UNSRC Korean Cultural Society

JoongAng Daily

	A group of employees from Lotte.com meet at Seonghyangjae, a room in Changdeok Palace, on March 12. The room will be available to the general public for rent under a pilot program that runs from April 6 to 10. By Cho Yong-chul

Tired of always having meetings in the same office? This spring, companies and government offices will have a chance to hold their meetings in an alternative venue - the ancient palace of Changdeok in central Seoul - when a state-run organization opens a room in the beloved palace to the public for rentals.

The space rental program is being given a trial, which could eventually serve as a model for rental programs for other traditional Korean structures throughout the city.

The Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea said it will rent Seonhyangjae, a room in Changdeok Palace that was used as a study during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), to companies that want to use it for business meetings, conferences or lectures from April 6 through April 10. The room is part of the palace complex, which has a total of 99 rooms. It can accommodate between seven and 15 people.

The government body, which operates under the Culture Ministry, ran its first pilot rental program on March 12. It plans to decide whether or not to make the program permanent following the April trial period.

This is the first time the palace, which was added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage list in 1997, has been open for public use.

“If we receive positive feedback from users, we plan to expand the program to include other palaces, too,” said Choi Shin-young, an official with the heritage administration. “Wooden structures tend to be better maintained when they are frequented by people, although we will need to be extremely cautious.”

As exciting as the prospect of holding a meeting or event in the palace may be, those wishing to rent the space should be prepared for the hefty costs associated with renting it. The space rental fee is 360,000 won ($317) for one hour, plus an additional 100,000 won in maintenance and service fees. The price includes heating from the traditional furnace linked to the room.

The heritage administration admits the price is very high, but according to Choi, the cost was set based on existing regulations for fees for cultural property use.

There are a number of restrictions that will apply when the space is rented. People will only be allowed to have water and snacks including tteok (Korean rice cakes) and fruit in the space. Fire or gas devices will be strictly prohibited and smoking and alcohol consumption are forbidden.

In addition to the space rental program, the Korea House, a state-run dinner theater featuring traditional Korean food and cultural entertainment, is offering a snack package that includes Korean traditional snacks. It costs 1.2 million won for a group of 10 people.

Those wishing to rent the room must submit an application either via e-mail or fax. Application forms can be downloaded from the heritage administration’s home page at http://www.cdg.go.kr. Prospective applicants may also call (02) 962-9513 with any inquiries.

By Seo Ji-eun [spring@joongang.co.kr]

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KOREA TIMES
03-25-2010 17:55

Around 100 foreign visitors and tourism industy experts will visit Changdeok Palace on March 30 for a moonlit stroll around its signature gates and buildings. / Courtesy of KTO

By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

Changdeok Palace is one of the traditional landmarks of the nation’s capital and a must-visit venue for tourists.

A new program will be launched next week to introduce an enchanting nighttime view of the palace.

The Korea Tourism Organization and the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea have jointly organized a “moonlit tour” of one of Seoul’s most beautiful palaces.

Around 100 participants have been invited to the launch of the program on March 30, including foreign envoys, English teacher and tourism industry experts.

“Through this program, we hope that foreign visitors will get to experience a view of Changdeok Palace at its best,” Chung Jin-soo, a KTO director for the program said. “We will monitor comments from the participants and incorporate them in future programs for introducing the nighttime scenery of our traditional palaces.”

Participants will get to see some buildings of note, including Donhwa-mun (built in 1412), Injeong-jeon (main hall) and Yeongyeong-dang, where the famed ‘Pansori’ (Korean opera) singer Ahn Sook-sun will offer a special performance of traditional Korean folk tunes.

KTO President Lee Charm will guide the participants through a stroll of some of the palace’s signature gates and buildings.

Like the other Five Grand Palaces in Seoul, the Changdeok Palace was heavily destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945). Only 30 percent of the palace structures remain.

The palace, however, was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.

