REPORTING FROM SEOUL -– Even at first glance, the design renderings for the soon-to-be-built pair of apartment towers here pack a wallop: They evoke New York’s World Trade Center towers in mid-explosion in the terrifying moments after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

But wait. The Dutch designers say the images have nothing to do with debris flying off two towers that have just been rammed by a pair of commercial airliners. It’s more like a dreamy cloud formation inspired by a gaze up at the sky.

Netizens aren’t buying the explanation. In recent days, an international frenzy of criticism against the project, dubbed “The Cloud,” has caught fire on the Internet.

” ‘AAAAAGH! YOU HAVE ERECTED A TERRIFYING MONUMENT TO THE NIGHTMARES OF 9/11!!!’ was probably not the reaction that [the Seoul client] had in mind when they unveiled their plans today for an ambitious new construction project,” The Gawker website noted.

Gawker went on to add that the project “calls to mind the kinds of images you don’t really want to call to mind when looking at a new set of twin towers.”

The towers are part of a bigger project, called the Yongsan Dream Hub, whose designer is Daniel Libeskind – the master plan architect for reconstruction at New York’s Ground Zero.

The Dutch firm MVRDV, which created The Cloud concept, says the pair of luxury residential towers -– one at 60 floors, the other at 54 – will be connected in the middle by a 10-floor high passage its calls a “pixilated cloud” that houses “a large connecting atrium, a wellness center, conference center, fitness studio, various pools, restaurants and cafes.”

Now the designers are dodging a mounting PR attack.

“A real media storm has started and we receive threatening emails and calls of angry people calling us Al Qaeda lovers or worse,” the firm wrote on its Facebook page.

On its website, the company says that it did not “see the resemblance during the design process” for the buildings.

“MVRDV regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud projects evoke regarding 9/11,” read a statement. “It was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks nor did we see the resemblance during the design process. We sincerely apologize to anyone whose feelings we have hurt.”

The firm said the South Korean press at first did not report any resemblance to 9/11 and instead “hailed the project as a great innovation.” The negative connotations came from the U.S., according to press reports.

The designers say The Cloud “was designed based on parameters such as sunlight, outside spaces, living quality for inhabitants and the city.”

The firm’s website also includes hundreds of mostly-negative comments about the project.

The company’s belated apology came after a Dutch newspaper last week published a front-page architectural rendition of the project and the headline: “Inspired by Twin Towers?”

One 911 victim thinks so. The NY Daily News quoted a retired New York City deputy fire chief, a father of four firefighters who lost his eldest son during the attacks, who doesn’t buy the Dutch firm’s apology.

“I think it’s a total lie and they have no respect for the people who died that day. They’re crossing a line,” he said. “It looks just like the towers imploding. I think they’re trying to sensationalize it. It’s a cheap way to get publicity.”

Meanwhile, South Korean Internet chat rooms have included little criticism of the project.

“I think it depends on how you look at it,” wrote one blogger. “The designer said that he was inspired by the clouds around the building. I just find weird that some people immediately associate it with fire and smoke.”

(Above picture: Wonder Girls perform with a traditional Korean dance troupe to the tune of “Arirang” at the closing ceremony of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens in July. /AFP)

Korea’s most beloved folk song “Arirang” seems to be gaining traction worldwide on the back of the rising popularity of K-pop, a recent study claims.

In the study to be presented by Prof. Park Ae-kyung of Yonsei University this week at an international symposium hosted by the Academy of Korean Studies, Park makes the case that “Arirang” is also emerging as a cultural symbol to represent the nation.

These two very different musical genres are dramatically converging under the Korean Wave, she added.

The classic folk song has provided endless sources of inspiration to Korean musicians for generations. Before the country’s independence from Japan’s colonial rule at the end of World War II, no less than 53 popular songs borrowed their titles, lyrics or refrains from “Arirang”. In later years, the song continued to inspire artists of subsequent generations, who frequently reinterpreted it.

Now “Arirang” seems to have found its way into the hearts and minds of K-pop fans around the world as K-pop stars often perform it in their concerts at home and abroad.

For instance, the tune was performed as a finale in a show featuring a host of popular Korean singers in Gyeongju in October, and also at the closing ceremony of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens in July.

In early November, some European K-pop fans gathered to listen to a rendition of “Arirang” in front of the Pompidou Center in Paris. They were drawn to the song after hearing it repeatedly at the concerts of their favorite Korean singers, they said.

The song’s rich history has seen it transcend the boundaries of its musical genre to become an “ever-evolving text that is expanding its influence to various fields of popular culture”, Park added.

