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The Best Totalitarian Regime

Daniel Pinkston at ICG discusses North Korean-Style “Democracy” and the Prospects for True Democratisation.

Under the concept of “democratic centralism” Kim Il-sung began to establish a personalistic system fitting the term “totalitarian” or “sultanistic” in the words of Juan J. Linz.[iii] Others have described the DPRK political system as “Stalinist, corporatist, mono-organizational, neo-traditional.” Charles Armstrong correctly points out that the state has displayed all of these characteristics and the state has transformed since it was founded in 1948.

(…)A modern democracy must include free and fair elections, the protection of human rights and civil liberties, freedom of thought and of the press, freedom of religion and a separation of powers with an independent judiciary. The DPRK fails in every single category necessary for a functioning democracy. The DPRK probably has come closer to the totalitarian ideal than any of its predecessors that attempted to build a totalitarian system, and the DPRK has lasted longer than any of its peers.

Dictators and totalitarian leaders always face threats and challengers. The rent-seeking opportunities are extensive in personalistic systems, but even the greatest dictators are victims of the system because of the attention and resources that must be expended to remain in control. Terror is a common instrument in non-democratic regimes. The ruthlessness exercised in these systems and the consequences of losing power, which often results in death—or exile if lucky—lead to a culture of settling political differences violently.

The lack of internal checks and balances, and the very militarized societies built to maintain personalistic systems, often result in dictators using their militaries to settle international disputes. The North Korean case is exacerbated by national division and a sclerotic economy that obstructs any modernization of its conventional military forces. The result has been a long-term commitment to the development weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their related delivery systems.

The need for critical technologies and materials, and the desire for economies of scale in production have led to the establishment of procurement and proliferation networks for the most dangerous materials and weapon systems.[vii] WMD development, including two nuclear tests, has brought international sanctions that have compounded the DPRK’s economic plight. North Korea’s WMD threat cannot be ignored, but the very sanctions and other international pressure designed to compel Pyongyang to disarm have had little effect. Instead, they almost certainly reinforce hardliners in North Korea. This is not to suggest that sanctions should be lifted. To the contrary—but we must have realistic expectations about the effectiveness.

We should not be very optimistic about WMD disarmament, economic liberalization, the protection of human rights and civil liberties or democratization until there is a change in leadership and a change in the political structure/system. Without structural change—in other words, without a dismantling of the inter-locking institutional arrangement of the KWP, the military, and the security apparatus and the tight centralized control of economic resources—whoever is the suryŏng will not matter. Anyone would rule in a similar fashion in such an institutional environment or risk being toppled from within.

The current DPRK system is doomed to failure, but it could last for a considerable time. The international community could impose democracy through force, but that would require a very costly war that is politically untenable. Deterrence and containment are the primary policy instruments for dealing with Pyongyang for years or decades ahead. That means waiting for change generated from within, but the prospects are bleak.

Democracy in a North Korean context is almost Orwellian. But, the decent comparative analysis aside, is Pinkston implying that North Koreans gave some claim to perfecting totalitarianism, what with all the other examples in human history? What’s missing is the international context that feeds the North Korean state, and that accounts for this “prodigy”.

Filed under: Korea, Social Science Tagged: dprk, international crisis group, north korea, totalitarianism

Getting The Shot 3: Lanterns

Lanterns are everywhere during this time of year and the biggest challenge is getting an image that stands out. Here is one of my favorites because of the angle and color. There are a few elements that make this style of shot work and I will try and be as detailed as possible.

First of all this is an HDR shot but, it is a very controlled on at that. I will explain later after I explain the set up and whatnot, I just wanted to prepare you for that as some might not have noticed that it was.

The main part of this photo is the angle in which it was taken. I set my tripod up on the shortest setting. Basically, I just opened the legs and sat it down. I then framed the shot so that there was a little break in the pattern making it a little more interesting to the eye than just a straight flood of color (which also would have worked too!). If you notice the rich blue popping out from between the lanterns, well that is because I timed this shot to get the blue hour. These days you are looking to hit blue hour around 7 to 7:30 pm, so try to be at your location a little bit earlier and get set up.

