seasonings and spices. These natural seasonings and recipes created in each temple, and passed down orally, have resulted in the establishment of a unique culinary tradition.

NEW YEAR'S EVE:
braised shitake mushroom with white radish
yaksik
seasoned white radish
kimchi dumplings
japchae

On New Year's Eve, all-night prayer and practice, courageous waking meditative practice, or a Dharma assembly marking the New Year are commonly held at Buddhist temples --- though events vary by temple. On this special day, yaksik (literally "medicinal food") or sweet rice with nuts and jujubes, dumplings, assorted side dishes made of white radish, and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables) are enjoyed.

SEOLAL (LUNAR NEW YEAR'S DAY):
Monastics at mountain hermitages prepare and exchange offerings to each other. Dumplings, rice cakes, and gangjeong (deep-fried rice puff) are commonly shared. Samja (deep-fried sweet rice cookies) and gangjeong are made by frying glutinous rice dough in boiling oil

SPRING:
deep-fried assorted mushrooms with sweet and spice sauce
stir-fried noodles and spring vegetables
temple-style vegetarian dumplings
cherry tomatoes pickled in Korean raspberry marmalade
gardenia fruit rice
shepherd's purse soybean paste stew

SPRING:
stir-fried glass noodles and bamboo shoots
seasoned Kalopanax sprouts
fried dried ???
braised banga (Korean mint) leaves
Fischers ragwort Kimchi
mugwort rice
shepherd's purse and bean sprout soup

BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY:
water parsley ganghoe
glutinous rice cakes
parched beans
shredded white radish
water parsley bibimbap
spinach soybean paste soup

On Buddha's birthday, songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes), black beans, water parsley, and seasoned vegetables were often prepared to welcome temple visitors, as the eighth day of the fourth lunar month was a widely celebrated folk holiday even outside of Buddhist communities. Bibimbap, water parsley ganghoe, and roasted beans are also offered to visitors at Buddhist temples on Buddha's birthday.

SUMMER: 
Fresh ginseng and vegetables rolled with sliced zucchini
stir-fried sliced potatoes with perilla seeds
stuffed summer squash
sichuan pepper leaf and young summer radish kimchi
steamed butterbur with perilla seeds
green tea leaf rice
soybean paste sauce

SUMMER:
stir-fried dried acorn jelly
potato porridge
chilled ginger and eggplant salad
seasoned Korean melon
pickled radish
seasoned thistle with rice
butterbur perilla seed soup

SAMBOK (the hottest period of summer):
watermelon dipped in soybean paste
lettuce kimchi
zucchini pancakes
lotus flower tea
piperitum jangajji
noodles in cold soybean and pine nut soup

Temple monastics endure hot weather by eating cold noodles in thick soybean soup, which not only helps beat the heat, but also provides sufficient water and nutrition. Possible stomachaches arising from watermelon, another temple thirst-quencher, are avoided by slightly dipping the watermelon in soybean paste.

AUTUMN:
deep-fried ginseng
deep-fried mushroom with sweet and spicy sauce
steamed burdock
oyster mushroom and radish salad
perilla leaf chili paste pancakes
rice
mushroom and sichuan pepper leaf soup with perilla seeds

AUTUMN:
grilled burdock
lotus root and green laver pancakes
mushroom and radish dumplings
diced radish kimchi
salted seaweed
deodeok rice
taro soup

CHUSEOK (KOREAN THANKSGIVING):
three-colored songpyeon
three-color dasik (tea cookies)
sweet rice punch

Oryeo sonpyeon (half-moon rice cakes made of early-ripening rice), sweet rice punch made of newly harvested rice, and newly harvested fruits are used in Chuseok ancestral rites. At Buddhist temples, rice cakes, fruit, cinnamon punch, sweet rice punch, and tea (like the 6 offerings to the Buddha) are offered to the Buddhist altar for prayers. Mungbean pancakes and songpyeon are especially significant offerings during the Harvest Moon Festival.