Source : english.chosun.com/si… ( English Korean )

REPORTING FROM BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA -– I met Jang Ji-young, one of the planet’s most extraordinary cabdrivers, at the train station of this coastal city.

My traveling companion, who sat in the front seat, noticed something different about the 59-year-old Korean right away –- not his easy laugh or the fact that he spoke a little English and made friendly eye contact with his passengers in the rear-view mirror.

Not any of that. Jang accelerated and stopped his taxi with his left hand, using a device on the side of the steering wheel -– going forward with a roll of the wrist, pulling back to apply the brakes.

The man who was delivering us to a Buddhist temple in the mountains high above town has been physically disabled since age 2, when he was struck by a terrible fever.

But that has never stopped him from being an outgoing and fearless traveler of the world.

For two years he has driven his taxi all across this nation, which is about the size of Kentucky, 40,000 square miles in all. And Jang -– smiling as he rhythmically moves and breaks his cab with his left hand -– has probably driven most of them.

He told us proudly that he’s 500 of 30,000 cab drivers in this town are physically disabled. Three of South Korea’s main cities, including the capital, Seoul, employ physically disadvantaged cabdrivers — men and women who no longer have the use of a leg or an arm -– providing them with the motorcycle-like throttle device that enables them to go about their merry ways.

Jang doesn’t have the use of his right leg, which is shriveled and spindly beneath his thick leather brace. He limps on a cane when he’s not behind the wheel. But when he’s in the driver’s seat of his taxi, he’s just like everybody else.

And that makes Jang Ji-young proud.

He’s fought hard to take his place in society. When he was a boy, to show his mettle, Jang dragged himself to school by leaning on a long stick, like a shepherd’s staff. He just wanted to be like the other kids, he explained.

But that wasn’t possible in a nation that has long treated the disabled like damaged goods. Jang got married and raised a son, now in graduate school, doing what he could. He sold gold and fine jewelry. But the 1997 Asian financial crisis ended that endeavor.

“I have to work,” he said. “I have a family.”

He started driving a taxi a few years ago. He’s pleased that the government makes it possible for people like him to do jobs that most customers assume must be done by the able-bodied. “I got in this taxi,” he said, “and I never looked back.”

But people still treat him differently -– he can’t help that. Finicky customers will bend over backward to apologize once they learn that Jang is disabled, though he doesn’t make a point of telling anyone, unless they ask.

Once, he drove three young teenagers to a wealthy area of Busan. They directed him to a deserted area and ordered him to stop. Jang realized too late what was up, and suddenly feared that the youths might beat and rob him.

Instead, they bolted out the door and ran as fast as they could.

Jang sat in his idling cab, doors ajar, and watched them go. He had lost a fare, but suddenly he couldn’t stop laughing. “I called out to them ‘You don’t have to run! I’m physically disabled! I can’t chase you! You can walk.’ ”

Inside his cab, Jang is King of the Korean Road. The four wheels provide him with a mobility he could never achieve with his cane or walker. He described how the travel bug bit hard and how he once went to the United States and was flabbergasted by the size of the place.

“I went to the Grand Canyon,” he said. “When I got to the rim, I just screamed out. I couldn’t help myself.” He also went to Las Vegas (and lost), pumping $100 in quarters into the slot machines.

As he drove along, eyes on the road, Jang began naming all the towns and cities where he’d driven his cab across South Korea. As he spoke, I was reminded of that song “I’ve Been Everywhere” done by Hank Snow and later Johnny Cash. I studied Jang’s face and thought of the wonderful reciting of so many colorful place names:

I’ve been to Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana, Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana, Monterey, Faraday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa, Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa, Tennessee to Chicopee, Spirit Lake, Grand Lake, Devils Lake, Crater Lake, for Pete’s sake.

When we got to the temple, Jang eased his taxi through the crowd of worshipers walking up the narrow mountain road.

We paid Jang, bid our quick goodbyes and then jumped out to grab our bags from the truck. That’s when we noticed another extraordinary thing about Jang Ji-young.

Silently, he had opened the driver’s door, slid out his cane and came struggling toward us, limping heavily on his badly shriveled right leg. And then, smiling into my eyes, Jang took my hand and squeezed it hard. Suddenly, I was choked with emotion.

I stood on that mountain road for a bit, waving once, and watched the taxi disappear down the winding road, happy to have shared a few miles with one of the ablest cabdrivers on the planet.

See you down the road, Jang Ji-young.