As I said before, this is an HDR shot, so I have bracketed the shots about 2 stops apart and used a cable release to make sure there was minimal camera shake. Alternatively, you can set your camera to timer (what you would use for taking a shot that you want to be in) and if you are using a Canon, it will fire all three bracketed shots for you without having to press the button each time.

Once I get on the computer, I load the images into Photmatix and tone map them. What you are looking to do here is bring out the colors but not go way over the top. I usually bump up the saturation and the strength to create a rich effect, but here you have to be really careful (be controlled). I adjusted the white and black sliders to bring out more of the sky and also create more contrast. I kept the strength around 83 but dropped the saturation to around 50 or so to not blowout the reds.

You really have to be careful with the saturation and especially the reds. With this shot, the reds are extremely strong and thus when brought into aperture or photoshop, I had to desaturate the red a lot to maintain balance. The other tip is that if you find that you are getting a purple sky, cool your photo down by either adjusting the temperature slider or using a cooling filter. When all is said and done, add a light sharpening layer and you are done.

—

Jason Teale

Photographer, educator, podcaster

Podcast Website Instagram

Photographing Korea and the world beyond!

Favorite Day in Korea: 지 리산 (Jirisan) Hike

At 11:55 Friday night I load a bus full of 46 other Climbing Korea members. We were supposed to meet at 11:45, but in true Lana fashion, I am late. The charter bus is overbooked and my friend Maria and I find that we don't have seats. Mr. Kim, the leader, kindly boots two of his right hand women from theirs and gives them to us. Then, at 12:00PM, we depart for 지 리산 (Jirisan), mainland South Korea’s tallest peak. Many of us regular hikers hadn’t a clue what we were in for…

The drive south takes about 4.5 hours. Most of us try to sleep, but the hard chairs, bright Korea lights, and unsteady bus all take pleasure in preventing such. At the rest stop, determined to sleep at least one hour before the early morning hike, I offer to switch seats with someone on the floor of the bus. For the rest of the trip I use Mr. Kim’s sleeping bag to sprawl out like a cocoon on the floor. Still, no sleep.

At 4:30AM, Mr. Kim taps my arm repeating, “Lana, get up!” until I finally sit up. Feeling like I’m in dream or perhaps even a nightmare and thinking, “Why the hell did I think this trip was a good idea?” Mr. Kim shoves a paper in my face and spews out the names of various trail names and some times. He then puts a microphone in my hand telling me, “OK, say it!” Mr. Kim sometimes likes to put me in charge of making announcements. I really don’t like the speaking, but what it represents is my acceptance into a group that has become my family away from home and this I do like. Having pretty much no idea what he said to me, I mumble off some things I read on the paper and Mr. Kim quickly says, “No, no!” and again I think, “Why, oh why am I here. I’m so freaking tired.” All that I want to do is climb into my warm bed and sleep in until the sun shines into my apartment’s window. The microphone is given to a Korean woman, someone much more suitable for reading and pronouncing the day’s itinerary.

Five minutes later we arrive at the base of the mountain. It’s pouring rain and still dark out as we unload the bus and huddle under a covered picnic area. Some hikers purchase ponchos at the small family run convenient store before we follow Mr. Kim to what we can’t see, but figure is the trail. I should have brought a flashlight; I don’t know what I was thinking. My only excuse for being this unprepared is that it’s my first time hiking at 4:30AM and in the dark…

