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JoongAng Daily

Phoenix Park is popular by day, but it also offers night skiing. The resort has 21 ski slopes and a sledding hill. The longest run, Sparrow Course, stretches 2.4 kilometers. Provided by the resort

The snow has started to fall in Korea, which means one thing for those who revel in powder: Ski season is back. Soaring down mountain slopes is the classic winter thrill, as athletes and amateurs flock to resorts covered in silvery snow. With the first snowfall of the year coming to Gangwon Province in early November this year, ski resorts in the region are now fully open for the season.

This winter is expected to be cold with lots of snow, so resorts that struggled last year due to unusually high temperatures and a shortage of the white stuff are working overtime to make up for it in 2009, with pop concerts, nighttime skiing and gift packages to attract tourists, especially those from Southeast Asia, which represents a growing market.

After two failed attempts to host the Winter Olympics, Korea is making its third bid by gunning for the 2018 Winter Games, and locals are as passionate about the season’s sports as ever.

The history of skiing in Korea goes back some 70 years to the Hamgyong provinces in what is now North Korea. The sport became popular with the opening of the Alps Resort in Ganseong-eup, Goseong County, Gangwon Province, in the early 1970s. Currently, there are 16 ski resorts in South Korea, with the number of fans of skiing and snowboarding rising annually.

Those craving a world-class experience should try Yongpyong Ski Resort in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province, which is once again trying to host the Winter Olympic Games. Nearby Phoenix Park ski resort is known for its spectacular scenery. You can reach High1 Resort in Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province by train, and if you want to stay closer to Seoul then Konjiam Resort in Gwangju County, Gyeonggi Province is the way to go.

By Kim Se-joon Contributing writer [estyle@joongang.co.kr]

High1 Resort

(www.high1.co.kr)
High1 Resort offers 20 slopes of various levels, from beginner runs to two slopes certified to hold international competitions by the International Ski Federation. The 4.2-kilometer (2.6-mile) Zeus Course connecting Valley Top, Valley Hub and Valley Condo is designated for novice skiers so that they can learn the sport safely. The three, eight-person gondolas can transport large groups quickly.

This year, High1 Resort is introducing a special promotion exclusively for female skiers called “Women’s Paradise,” which includes special entertainment, events and food just for ladies. This strategy is part of High1’s attempt to become the hottest resort in town.

A D-10 season pass allows unlimited entry throughout the ski season, and it’s 50 percent off for women - just 175,000 won ($152). Staff members dress up and entertain skiers waiting to board the gondolas with magic shows, pop quiz games and raffles. High1 is also the only ski resort in Korea that can be reached by train. Exclusive service for skiers operates to Gohan Station from Seoul Station, Busan Station and Masan Station.

Yongpyong Ski Resort

(www.yongpyong.co.kr)
Korea is now in the midst of its third attempt to win the Winter Olympics, this time in 2018, and Yongpyong Resort is always the first to be featured in the presentation to International Olympic Committee member countries. Three World Cup Ski Competitions have been held here, and the resort hosted the Winter Asian Games in 1999 with great success. The country’s largest ski resort offers 23 slopes and accommodations to fit every budget, from a five-star hotel to a youth hostel.

The resort is planning several special events to celebrate its 35th anniversary. Until February 2010, 350 visitors will be selected every month to receive gifts that include skis, snowboards, season passes, free nights at one of the resort’s hotels, iPods and Nintendo game consoles. Every day, the resort picks a set of four numbers, and if those digits match the last four in your telephone number, you’ll receive a weekly lift pass, a 35,000 won value, for free.

The international standard-size half pipe located under the Silver Slope is the first one in Korea equipped with a conveyor belt for the convenience of snowboarders. The Red Slope features a mogul terrain with bumps, letting skiers try freestyle turns and jumps.

Where to eat

Pyeongchang County is notorious for its cold winters, and walleye pollack is a famous delicacy of the region. Some restaurants in Hwenggye-ri clustered near the entrance to the resort specialize in the fish, offering special dishes. Hwangtae Hoegwan (033-335-5795) is famous for its savory grilled pollack. The 10,000 won dish is accompanied by a bowl of pollack soup, a favorite winter hangover cure. Nabjak Diner (033-335-5477), located next to the Saemaeul Bank in town, is famous for its osam bulgogi, a combination barbecue platter of cuttlefish and pork belly. One portion is 7,000 won.

	right: Bibimbap is popular among foreign skiers Provided by the resort left: Hwangtaegui, a grilled pollack dish Provided by the resort

Konjiam Resort

(www.konjiamresort.co.kr)
Opened last year, Konjiam Resort is the first in Korea to limit the number of skiers on the slopes at one time. Four kilometers off the Konjiam Interchange on Jungbu Highway, the resort can be reached in 40 minutes from Gangnam District, Seoul, and skiers can come out at night on the weekdays as well. The resort has 11 slopes and a 476-room hotel with a spa and outdoor hot spring.