[I’ve been to] Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelbourg, Colorado, Ellensburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, Eldorado, Larimore, Admore, Haverstraw, Chatanika, Chaska, Nebraska, Alaska, Opelika, Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City, Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, what a pity.

Bean Story, a cafe, is seen on the second floor of a building at Garosu-gil in Gangnam, southern Seoul, a hot destination that attracts not only Koreans but also foreign tourists with unique shops. / Korea Times photo by Kim Rahn

By Kim Rahn

Yuka, a tourist from Japan, was recently walking along Garosu-gil in southern Seoul on a sunny afternoon. She and her three friends looked around the shops there, bought boots and clothes and took pictures.

“I feel like I’m in Japan, as there are so many Japanese people here”, she said. Indeed, Yuka was one of hundreds of foreign visitors to the tourist destination in Gangnam. Japanese, Chinese, English and some unfamiliar languages were easily heard.

She learned about the place from a guide map. The district is situated away from major tourist destinations in northern Seoul like Myeong-dong, but Yuka, an avid fan of boy band 2PM, wanted to experience the street after visiting the offices of JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment which are not far away.

“Myeong-dong is similar to Harajuku, an entertainment area for the young generation in Japan. Garosu-gil is more like Omotesando with vintage shops”, said Yuka, who didn’t disclose her age but looked to be in her 40s.

The 700-meter-long street between Sinsa-dong Community Center and the Sinsa branch of the IBK Bank has gained the name Garosu-gil, meaning tree-lined avenue, as it is lined with ginko trees on both sides.

As people can imagine from the name, the street is especially beautiful in the fall with its yellow-tinted foliage. But in any season, the street is awash with colorful shops, restaurants, cafes and galleries which are decorated in their own, unique styles.

With the year-end holiday season approaching, many shops are already adorned in a festive manner.

Cherry Ng, a Hong Kong native who came to Korea to attend a concert by idol group Super Junior, said her friends recommended Garosu-gil. “The shops here are so pretty. Besides shopping, this street is worth visiting to take photos”, she said.

The avenue is attracting a growing number of multi-brand stores that sell clothes, shoes and accessories from various brands and designers, such as A Land, Elbon the style, Geekshop and Magnifico n Magnificent.

Trendsetters seeking new styles also visit the street, as foreign brands often open their first shops in Korea here, including Marimekko and Lapalette.

As it gains popularity, franchise restaurants and cafes are occupying the main street.

Still, Garosu-gil is more charming with smaller-sized clothing stores and eateries run by individual designers or operators, as their items and interior designs show each owner’s personal character.

Farmer is a handmade accessory shop with thousands of hair bands and hairpins. After gaining popularity, it opened a branch on the other end of the street.

Mogool is Garosu-gil’s “hat-only” shop and it sells imported handmade headwear.

On the floor-to-ceiling window of cafe Bean Story, drawings of people drinking coffee are exhibited along with phrases that read: “Our coffee beans are fresh as we ourselves roast the beans. Our cakes are hot as we bake them”.

Another cafe “MoMo Cot” is cat-themed, with cat-related props. Momo is the name of the owner’s cat, which wanders about the cafe and enjoys popularity among customers. A hot, dark brownie with whipped cream and ice cream is a must-eat item.

가로수길, 잇-관광명소

일 본 관광객 유카는 최근 친구들과 강남의 가로수길을 방문해 가게들을 구경하고 부츠와 옷도 사고 사진도 찍으며 하루를 보냈다. 유카는 “일본 사람이 아주 많아서 마치 일본에 와있는거 같아요”라고 말했다. 실제로 강남구의 이 명소는 외국 관광객들로 넘쳐나고, 일본어, 중국어, 영어 등의 외국어가 여기저기에서 들리곤 한다.

유카는 가이드맵에서 가로수길에 대해 알게 되었다고 했다. 가로수길은 관광객들이 주로 가는 강북과는 떨어져 있지만 2PM의 팬인 유카는 인근의 JYP와 SM 엔터테인먼트 사무실에 들러보는 김에 가로수길도 가보기로 했다고 말했다.

그녀는 “명동이 젊은이들이 많이 가는 하라주쿠 같다면, 가로수길은 빈티지샵들이 많은 오모테산도 같아요”라고 말했다.

거리 양쪽으로 은행나무가 늘어선 가로수길은, 이름에서 연상되듯이 단풍이 든 가을에 특히 아름답다. 그렇지만 다른 계절에도 각각 독특한 스타일로 꾸며진 옷가게, 음식점, 카페와 갤러리들이 형형색색 거리를 물들이고 있다.