Our first 10 minutes are difficult just as the first 10 minutes of any hike are. Hikes in Korea are unlike hikes in the states. There is no steady increase in elevation, but more so you’re walking straight up a mountain and therefore, sometimes feels like rock climbing without gear. But once my breathing starts to steady, I begin to take in my surroundings. All I can see are the rocks below my feet when a girl from behind shines her light in my direction. My weakened sight sends my perception of hearing, smell, taste and touch into full action to compensate. I hear the rain falling to the trees and making it’s way down to the ground. It trickles along the surface of the downward slanted rocks below my feet and creates the perfect rhythm with the flowing river and waterfalls. I cannot see them, but hear that they are below the ridge. The air smells fresh, unlike the polluted Seoul. As we trek through the wet dirt, our feet release the scent of healthy soil that permeates around us. And as my body begins to perspire, sweat mixed with rain and dribbles down my face, over my lips and into my mouth, sending the taste of salt straight to my brain. I grab cold wet rocks and tree trunks in my hand to guide my way.

Slowly the sky gets lighter and I give up on my hood in exchange for a better view of the mountain inhabitants surrounding me. My hair is drenched within minutes. Koreans believe that rain on the head will cause hair to fall out and so umbrellas are used for the lightest of rain. Avoiding even more stares than usual means I often give in to the use of an umbrella. “When in Rome.” But now it’s okay for me to be wet because there is no avoiding it and we are all certain to get soaked. I love it.

The hiking is very difficult, the most difficult I’ve ever experienced. Many turn back for the bus and as time passes, we are no longer a group of 47, but are without many and in smaller divisions traveling at varying paces. My group changes periodically, and for about 45 minutes I find myself hiking alone. This is when I feel most at one with nature and many times I stand on the edge of the ridge, look down at the raging river and take in a giant “I’m thankful to be alive” breath of mountain air. No matter my group or if I’m alone, I am always certain I will meet back with the leader because there are always stopping points for rest and re-gathering.

After about 4 hours of climbing slippery rocks, my legs begin to ache. I am conscious of every step I take and each feels like it will be my bodies last. Sometimes I push my knees with my hands for larger rocks and my upper body helps my lower body. All at once, the calm air turns wild. Winds at insane speeds laugh while brushing us sideways. I tell myself this means I’m getting closer. Finally we make it to a shelter. Hot plates and pots are unloaded for cooking ramyun. Koreans pull out various Korean foods and foreigners pull out their mixed lunches of Korean foods they have come to love and their western choices that are still necessary for comfort. It’s nice to rest, but waterproof clothing has lost its power and every part of my body except my feet is wet. Standing still makes us very cold. After we re-energize, four of us take off in a group we c “The Fearsome Four.” After every stretch of steep rocks, I think to myself, “I can’t make it any further,” yet somehow I do. And after every stretch of rocks, comes another, but we keep telling each other: “We’re almost there!”

During short breaks from the wind, I hear birds chirping. The mountain now looks brighter as the sun peeks it’s way through the fast paced clouds. I wish I could move as fast as them. Then I’d be at the top by now. My friends are enough to keep me going, though, and we continue to encourage one another. One of my favorite things about hiking mountains is the adrenaline high it provides. Adrenaline let’s my body do amazing things and it is what would get me to the top of this mountain.

Finally, about 6 hours from departure, I see the peak. I try not to get too excited because I thought I had seen it about 5 times prior only to be let down each time. But this time there are people excitedly climbing the tallest stretch I’ve seen yet. By now the wind is back and with a vengeance. I wonder if it would be enough to blow someone off the mountain. I start up the rock, grasping it tightly within my palms as I climb. When my face peeks over the ledge to the top, I’m hit with a giant gust of wind and suddenly find it difficult to breath. For a moment, I wonder what will happen if I go all the way up, thinking maybe I shouldn't. I put the negative thoughts past me and pull myself up to the top. I feel like a bird! We meet a division that had left the shelter before us and take some pictures with the marker. Things start disappearing: hats, glasses, and even a backpack started to move before someone grabbed it. I feel alive.

We then huddle on the opposite side of the peek where we are safe from the wind. From this point we can see the top and watch as the rest of our group arrive in intervals. Of course there is someone with some soju, so I take a couple sips. It warms my stomach and for a second I forget about my sopping clothes clinging to my skin. For some time during the trip, I felt a bit of strangeness toward the new hikers, but by time we have reached the peak, I’ve made new friends and we all sit admiring our accomplishment.