Konjiam’s 365 acres of slopes have a difference in elevation of 330 meters and are 100 meters wide on average, and the resort compares favorably with those of Gangwon Province. The longest slope is 1.8 kilometers. The resort removed the half pipe to accommodate novice and intermediate skiers, and there’s even a sledding hill for adults and children close to the ski school, making it more accessible to visitors.

Where to eat

At the foot of the slope, La Grotta is a popular option, featuring a restaurant and a wine cellar in a cave with 10,000 bottles. Tasting sessions go along with fine cuisine at La Grotta’s 72-seat Italian restaurant.

The creamy pasta with clams and arugula and steak grilled on a hot stone plate are popular choices. Wine selections start at 30,000 won.

Phoenix Park

(www.phoenixpark.co.kr)
Phoenix Park has 21 ski slopes and a sled slope known as Snow Village. The Mogul Course and Arial Course are internationally certified to hold freestyle ski events, and young skiers can try out new skills here.

Phoenix Park is a snowboarding mecca in Korea, featuring extreme sports facilities such as triple jump platforms as well as basic snowboarding fixtures such as rails and boxes, among others.

The 2.4-kilometer Sparrow Course, which begins at the top of Mount Taegi and reaches the base of the mountain via the Panorama Course, is the perfect choice for novice skiers to enjoy the spectacular scenery.

Last year visitors had to buy separate lift and gondola tickets, but this season combination passes are available, offering a savings of 1,000 won to 4,000 won.

Six incumbent national team skiers are on hand to teach and demonstrate their skills, and a “one point” clinic for adults and students is offered on weekends.

Where to eat

Bongpyeong in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province is the birthplace of Lee Hyo-seok, a writer well known for his short stories about his hometown, most notably “When the Buckwheat Flowers Bloom.” It’s also a great spot for some good eats.

The Hyoseok Cultural Village in Bongpyeong is 10 minutes away by car from Phoenix Park, and there are many restaurants specializing in buckwheat noodles. Jinmi Restaurant (033-335-0242) and Bongpyeong Noodles (033-335-0242) are especially famous, and they also serve buckwheat pancakes and sliced boiled pork in addition to the noodles. You can also enjoy nutty homemade tofu and soft tofu at Sanchon Soft Tofu (033-333-5661), located near the entrance to Phoenix Park.

	right: Many skiers dine at the restaurant La Grotta Provided by the resort left: Buckwheat noodles served with boiled pork Provided by the resort

News Clippings

GLOBAL POST

SEOUL, South Korea — In his bag, Park Jae Dong always carries a fine-point ink brush. The mellow, aging artist speaks in few words, preferring to communicate through Korean cartoons, or manhwa, which have gained such popularity across Asia in recent years.

When his fans approach him, he pulls out the brush — smirking, like it’s a new idea each time — and strokes little streams furiously onto cardboard, arriving at an impromptu self-caricature with his signature below. Tough work for a national icon.

But that’s good news. In recent years Korean manhwa has reached a peak in popularity. That comes as Japanese and American comics — once dominant across the world comic book market — are losing their clout, reflected in their slumping sales and re-branding to the film and video game industries.

Since 1995, Japanese manga sales have more than halved, thanks in part to an aging fanbase that’s looking for something new. Unlike Japan’s gritty post-apocalyptic mangas for teenagers, manhwas are full of realistic dramas for aging fans, touching on adult themes like domestic violence, romance and gender inequalities.

A replica of a Korean comic book store from the 1970s. (Geoffrey Cain/GlobalPost)

Enter the “Korean Wave,” the recent trend of South Korean cultural exports gaining popularity abroad. Just a few decades ago, South Korea was a poor and isolated country, ruled by a military government that stifled pop culture. But Korea’s rapid growth, political liberalization and wiring to the Internet have spurred the creation of television shows, movies and magazines that have found new markets around the world.