슈퍼주니어 콘서트에 가기 위해 한국에 왔다는 홍콩 출신 체리는, 친구가 가로수길을 추천해줬다고 했다. 체리는 “가게들이 너무 예뻐서 쇼핑 안해도 사진 찍으러 와볼만 하네요”라고 말했다.

Source : www.koreatimes.co.kr/… ( English Korean )

MANILA, Philippines — Nowadays, if a baby is christened “Rain”, it doesn’t necessarily mean that its parents love precipitation.

Chances are, the baby was named after the Korean artist that is wildly popular among Filipino youth.

The list of Korean names does not stop there. There’s Tak Goo, Justin, Jumong, Cholo, Jodi, Sandara. That’s “Hallyu”, or the infectious wave for everything Korean and Korean-inspired.

Filipinos have warmly embraced Korean culture, from Koreanovelas (Korean television soap operas), KPop (Korean Pop music), food like kimchi (spicy pickled vegetable) and colorful coifs.

Noting the local acceptance of Korean culture, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Hye Min-Lee, speaking at the 2nd Philippines-Korea Partnership Forum on Monday at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati, couldn’t hide his joy.

“When I assumed my position as ambassador last year, I was surprised to see how the Philippines have embraced telenovelas and K-Pop,” Lee told a delighted crowd composed mostly of members of the academe.

Lee said the Philippines and Korea have made “remarkable progress” in strengthening people-to-people relations, which was the forum’s theme.

Koreans have been finding their way to the Philippines, he said, citing the 740,000 Korean tourists that visited the country last year.

“This made Koreans the top tourists in the Philippines last year, by nationality. We expect the number to rise to one million—a 30 percent increase—this 2011,” Lee said. The envoy added that over 100,000 Koreans have opted to reside permanently here, finding comfort in country’s “working conditions and cultural ties.”

Aside from people-to-people relations, Lee stressed that the “heart-to-heart” connections between the nations have also become closer, if the Filipinos ride cultural references are any indication.

“The Korean Wave has truly invaded the Philippines in its various forms, and not just through Koreanovela,” said panelist Louie Jon Sanchez, an instructor at the Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of English.

“Here and there, we find fandom at work for each and every form of Hallyu—in Facebook alone, we could encounter groups devoted solely for individual members of boy bands such as Super Junior…and other groups composing the highly-evolved KPop culture,” observed Sanchez.

Models wearing traditional Korean royal gowns pose on the catwalk at a show celebrating Korea-France Week in Paris on Tuesday. /Yonhap

Parisians were offered a glimpse into the royal culture of the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910) as part of Korea-France Week at the InterContinental Hotel Paris on Tuesday night (local time).

A Chosun royal wedding ceremony was reenacted with the iconic images of Notre Dame and Montmartre in the background. Based on relevant records from the Oegyujanggak royal archives, the reenactment included the queen’s installation, her official entrance into the palace, and the first night of wedding celebrations. The archives were returned to Korea this April, some 145 years after France looted them in a botched invasion.

The show began with a performance on the gayageum (12-stringed zither) by Ewha Womans University Professor Moon Jae-suk. It continued with some of the videos of artist Lee Lee-nam, which showed a fusion of traditional Korean landscape paintings and the works of great French painters.

To ensure the performances were as authentic as possible, the Korean Royal Costume Research Institute designed and produced the royal attire based on the dynasty’s royal texts.

A fashion show featuring traditional Korean royal costumes was also included in the line-up of events, with Miss Korea pageant winner Lee Honey, who is Prof. Moon’s daughter, playing the role of a former queen. French models also took to the catwalk to present designers’ modern interpretations of ancient Korean clothing.

The event demonstrated the burgeoning interest in Korean culture and history in Europe amid the swelling popularity of K-pop overseas, said Lee Bae-yong, chairwoman of the Presidential Council on National Branding.

Source : english.chosun.com/si… ( English Korean )

Taekkyeon practitioners / A jultagi performer / Weaving of mosi in Hansan

Three Korean cultural traditions received recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) on Monday by being given intangible heritage status.

Taekkyeon (a traditional Korean martial art), jultagi (tightrope walking) and the weaving of mosi (ramie fabric) that originated in the Hansan region in South Chungcheong were dubbed intangible cultural treasures by the Unesco Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Bali, Indonesia.

With the latest addition, Korea now has 14 items of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as recognized by Unesco.

Taekkyeon, the first martial art to be recognized by Unesco, involves fluid and rhythmic movements that resemble dance. The movements are also used as daily exercises, and currently there are about 50 official masters certified by the Taekkyeon Korea Association, which holds national competitions three times every year.

