UNSRC Korean Cultural Society

KOREA TIMES
03-17-2009 18:59

This photo released by the National Palace Museum of Korea shows the turtle-shaped seal that has been proven to be the official seal used by King Gojong, the 26th king of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). / Courtesy of National Palace Museum of Korea

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

A seal used by King Gojong ― the 26th king of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) ― for official duties has been proven to be authentic, according to the National Palace Museum of Korea and Cultural Heritage Administration.

The museum acquired King Gojong’s turtle-shaped seal last December from a Korean collector in the United States. For three months, the seal has been undergoing careful examination and analysis to establish its authenticity.

Officials said this is the first time an original seal used by a Joseon king has been discovered. The National Palace Museum has three royal seals, or “eobo,” which were used for protocol purposes. This one, however, has characters that read the ”king’s official seal.” There are plans for the government to declare the seal a national treasure.

The seal, made of gold and silver, will be shown to the public in an exhibition, the exact date of which is yet to be announced. Previous exhibitions have featured only replicas of Joseon Kingdom seals.

“As shown in past letters sent to the kings of Germany, Italy, Russia and France, King Gojong used two seals for his correspondence abroad. We have obtained one of the seals, which will be shown to the public soon,” museum and cultural heritage officials said, in a joint statement.

Officials believe the seal was made between 1901 and 1903 and was used in a letter sent to Italy’s king in 1903, a turbulent time in Korean history ahead of Japan’s annexation of the country (1910-1945).

The Joseon kings used seals to sign official documents, letters and other correspondence. None of the original seals had been found until the discovery of King Gojong’s. They were believed to have been destroyed by the Japanese authorities at the start of the occupation of Korea.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

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KOREA TIMES
 03-17-2009 17:42

Language Barrier Hobbles Foreigners

By Jane Han
Staff Reporter

Joseph Landau, an American IT specialist who’s been in Seoul for less than six months, remembers little skiing from his recent trip to Daemyung Resort. That’s because guessing the tricky local roads, relying on body language for communication and getting stuck in a five-hour-long traffic jam on the way back home ended up leaving a stronger impression on the first-time traveler in Korea than the silver slopes.

“I couldn’t be happier when I walked through my house door,” said Landau, who took a weekend trip with his family to the resort about 50 miles east of Seoul in January. “It was like returning to a familiar world again.”

Being relatively new here with almost no understanding of the Korean language yet, he said traveling outside of Seoul was a challenge and adventure.

“Getting around downtown districts are fine. I have almost no problem,” said Landau. “But exploring areas outside of my everyday destinations is a whole different story, mainly because of the language barrier and lack of signage.”

The U.S. expatriate apparently isn’t the only one struggling with these problems, however, as the Korea Chamber of Commerce Industry (KCCI) said Tuesday that 35 percent of foreigners living here feel the same way.

The business lobby group surveyed 100 foreign business executives and found that 35 percent of them felt unpleasantly or troubled while traveling on the peninsula.

Language barriers turned out to be their biggest difficulty as nearly 27 percent pointed out the problem, while other said traffic congestion (20 percent), lack of signs (18 percent), high costs (17 percent) and poor services (12 percent) hobbled them the most.

“Many of these problems have been around for a long time. There have been repeated efforts to improve the situation, but they haven’t been effective,” said David Mason, a professor of Korean Tourism at Kyung Hee University, who singled out inconsistent signs as needing urgent improvement.

“Ticket offices for buses, train and booths at various facilities need to provide accurate information in English and other languages,” said Mason, who has lived in Korea for 20 years. “I read Hangul and even I often find the writing confusing.”

He stressed that local variety is excellent in food, drinks and cultural events, but one consistent system is necessary when it comes to putting up signs.

“There are too many local varieties. We need one national system,” said Mason, an avid local traveler who has been everywhere from Mts. Jiri and Taebaek to 1,500 Buddhist temples countrywide.

Michael Conforme, president and CEO of managing consulting firm GCT, agreed, saying that improvements need to made, particularly on local roads connecting to the main highways.

“For a true adventurer who wants to get off the beaten path, finding the way around sign-less roads can be too tricky,” he said.

Aside from the insufficient road signs, Les Edwards, the managing partner of advertising firm Lee & DDB, addressed the need for more reliable accommodation in provincial areas.

“It’s important to have good, clean and affordable three-star hotels throughout the country, where a guest can expect to find Western style content like a bed and a coffee maker,” said Edwards, who has lived in Seoul for more than a decade.

He said the country offers plenty of things to do at reasonable prices, so bettering travelers’ convenience would help drum up the tourism industry.

The KCCI poll showed that 51 percent of respondents highlighted cultural sites as their most frequented tourism destination, followed by popular cities like Jeju and Gyeongju (35 percent), and golf course and theme parks (7 percent).

Sixty-eight percent of the foreigners said they would return to Korea for travel, while 26 percent weren’t sure and 6 percent said they wouldn’t.

jhan@koreatimes.co.kr

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