“Chop, chop!” Mr. Kim shouts. Somebody taught him the phrase and now he can’t get enough of it. “Mr. Kim, you mean skedaddle?” I say. A couple weeks prior I tried teaching him a variation for getting people to leave so he could switch it up a bit, but it usually comes out as “Dattle!” We begin the trek down. It’s difficult in a different way than on the way up. It’s not my core that begs for the energy, but now my wobbly knees. I’m reminded that I’m now a full fledge adult and cringe as I agree with those around me when discussing our knee pain. Then I remember that we have officially climbed the tallest peak of peninsular South Korea and could care less if my knees are a bit aged.

On the way down, we take several breaks, all much more relaxing than on the way up. At one point, we find a nice stream where we soak our feet and wash up. Soon we reach a fork where we had come from on the way up and would now begin retracing our steps, steps that were made in the dark morning. We were now seeing what we had previously only been able to hear, smell, taste and touch. There is Magnolia trees, all shades of green and brown, and lots of running water.

During the bus ride back to Seoul, all goes silent as we enter the pleasant sleeps we had yearned for during the ride down. Back at our starting point, I’m told I’m going to dinner. Somehow it is exactly what I want to do despite being ever so exhausted. David, a friend of everyone in the group and who is currently doing work in another country was back for a visit and would meet a small group of us for food. We ate, drank, joked, laughed, and probably stunk up the restaurant. It was a perfect end to my favorite day in Korea.

63

Here’s a new video I recorded and edited using my iPhone4 and the ReelDirector app.

I recorded this back in January when myself, Herself and her thirteen year old cousin all went to the 63 Building in Seoul. I’d never been and if wasn’t for the Picasso exhibition in the gallery on the top floor I don’t think I would have bothered going up. As you can see, it was absolutely freezing outside. In fact, I’m not even sure why there are people outside, let alone taking a tour boat down the frozen Han River

The ReelDirector app is ok, I’d like a bit more variety in the choice of fonts for adding titles and for a feature that allows you to playback after you add or edit something. The last time I used it you had to edit the whole thing, save it, then play it back. Now, in fairness, there was an upgrade a while ago and I haven’t used it since so maybe this has been rememdied. Unfortunately, you don’t get enough time to see some of the pictures and the glass in the windors is a bit dirty so it doesn’t look great at times – you’d think they’d get someone out there and give them an ould wipe!

Please let me know what you think here or on youtube

…and while you’re at it why not visit my youtube channel

- Conzie Visual -

Including

- travel videos from Ireland, Korea and Japan

- live poetry readings

- Poetry videos

- People

Letter from Korea, April 2011

Suwon, South Korea
April 30, 2011

Dear Ireland,

Apologies for my lack of correspondence, I’ve been busy believe it or not. I won’t bore you with the details but I would in fact prefer to inform you of one of the reasons that I haven’t had as much time as usual to sit down and write you a lovely letter, as has been my wont for almost a year.

Recently, myself and Herself have become business people. We are proprietors. Not in the traditional sense, more in a temporary and experimental sense.

As I wrote in a previous post, I spend a lot of time in my friend’s traditional Korean tea shop that is close to our home. Recently the owner propositioned Herself whether or not she would like to run the tea shop. Herself was duly excited by the prospect and we decided we would take it on board for a few months and try it out.

This was duly done. The menu was changed and modernised – we brought in fresh juices, smoothies, coffee, beer, sangria and wine to drink, and we added sandwiches, soups and curries to the menu. Herself also bakes daily. As the owner is a vegetarian she asked us to keep it vegetarian fare, which isn’t a problem as dealing with meat is something I think we should avoid until we have a bit more experience outside of cooking our own dinners. As far as I can tell, everyone who has eaten in our new business has only complimented the food.