Before the announcement yesterday, it was expected that taekkyeon would be in competition for the recognition with China’s kung fu.

But China withdrew its bid before the committee meeting in Bali after failing to submit sufficient information, according to Unesco’s preliminary report.

While taekkyeon is a form of martial arts unique to Korean culture, tightrope walking is considered more of an entertainment, and questions have been raised over what’s unique about Korean jultagi.

While the common form of tightrope walking focuses on the acrobatic skill of maintaining balance, the traditional Korean form focuses on the interaction between the tightrope walker and an earthbound clown. The walker performs a variety of acrobatic feats on the tightrope, along with jokes, songs and dance, while the clown exchanges banter and musicians accompany the act.

The skill of weaving mosi in the Hansan region has been handed down from mothers to daughters. The region has a suitable climate for growing ramie, and its women are involved in the harvesting of the plant, bleaching, yarn spinning and the final weaving.

About 500 people in Hansan are still actively participating in mosi weaving.

Many other cultural traditions made Unesco’s list yesterday including mariachi music in Mexico.

The Royal Ancestral Rite and Ritual Music at the Jongmyo Shrine, which the kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) used in ceremonies were added to Unesco’s list in 2001, and pansori, a traditional Korean style of narrative opera, was added in 2009.

By Lee Sun-min [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]

The creator of this year’s “Greatest Burger in America” appears to be in for a long-term relationship with Korean cuisine.

Angelo Sosa, who first made his name on the reality TV show “Top Chef”, had found inspiration in a popular Korean dish when he conceived the Bibimbap Burger, which was awarded the title by Eater, a food blog following American dining trends.

It has since been one of the main attractions at his New York restaurant Social Eatz, and now the celebrity chef continues to profess his love for Korean gastronomy after a recent visit to the country.

Earlier this month, Sosa visited South Korea for an NBC feature program on the country’s fermented foods. His visits to regional farms and rice-winemaking facilities had revealed some of the secrets behind the Korean culinary traditions, which he said deeply inspired him.

At a Korean food festival on Nov. 18 hosted by Columbia University in New York, Sosa praised some of the key players in the Korean kitchen: Doenjang (soybean paste), Gochujang (hot pepper paste), and soy sauce. He added that his trip will greatly influence his career as a chef, and according to the Korean Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, he expressed his intention to revisit the country to study the art and science of fermentation in its cooking traditions.

Sosa also revealed that his new insights will be embellishing the menu at his next restaurant, due to open soon.

The event at Columbia University was also attended by the PBS “Kimchi Chronicles” host Marja Vongerichten and Edward Song, founder of the popular Korilla bulgogi taco truck that gained its fame from combining the Korean bulgogi and the Mexican taco.

By Kim Do-yeun

Source : www.koreatimes.co.kr/… ( English Korean )

Korea is one of the countries known for its drinking culture. With soju and makgeolli (rice beer) readily available, Koreans have plenty of options for hard drinking, but they are still prone to hangovers the next day.

Every country seems to have its own concoction for conquering a hangover. Russians drink cucumber or sour pickle juice and Germans eat pickled herring. Koreans typically go with a class of hot soups known as haejangguk. In Korean, haejang means “detoxify” while guk translates to “soup”.

Though some say that almost any hot soup can be called haejangguk if it is consumed after alcohol, experts say that some soups are better than others at expelling toxins. Doctors say that haejangguk helps alleviate a hangover because the spice in the soup revs up the metabolism and pushes the alcohol out through the sweat glands.

Haejangguk recipes vary by region. One of the most famous varieties is the kongnamulguk (bean sprout soup) from Jeonju, North Jeolla, which is made with a light seafood broth, bean sprouts, egg and seaweed. Bean sprouts help rid the body of acetaldehyde, a chemical that causes hangovers.

After a night out, Seoulites often go looking for Yangpyeong or Cheongjin-dong haejangguk. Both the city in Gyeonggi Province and the neighborhood in Jongno District have become synonymous with the soup.

The origins of haejangguk are not clear. Some say it dates back to the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), while others believe that today’s haejangguk was created in the 1800s in port cities like Incheon, where beef bones and intestines were salvaged for soup.

Although some Koreans also drink haejangsul (sul is alcohol) to relieve a hangover, it’s not a common remedy. Instead, Koreans tend to consume energy drinks made by pharmaceutical or beverage companies. The market for these beverages has grown in recent years and is estimated to be worth around 150 billion won ($132 million).

By Joo Kyung-don

Source : koreajoongangdaily.jo… ( English Korean )