The UNESCO committee describes the site as an “outstanding example of Far Eastern palace architecture and garden design” and called it exceptional because the buildings are “integrated into and harmonized with the natural setting.”

Today there are 13 buildings remaining on the palace grounds and 28 pavilions in the gardens.

Traditional venues have been important tools in developing Korea as tourist destination of overseas visitors.

In 2009, the KTO and the heritage administration collaborated with eight travel agencies in Japan to host 2,506 visitors to Korea’s traditional palaces and royal tombs.

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr

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KOREA HERALD

This is the 22nd installment of a series that will delve into the current movement towards the globalization of Korean cuisine from a variety of perspectives. The series will explore hansik’s past and present, its global potential, and efforts that are being made to promote it to the world. - Ed.

By Jean Oh

The globalization of a nation’s cuisine happens on many different levels. The most obvious players, of course, are restaurants and food markets. But there is also the silent partner, the one sitting in bookstores, waiting to picked up by an eager cook, whisked off to a kitchen and put to use.

The cookbook - as evidenced by the lasting power of Julia Child and her “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” - is a powerful tool. So when news broke that “The Beauty of Korean Food: With 100 Best-Loved Recipes” won two Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, the first question that popped up was: Could this cookbook do for hansik what “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” did for French food?

It is a bit early in the game to tell, but earning two stamps of approval from an international competition is a good way to start.

Founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau, the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards can be seen as a sort of international beauty pageant of the book world. According to the cookbook awards’ official website (www.cookbookfair.com), food and wine books up for the “Best in the World” competition initially qualify on a national level before going on to the international round. Last year, publications from 136 countries participated in the competition.

For 2010, “The Beauty of Korean Food” won a Special Award for its French translation and another award for its English translation. The book and its various translations were carried out by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food as part of the Research and Development Project for the Standardization of Korean Cuisine, a project supported by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The translator of the French version, professor Lee Hong of the Department of French Culture at Inha University, traveled to Paris in February to receive the award.

“I was very honored when I had the chance to meet Mr. Cointreau, who is a very well-known personality of foreign and international cooking and food,” said Lee.

Still aglow from his trip, from the rush of conferences and food demonstrations and the hour-long lecture he held on Korean food at the five-day event, the Paris-born translator related the challenges he faced while working on “Beaute de la Cuisine Coreenne,” the French version of the cookbook.

“Some ingredients are very famous in Korea but you can’t find them in France,” Lee began.

Lee related how he looked at dictionaries, books and photos to find the correct terms for the ingredients.

“It was sometimes very hard because I had to spend two or three days on one word.”

The whole translation process, according to Lee, took around eight to 10 months.

The English translation was no exception. Ham Ki-yung, co-translator with Richard Harris for the English version, also said that it was somewhat hard to express the ingredients in English.

Of the award, Ham said, “I was not expecting it … and I am proud of it.”

When asked via e-mail why “The Beauty of Korean Food” merited an award, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards president and founder Edouard Cointreau answered: “This book is very important as a cultural bridge between countries, and generations.”

“Communication and correct translation is a key complement to research and culinary expertise,” he said.

“All winners receive a special edition Swarovski trophy designed for the Gourmand Awards, and a certificate, if they attend the event. Special Awards are very important, usually one per country, maybe,” he continued, revealing that there were 27 books in the Special Awards category this year.

Though the book’s principal researcher, the Institute of Traditional Korean Food director Yoon Sook-ja, was not present at the ceremony, she expressed her thoughts on the awards.

“I think that it is also an important award on a national level,” said Yoon.

When asked what aspect of the book contributes the most to the globalization of hansik, Yoon answered: “I think the part that best aids the globalization of hansik is that it was able to inform people about the way that Korean cuisine should taste.”

The English version of “The Beauty of Korean Food: With 100 Best-Loved Recipes” was published by Hollym in 2007. The book is also available in Korean, Japanese, Chinese and French.

(oh_jean@heraldm.com)

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