Along with changing the food, we changed the name to The OK Café. ‘O’ is for O’Reilly and ‘K’ is for Kim, and ‘Café’ because it is more like a café than a coffee shop or a tea shop – for me a café sells drinks, food and alcohol. I think in Korea the meaning of café has been confused with a place that just sells coffee and cakes. This is definitely not the case in most of Europe, and I’d wager that stateside is a similar state of affairs.

Last Saturday we had a music festival to celebrate the opening and new partnership with our friend Suni who still uses much of the space as a yoga studio, for holding group meals and other reasons. The 2^nd International Music Festival was a huge success – We had over twelve performers with traditional Korean 창stealing the show followed closely by the mesmeric guitar work of LRD. We even managed to pull some people out of the crowd to sing a song or two with the music continuing long into the night and early hours. Fortunately it was worth it with not a drop of drink left in the house at the end of it all.

The whole experience has been unique. We have talked about opening our café or small restaurant for a long time and when the opportunity landed at our feet we didn’t know how to refuse. Of course, it is a temporary experiment for all concerned. Opening a business is a difficult task for anyone, and it is especially difficult when you have little to no money.

In Korea, to open a business as a licensed company, the best alternative if you will need financial backing from the banks, you must have 50 million won. There are two possible reasons for this. If you are a foreigner you need it to get an investors visa. Also, and this applies to Korean citizens also, it is a legal stipulation that you have this money – I suppose that you can prove that you have financial support in case things go slower than expected or belly-up in a fortnight and you have to pay suppliers etc. We avoided both of these.

We are only subletting the premises, so we don’t actually own the business. We just manage it. So this is handy. I suppose. I won’t go into the current complications with this.

That being said it’s not all rosy. Finding customers is a problem. Our menu, sandwiches and curry essentially, doesn’t really tingle the taste buds when you mention it to the Yeongtong locals, an area devoid of fine dining but rife with barbecue restaurants, noraebang and bars (not to mention the room salons on the outskirts). Yes there are a lot of foreigners in the area, but the standard practice is to gravitate towards NOW Bar or escape into Seoul. They certainly aren’t gravitating towards The OK Café.

We started this with very little money and even less planning. Our expectations weren’t high but at the same time when these aren’t met how can we expect to make further progress. I look at all the other venues that are operated by westerners in Korea and they seem to be packed full of events every day of the week. But what about people who don’t want to go to events and who want to just relax and have a glass of wine or just sit and read in comfortable surroundings? That’s what we have created. A space that is not what everywhere else is offering. But are we open in the wrong part of the world? Do people not want this in Korea where the gimmick is king?

Atmosphere alone was our selling point, but do we have to get the ring of balloons around the door and the dancing girl in a short skirt just to get people to walk in the door and up the stairs? Maybe we should we scrap the healthy food and throw down a pig roast served by topless women covered in cream?

Or maybe we should just wait and see what happens.

What side dishes would foreigner's prefer with their Indian food?

Last night JH and I went to Old Delhi, a restaurant here in Nowon at the end of Culture Street, which serves up very delicious Indian fare. Around the time we were nearly finished, and ordered more garlic naan, the restaurant owner came over to our table and asked the following question.

"What side dishes would foreigner's prefer with their Indian food?"

Of course, this was through JH's translation and the point of his question was that when foreigners visit his restaurant they usually do not eat the side dishes, and so he was wondering what other options he could serve. The current side dishes were kimchi, pickled radish and pickles. I enjoy the pickles but never touch the rest.

After much thinking and talking it over with JH we came to some ideas that if he served cabbage and corn salad that would be good. Of course, it would be best if he came up with something that truly complemented the wonderful Indian food, but I figured the guy just wanted something simple and that foreigners would be compelled to eat. We then tried our best to describe a cabbage and corn salad and what dressing to use. I told him to avoid mayonnaise as a dressing, as this is very common and instead use an olive oil or balsamic type base.

He also seemed to inquire why not many foreigners frequent his restaurant, and my simple answer was they probably don't know where it is. He thanked us and let us finish our meal.