WINTER:
deep-fried lotus root stuffed with tofu
whole pear stuffed with white kimchi
jujube and tofu dumplings
seasoned dried persimmon
watery seaweed salad
gulfweed and hijikia rice
dried zucchini stew

WINTER:
stir-fried mushroom and assorted vegetables with soybean paste
deep-fried neungi mushroom with sweet and spicy sauce
braised dried radish greens with soybean paste
seasoned walnut and sinchuan pepper leaf with spicy sauce
pickled radish fermented with gardenia fruit
steamed sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves
pine mushroom soup

Foods developed by various temples:

Baekyang Temple:
Cedrela pancakes
steamed tofu topped with water parsley
sedum water kimchi
stir-fried lotus root and walnuts
seasoned dried radish
shitake mushroom and tofu rice
battered aralia sprouts and bean soup

Yeongseon Temple:
stir-fried noodles and chili pepper
seasoned sliced potato
grilled perilla leaves
pickled radish
sauteed beans seasoned with sauce
rye rice
butterbur stem soybean paste stew

Unmun Temple:
seasoned radish leaves
deep-fried shepherd's purse
mugwort pancakes
seasoned day lily
seasoned whiteman's foot
peanut glutinous rice
mugwort soup

Koun Temple:
seasoned buckwheat
radish leaves seasoned with rich soybean paste
braised burdock leaves
acorn jelly
braised peanuts
rice with assorted nutritious ingredients
taro soup

Jinkweon Temple:
grilled deodeok seasoned with soy sauce
kimchi
braised tofu
pickled cedrela
prickly ash pepper soy sauce
millet rice
neungi mushroom soup

Baekheung Hermitage:
braised tofu and chestnuts
kimchi with chili pepper seeds
grilled burdock coated with sticky rice porridge
kohlrabi salad
pickled ogapi
radish rice
Chinese cabbage and bean powder soup

OTHER FOOD CULTURES:

Mugwort Gathering Day:
mandarin oranges
gimbap (seasoned rice rolls)

When traveling to nearby mountains for gathering mugwort, gimbap (seasoned rice rolls), mandarin oranges, and cucumbers (all regularly found in temple kitchens) are packed.

TONSURE DAY FOOD:
laver
tofu pancakes
cooked glutinous rice
seaweed soup

Buddhist monks and nuns take the tonsure twice each month of the lunar calendar -- on the 14th day and the second to last day of the month. They regain energy lost due to tonsure by eating cooked glutinous rice, laver, tofu pancakes, and seaweed soup.

A monk's breakfast table:
steamed tofu roots
pine nut porridge
steamed sweet potatoes

simple meals, such as porridge or steamed vegetables, are often served on a monastic's breakfast table, as a heavy breakfast could hinder spiritual studies.

Raw food:
Eminent Buddhist monks traditionally ate a variety of raw foods when engaged in intensive meditation or during waking meditative practice. Non-glutinous rice and glutinous rice are soaked in water a day prior to serving so that they may be easily chewed. Iron is received from pine needle powder, heat from honey and jujubes, energy from Chinese matrimony vines, protein from black beans, and carbohydrates and fiber from chestnuts ... thus all essential nutrients are provided.

Good foods for fighting colds:
bonnet bellflower root jangajji
white radish jangajji
stir-fried radish greens
kimchi and bean sprouts porridge
neungi mushroom soup

Neungi mushroom soup, and kimchi and bean sprout porridge are good for preventing or fighting colds as they help raise body temperature.

Donguibogam Village: Gi Energy Rocks

The Donguibogam Village in Sancheong, Gyeongsangnam-do, was built in 2013 after the Donguibogam, the old 25-volume compilation of health and medical treatment, was recognized by UNESCO in 2009. The layout of the very wide "village" is divided into areas -- a kiddy area, a health and healing area, and a tiny village accommodation area with healing facilities like steam bath. 

Near the entrance to the complex. The turtle is a symbol of longevity in Korea, and a golden turtle (modern concept I think) symbolizes great wealth, value, preciousness.

A massive copy of the Donguibogam (published Western-book-style) at the entrance to the extensive grounds.

Because the Donguibogam is recognized by UNESCO, suddenly the value of the text skyrocketed! 

If I were to have a favorite person in history, it would be the court physician Heo Jun (1539-1615) who was in charge of compiling the Donguibogam, literally "Mirror of Eastern Medicine". Between the first and second Japanese invasions of the late 1500s, Heo Jun was appointed as writer of the text to guide people on the principles of health prevention and intervention, and for the next 14 years he labored on the compilation, which was finally completed in 1610 and published in 1613.

"Basking in Samseok (Three Rock) Energy"

I'm fascinated with the physician Heo Jun, and even visited the museum in Seoul dedicated to him, but actually the big attraction in visiting the Donguibogam Village was because I saw a picture of the turtle rock, the second of three rocks that are said to transmit energy to those who petition the rock(s). The turtle rock reminded me of the petroglyphs of Ulsan so I ardently wanted to come, see and learn about it, not realizing that it was (1) one of three powerful rocks for conveying energy, but (2) it is ultra modern and therefore not steeped in old tradition and gi powers.