Last month, one publisher announced it would sell manhwa in North Africa, a first after expanding into North and South America and Europe earlier this decade.

Yet manhwa wasn’t always like this. In Park’s golden years, the art was often a political tool used by dissidents and government officials. His fame came in the 1980s for lampooning his country’s military regimes in the Hangyeore Sinmun, South Korea’s first left-leaning political newspaper. With the fall of military rule in 1993 and subsequent economic growth, Park’s art form has moved away from politics and into today’s youth tastes for entertainment.

The first manhwas were drawn in 1909 to criticize the colonial Japanese administration. But they didn’t become widespread until Park Chung Hee launched a coup d’etat in 1961 against a nine-month-old parliamentary government, imposing authoritarian rule in order to build South Korea into an industrial powerhouse. Park curtailed freedom of speech, jailing dissenters under the slightest suspicions. Life for many South Koreans meant suffering, and manhwa gave them a reason to cheer up.

Knowing this, the government encouraged publishers to create myongnang manhwa, or patriotic “cheerful comics,” according to The Korea Society, a New York-based nonprofit organization that promotes Korean culture. Publishers jumped on the bandwagon, opening presses across Seoul and distributing the comics to all audiences.

Comic-book magazines catered to children, depicting unpatriotic, mischievous characters receiving justice and mocking the leaders of North Korea. Alongside the cheerful comics, South Korea saw an influx of pirated Japanese mangas during the 1970s, adding to the popularity of comic books.

The country’s export-led growth under Park Chung Hee peaked, and in the 1970s the young, educated middle class felt the time was approaching for the political system to open up as the economy had. Thanks to manhwa’s growing popularity, artists saw they could humorously use it against the government. After the student protests in the 1970s, manhwa shifted away from cheerful themes toward dark humor.

Many stories were highly taboo in Korean society, such as those depicting the urban underclass that benefited little from the country’s development, as well as gender inequalities and South Korea’s rapid economic growth set against repressive political rule. Artwork became more realistic, and storylines more oriented toward adults.

A Daunting Team, published in 1983, set the standard for the 1980s, what artists now call manhwa’s golden age. The comic book depicted a scruffy baseball player, Kkachi, who defied authority during the dictatorial regime of Chun Doo Hwan — the military ruler between 1980 and 1988 who continued the repressive policies of Park Chung Hee. Kkachi was an average kid whose rebelliousness fueled his baseball talents and earned him success.

Koreans wanted to see more characters like Kkachi, average people whose hard work, not their connections, catapulted them to stardom. Artists like Heo Youngman, Lee Hyun-se, and Park Bong-seong took the cue and molded characters who rose from extreme poverty to achieve success in government and business, often against the wishes of fictional aristocrats. Government censors, however, feared that such stories would taint South Korea’s image before the Seoul Olympic Games of 1988 and cracked down on the publishers. Pirated, underground comic books became common.

But when presidents made democratic reforms in the early 1990s, cartoonists said there was little left to satirize. They widened the scope of manhwa to general entertainment, like ghost stories, zombies, science fiction and romance. Call it a reflection of Korea’s changing national pulse — a country that decades ago was one of the poorest in the world, now curious but wary of what the 21st century will bring. “We have democracy now, so manhwa has become more diverse,” said Kim Dong-hwa, head of the Korean Cartoonists Association.

Now artists are feeling the effects of free online content, despite manhwa’s growing popularity. Ten million Koreans read free web comics, while only 3 million choose to pay, according to the Korean Culture and Content Agency, a government-affiliated body that promotes Korean arts around the world.

In the past two years, at least 10 Korean cartoon magazines have stopped publication due to a lack of subscribers. South Korea only has 12 such magazines now, compared to 300 in Japan. Kim Donghwa, head of the Korean Cartoonists’ Association, remarked that many Koreans view manhwa as something that should be free.

Yet manhwa is hardly dying. When Park oversaw the opening of a manhwa museum in September, thousands of fans showed up. Park is doing quite well, teetering in the film and print industries. But today, he’s widened his political focus to more general strips about the excesses of modern life for South Koreans: He satirizes the country’s high suicide rate, gender discrimination and the often unrealistic pressures on students to perform well.

“My work became famous because people could laugh when political events were very serious,” he suggests. “All people are half emotional, half logical. My job is to help them find their emotions.”

News Clippings