The next thing I knew he came over to the table with a little dish and some small spoons. Apparently, he got the chef to make a dressing and wanted us to try it. The taste was pretty good and I could see it had mustard seeds, olive oil and some citrus juice in it. I said that it would likely work with shredded cabbage. Then, through translation, I gave some ideas on how he could get foreigners to frequent his place by advertising at bars and hagwons.

There was a great payoff to all this advice as we left with a take away package of our whole meal re-made for us. I also left him with some written down websites he should check out, such as Seoul Eats and Zen Kimchi.

So folks, if you are in Nowon and make your way down Culture Street (to the end) and find yourself in Old Delhi having a cabbage-salad-sidedish, you might just have me to thank.

;)

—

foreignerjoy.blogspot.com

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May Day

Happy Spring!

Cherry Blossom Festival in Yeoido, SO MANY people!

Pinwheel garden

♥

it all falls down...

bike riding on the Han river

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.

You know how it is with an April day.

~Robert Frost

—

Ellie Teacher

onedayillflyaway.com

May 2011 events

Author’s note: There’s bound to be updates to this month’s events – keep checking back for more information and new events! If you have an event you’d like to plug, comment on this post or contact me with all the details. Please follow a few guidelines for the maximum benefit.

April 6 – May 29: Cirque du Soleil Varekei has finally made its way to Seoul after having toured much of the rest of the world – it opened in Montreal in 2002, although it’s just now coming to Asia. If you’ve ever wanted to feel awed and amazed without attempting illegal narcotics, this is easily the best way to do it. While not worth the price of admission alone, Irina Naumenko bends her way into some extraordinary positions to ‘save’ our man Icarus. Cirque du Soleil takes the best forms of human talent, harnesses them into a spectacle, and leaves an unforgettable night permanently embedded in your memory. Jamsil Sports Complex, 60,000 – 220,000 won a seat. For more information, check out http://www.varekai.co.kr/sub_6_4.php or call Interpark at 02-1544-1555.

April 29 – May 10: the Hampyeong Butterfly Festival – it doesn’t seem to rank high among the foreigners (Brian’s review from two years ago was less than praiseworthy), but it’s considered one of the best festivals by Visit Korea. It’s about half an hour from Gwangju, so it’s not too far from civilization.

May 1 (9:00am-12pm): History comes alive in Seoul everyday, but today is a once-a-year celebration. It’s the Jongmyo Daeje – the ceremony honoring the spirits of the former kings and queens. Starts at Gyeongbokgung downtown, then parades its way to the Jongmyo Shrine. Learn more through an official tourist website.

May 3-8: Damyang Bamboo Festival: Enjoy the power of bamboo – what can wood do for you? The Damyang Bamboo Festival organizes hands-on programs for families, offering an experience in ecology and culture. Visitors can walk in the bamboo groves, ride on a bamboo raft, or shoot a bamboo arrow. A variety of performances will be staged, including a bamboo dance. The festival ends with a ceremonial fire fueled with bamboo. Learn more at bamboofestival.co.kr, or check out my recent trip to Damyang.

May 3-7: Herbs, anyone? The Daegu Yangyeongsi Herb Medicine Festival may be a good chance to learn more about the local herbal culture. The nearby museum is fun as well – quite a bit of information in English – and is worth stopping by if you’re in the area.

May 4-8: Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival - not sure what’s so cultural about wild tea, but Visit Korea says it is “showcasing a variety of programs including handpicking green tea leaves, participating in a traditional tea ceremony and making traditional tea bowls.” It looks like a really pretty area, however – and a good excuse to get out of town. Learn more at Visit Korea.

May 4-8: now here’s a new one – Yeoncheon Jeongok-ri Paleolithic Festival – held in Gyeonggi-do near the site of some Paleolithic ruins. Sure, there are several other festivals happening this weekend, but this one is closest to Seoul, if that makes a difference. Learn about the history of humans, and check out the Visit Korea page for more information.