The sign beside the "turtle rock" or Gwigamseok gave a light translation of the purpose for the gi-giving rocks -- see quotes below.

First rock: Restoring Health Seok Gyeong (Stone Mirror)

"Seok Gyeong (Stone Mirror) allows one to look directly into one's being. That is why it is believed that looking into the stone mirror takes away negative energy and restores a sense of balance. For instance, the culture and tour guide of Sancheong-gun said his sore back began to feel better when he started to visit Seok Gyeong frequently for his work. So why not pay a visit to Seok Gyeong, whether for a cure or for relaxation?"

A very impressive stone!

To gain gi-benefits from this rock, a person must stand in the recessed area and press hands flat and forehead against symbols or a stone. Technically, looking to the side breaks the flow of energy ... ...

More information and testimony about the rock.

Second rock: The Stone of Guigam aka the Stone Engraved with Virtuous Letters

"On May 2009, the Korea Tourism Organization organized a visit to Sancheong to take in the positive energy emanating from the Samseok (Three Stones) erected in Donguibogam Village. KTO President Lee also went along as a guest. Back then Lee had no connections with the organization but not for long -- he was recommended as president soon afterwards. Hundreds will testify that the rock's energy helped them get a new job, pass a test, or fulfill whatever wish they had made. In fact, many people visit the rock, either to make a wish or to express their thanks. [Lee Charm, President of the Korean Tourism Organization et al, (Gwigamseok, Stone Engraved with Virtuous Letters)]"

Gi is the life-force and the energy of vitality. In the central part of the Gwigamseok,
gi is believed to gather at the central hole and surge out.

To press one's whole body against the gi-giving stone is to absorb more of the energy emanating from the rock.

These ladies, after standing with their bodies and hands pressed against the rock for a few minutes, busily checked their energy level by making circulation circles with their middle fingers and thumbs while the friend would try to break the middle-finger-thumb connection. The ladies seemed quite proud that they had more strength after pressing themselves against the rock.

Even a little girl had a go at getting energy, after watching her elders make petitions against the rock.

Third rock: Overcoming Infertility with Positivity (Bokseokjeong, a Dish for Happiness)

"A lot of the stories involving Samseok's miracles involve blessings of childbirth. There was a civil servant working in Busan who had had no children in seven years of marriage. However, just one week after he was dispatched to Sancheong to prepare the World Traditional Medicine Fair and Festival, his wife was found to be with child. Another woman who had been infertile for ten years had a child after visiting the Samseok (Seokgyeong, Gwigamseok, and Bokseokjeong). There are many other such cases that attest to the vital energy surrounding those rocks."

Samseok: Real or Pseudo-science?

So after I posted pictures on the Samseok in the Donguibogam Village on Facebook, a brilliant friend and Korean history scholar Jihoon Suk hit my blog and called the village a pseudo-scientific hall of fame. His exact quote: 

"For me, the whole 동의보감촌 complex is nothing more than a massive pseudo-scientific hall of fame - but just a stroll of the place is at least pleasureable enough - placebo or not... 

There is no history in this complex. The entire complex was built out of a thin air in 2010 after the tremendously popular MBC TV drama, "허준", transformed the 산청군 area into a holy site of the so-called "Korean traditional medicine". Naturally, everything you see in this complex is less than 7 years old.

This particular stone [Seok Gyeong, stone mirror], probably one of the inspirations of this modern sculpture, is just a modern creation - the design is based on Korean bronze age mirrors found in archeological dig but added more modern elements...."

Korean bronze age mirror

I felt gypped after reading Jihoon's comments and said I went to the village mostly to see the Gwigamseok, which I thought was one of the most authentic parts of the complex. Jihoon's immediate response was:

"Unfortunately not [the most authentic part of the complex]. And looks like 동의보감촌 people don't say a word about its true origin to the visitors. Not many people would give a try to these "medicinal" stones if they know these things are less than 10 year old!"

I asked what clued him in about their lack of authenticity, and Jihoon replied, "I don't want to brag about myself but I do know about practically every cultural heritage sites in this country by heart, and I never have heard about this place before. The whole thing certainly wasn't there when I made a visit to the area in 2008."

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For those interested in pursuing the pseudo-science complex (even if there's no gi in them, the stones really are quite impressive!)

Set out on a Healing tour to the Donguibogam Village - (the only web site you need b/c everything is linked from here!) - http://korea.stripes.com/travel/set-out-healing-tour-donguibogam-village