May 5-10: Hi Seoul Festival – thanks to a budget cutback, the extravagance of previous years is making way for more performance-based art. The non-verbal theme will fit nicely with the goal of attracting an international audience, and quite a few well-known attractions, including NANTA, circus performances, and puppets. Attractions are scattered around Yeouido Hangang Park, Seoul Square (across from Seoul Station), and Cheonggye Square. For more information, check out the official English-language site.

May 6-8: World DJ Festival – it’s so popular, Seoul can’t contain it. The newer, bigger venue in Yangpyeong (eastern Gyeonggi-do, closest to Yangpyeong station on the Jungang line) Performing this weekend: Dada Life (Sweden), Blatta & Inesha (Italy), D’Jamency (France), Jesse Jamz (USA), Freemasons (UK), Lazy Rich (Canada), Will Bailey (UK), Shut Da Mouth (Korea), 2E Love, House Rulez, Oriental Funk Stew, Freakhouze, East Collective, Clubber Langz, DJ Shai, UJN & Nova, MazestiK aka InnuRoh, Roem, Triple House, Soolee, Inside Core, Limzi, DJ AB, Bada Lehner, Mackay, Planet Shiver, DJ Rubato, Lee Sangeun, Wiretap in My Ear, Guckasten, Dok2, The Quiett, Rude Paper, Garion, 45 rpm, Soul Company, DJ INgram, DJ Nega, DJ Pandol, The Z, and many more. Seven stages. Their site has an English section, as well as a Facebook page.

May 7: pick something up from the First Saturday Flea Market, put on by the Seorae Global Village Center. If you have something to sell, registration is free, but must be done by the DAY BEFORE. Call 02-2155-8915 or email [email protected] to learn more.

May 7: Mozart “Requiem”, Quintana’s “Mass From Two Worlds”. Mozart’s last and unfinished work was completed by one of his students. Enjoy it because it’s beautiful classical music reminding us of our mortality, or because you’d prefer to get away from the Hongdae / Itaewon crowds for a night. 15,000 in advance, 25,000 at the door. Chung-dong First Methodist Church near City Hall. Learn more at Camarata Music Company’s website.

May 7-8 (12pm-8:30pm): Make some new chingu at the Seoul Friendship Fair. While the official offerings are everything from performances and art to street events, the World Food Court is perhaps the best reason to go. Don’t even think about eating before you come – there are dozens of food trucks, each offering respective country’s delicacies. Alcohol from around the world is around to help you wash it down as well. Seoul Plaza (i.e. that big piece of grass in front of City Hall).

May 11-14: The World IT show – because you know your inner geek needs to come out and see what’s happening in the real world every now and then. COEX mall, halls A, C, and D. http://www.worlditshow.co.kr/eng/

May 14-15: 2nd Green Plugged Festival. Jaurim, Crying Nut, No Brain, Lee Han Choul, Huckleberry Finn, Tacopy, Paris Match (Japan), Superkidd, Mongni, Guckkasten, Ibadi, W&Whale, Winterplay, Daybreak, Lee Jang Hyuk, Lee JiHyung, Sohee, Anyang Bada, Dearcloud, Ynot?, Galaxy Express, Common Ground, Serengeti, Eve, Wiretap in My Ear, Naru, Gogo Star, Yaya, Soran, Dot, Ruby Star, and many more. 88,000 won sounds like a lot, but you know how much it costs to feed those musicians, not to mention new guitar strings and drumsticks. See http://greenplugged.com/ for more.

May 14: Time for a Flash Freeze with Improv Korea! Starting around 4:30pm in Insa-dong, be prepared to freeze in place, not meet anyone before-hand, and create a scene for the enjoyment of locals! Wear red and be prepared to have a good time! For more information, check out the Facebook event page.

May 14: Belly dancing! Specifically, the World Bellydancing Day Korea. Plenty of bellies moving around in classic fashion, raising money for Korean Women’s Association United (KWAU) and Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center (KSVRC). An amateur show is at 5pm (admission: 5,000 won), while a two-hour show of professionals starts at 7pm (admission: 44,000 won). Oriental House Theater in Seongbuk-gu. See the Facebook event page for more.

May 21: it’s that time of year again – the Haebangchon Festival returns to central Seoul. The twice-a-year indie music festival features the local artists of Haebangchon. They’re not world-famous names, but the atmosphere is convivial and full of energy. For more information, check out the official website.

May 22-29: Chuncheon Mime Festival – all jokes aside, this is becoming more internationally recognized, and performers will hail from around the world. For more information, check out the official page.

May 26-29: The Ulsan Whale Festival – unless you’re interesting in building ships, you probably haven’t had a reason to visit Ulsan until now. Check out the traditional whale fishing, a whale singing competition, and my favorite, the whale cake-making. This sounds a lot like a county fair back in the US. Don’t forget about making whale ice sculptures… in May… For more information, check out the official English website.

May 28, June 4, and June 11: You Are Not Alone: Cabaret for Good will run for 3 Saturday nights at 8:00 pm at Club After Mainstage in Itaewon. This show, in addition to being a lot of fun for performers and audience, will be a fundraiser for three charities – Habitat for Humanity, the House of Sharing, and Japan disaster relief. Plenty of classics and songs you’ll probably be singing along with – and the won goes to a good cause. For more information, check out seoulplayers.com.

May 31 (DEADLINE): DEADLINE for play submissions, director applications, and collaborative project proposals
Date: MAY 31 2011. Email to info AT seoulplayers.com with TEN MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL SUBMISSION in the subject

DIRECTORS – please submit a resume and a paragraph or two detailing your directing style and what you’d hope to get out of directing for the festival. First time directors are encouraged to apply! DEADLINE: May 31, 2011

PLAYWRIGHTS – plays must be 10 minutes or shorter. You may submit 1 or 2 plays. DEADLINE: MAY 31, 2011

This post was originally published on my blog ,Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.

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2nd Green Plugged Festival. Jaurim, Crying Nut, No Brain, Lee Han Choul, Huckleberry Finn, Tacopy, Paris Match (Japan), Superkidd, Mongni, Guckkasten, Ibadi, W&Whale, Winterplay, Daybreak, Lee Jang Hyuk, Lee JiHyung, Sohee, Anyang Bada, Dearcloud, Ynot?, Galaxy Express, Common Ground, Serengeti, Eve, Wiretap in My Ear, Naru, Gogo Star, Yaya, Soran, Dot, Ruby Star, and many more.

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Strange Things of Korea : Sculpture Parks, Part 3 (해신당공원)

Another scultpure park, this time entirely penis-themed. You can find in Samcheok. The origin of the wooden penis statues displayed in the park lays in a local legend. Here's an English version of the legend I found on the Korean tourism agency website:

Legend of Aebawi and Haesindang – There once lived a young maid who was engaged. One day, the maid took her husband’s boat out to sea to harvest seaweed. Her husband dropped her off at a rock that was at a distance from the beach. After promising to pick her up later, he returned to the beach to do his work. Later, the weather changed, and brought with it strong winds and pummeling waves. The man couldn’t rescue his wife and she ultimately drowned. Since then, the village people caught no fish and some said that it was because of the dead maid. To soothe the spirit of the dead maid, the village people made several wooden carvings and held religious ceremonies on her behalf. After a while, the fish slowly returned and the villagers were able to live comfortably again. The place where the maid died was named Aebawi Rock and the building where the religious ceremony is held twice a year was named Haesindang. The ceremony is still honored today as a traditional folk event.

*EDIT*

Someone asked for the translation of the writings on the last sculpture. It says :

해신당의 전설 : The legend of Haeshindang

남근 숭배문화와 설화 : The narrative and culture of penis worshipping

(I think the story mentioned above must be engraved on the other side of the sculpture)

*EDIT*

And here are some pictures: