미지센터의 청소년 국제교류이야기

Five youth center researchers from Palestine visited MIZY Center. They are Palestine youth experts on course of training of Korean youth centers with support from Youth Research Center of Soonchunhyang University, KOICA and more, whom are putting their effort in order to establish a regional school and youth center for Palestinian youth.

On April 18th, the researchers visited MIZY Center and were introduced MIZY and MIZY’s programs, while sharing various opinions on managing cultural exchange programs for youth. Since their arrival on the 8th, they are scheduled to visit more diverse youth centers in Korea such as National Youth Policy Institute, National Youth Center of Korea, Korea Youth Work Agency, Soonchunhyang University and etc. for 20 days, in attempt to seek detailed methods to support youth in Hebron, Palestine.

Last year, Jamie Oliver, a young cook from Britain became the winner of TED2010, after giving an eighteen-minute talk on the the need to “teach every child about food.” The TED2010’s theme was “What the World Needs Now,”and many people, along with Jamie Oliver hadgiven speeches on what they think is the most urgent matter for the world and suggested ideas to solve the problem.
 

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

TED, short for Technology Entertainment and Design, is a non-profit organization that has the goal of disseminating “ideas worth spreading.” It holds a set of conferences every year, putting forth a theme that covers a range of different ideas concerning culture, science, and humanity. TED, where many people with the same goal of bettering the humanity’s lives, also encourages formation of relationships. This encouragement is based on TED’s belief that larger number can make come true something that one person can only hope for.

The spread does not stop here; TEDx events are furthering the spread even more. The ‘x’ of TEDx means “independently organized TED events.” TED-like events are held by communities, organizations, or individuals in the hope of advancing TED’s mission of disseminating “ides worth spreading.”

 Interview with Evangelist Han-Seok Ryu of TEDxSeoul

There are numerous TEDx

How did TEDxSeoul start?

I (Ryu) personally started as a translator of the TED videos. I watched one or two of them, and I thought that they were really worth spreading to people around me. The wish to spread TED led me to actually organize TEDx with others who had the same passion as me, finally culminating in the formation of TEDxSeoul. The team formed initially in June of 2009 and held the first event in the same year November. We held two more events last year, and during that time 60 more TEDx’s formed around the nation. This level of enthusiasm had never been witnessed by the TED community until now, even at the global arena.

You two went to the original TED conference in California last year. What was it like and how did it “inspire” you?

Many famous people attended such as Bill Gates and Jason Mraz. But this really is not the important part. The real charm was the love for humanity that existed in the heart of everything and everyone. Obviously, the knowledge and ideas you can get from just watching the video, so it was attending the conference itself that could provide something that really mattered. The conference was special in the sense that you can communicate with these people and really “share” the idea. TED is a very expensive conference, and people sacrifice so much to “meet” and develop relationships with others who have the same zeal for humanity. One memorable comment by one of the attendees was, “I feel relieved to find out through TED that leaders from around the world have such caring minds and hearts.

There are so many TEDx events happening around the world. We really cannot expect what we will end up with them, but one thing for sure is that it will be amazing.

There are also students and teenagers who have great interest in bettering the humanity. How do you think they could participate in TED activities?

There are many ways students can participate. Since TED spreads ideas, we have a natural interest in education. We think much about how TEDx could affect education, and one of the projects that work on this part is the “TED ED”(http://education.ted.com/). Moreover, there are many TEDxYouth events being held around the globe, such as the TEDxYouth@Tokyo and TEDxYouth@Seoul. Usually, such youth events are carried out by students with assist from teachers.

We heard that there have been two or so events held in Korea until now. Learning by book and lectures is not enough now. Getting to realize who you are and what you are passionate about through experiencing diverse activities is the real learning. In this sense, organizing and participating in TEDxYouth events yourself will be worth it for sure.

What do you think is the TEDxSeoul’s ultimate goal in Korea?

TEDxSeoul’s mission is “Inspire. Share. Change.” This means to bring to surface the many hidden inspirations, and spread them to people around us, so that we can make even the smallest changes to this world. Change starts from the inside. When we decide “I need to do something,” this is when the change
starts. Like Mahatma Gandhi once said “be the change you want to see in the world.” We are just hoping that our small changes will aggregate into a bigger one.
  

If you wish to meet the “ideas worth spreading”, or want to spread yours, below are the links to TED homepage ,TEDxSeoul homepage, and TEDxYouth homepage:

TED: www.ted.com

TEDxSeoul: www.tedxseoul.com

TEDxYouth@Seoul: http://www.tedxyouthseoul.com/

(Photo provided by Medipeace)
 

 Tens and hundreds of high school students gathered in Korea University, to hear an assistant professor Yong Jin Kwon, MD., MPH, Office of Healthcare Policy, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, share his hard-earned experiences in March 26^th, 2011. This lecture was the first to open the Chung-chul-au-ram(청출어람) project, conducted by Medipeace, a medical NGO to provide medical aids to foreign countries. The project is consisted of 6 speakers, all of them who are thought to contribute to the international society. Its purpose lies on educating students who wishes to be raised in a global scale. Six speakers are scheduled to give presentation for six months, one speaker per month. 
  

 Professor Kown's lecture started with a comment on Koreans as global citizens. “Koreans have very strong sense of nationality. However, many of us fail to see that we are Koreans among citizens of the Universe.”  He continued his lecture with what kind of attitude a global minded doctor should have. He believes life is considered worthwhile when people find in need of themselves.

 

 On the other hand, visiting less developed nations to provide medical support gave him courage as a doctor. For example, in Uzbekistan, medical systems and equipments were fragile. When he was going through a heart surgery, the air conditioner stopped and the heart temperature began to rise, which is highly dangerous. He ordered nurses to grind ice and lay them occasionally on the patient’s heart. The surgery ended sucessfully and the patient was able to save his life.

 He told that such method was also practiced only two decades ago in Korea. He added, “If doctors from the U.S. or Japan came here to proceed the same surgery in the same condition, they would have refused to finish, because they believe it is unethical to handle the heart any other ways.” Korea is positioned in a more understanding situation in that of developing nations’. “True doctors are the ones throwing themselves away in the front line. Doctor themselves should be there to look after 10 million people. Doctors should always be near people who are suffering. ”

 Lastly, he emphasized the meaning of volunteering. “Volunteering is only meaningful when the recipient of the benefit feels they have received help and are grateful.”

 With his heart-warming lessons, students gave him a round of applause, because most Korean students were only busy trying to use their volunteer hours for college applications.

 Students anticipated that natural disasters will occur more frequently, population will duplicate in a fast rate, which will lead to other problems - social instability and overwhelming concentration. Hopefully nations will agree on a consensus of taking responsibility upon the damages done to the environment, but the possibility seemed feeble to the students.

 Lee Yeh Sol(19), a participant from Haeseong Girl’s High School, told that her dream is to become a CEO. She believes when running a company, it is necessary to own flexible eyes towards the contemporary issues, which is one of the virtues of entrepreneurialism. After hearing the lecture, she said she became more aware of the issues that seemed not at all related to her before.

 “I truly feel like I am not only a citizen of South Korea, but also a contributing member of the universe. I would like to encourage all students participate in this program. Students could indirectly experience the world not so familiar, and further broaden insights on the issues as students share their thoughts through discussions and debates."

 Professor Kwon's inspiring lecture is only a start of Medipeace's project, Chung-chul-au-ram. There will be more chances for youth who are interested in broadening their thoughts over bettering the world. Five more lectures will be presented, and the scheduled lecture and lecturers will be the following:

New Writing Style: Portraying with the Headlight on One’s Car

“My work every day is first to write as well as I can, to get better as a writer, as opposed to “representing” anything/anyone in particular, or speaking for a particular group. “

                                                                        -Sonya Chung   

           Many people ask Sonya Chung, the writer of Long for This World, “How can you survive as a Korean-American writer in the land of United States?” She answers with determination that it is her writing that identifies her work; not her race. Indeed, Chung is correct. It is her writing that defines the characters of Sonya Chung as a writer. Her unique, yet soft style of writing has captured many readers’ hearts through her first novel, Long for This World.

           Sonya Chung’s debut novel Long for This World starts by two brothers after the Korean War-one deciding to be Korean and the other deciding to be Korean-American. The story starts from the point of the brother who has immigrated to the United States in the decision to becoming Korean-American, Han Hyun-ku.  His daughter, Jane, and he unexpectedly go to Korea after 40 years in the U.S. The story progresses by showing Korea-Americans trying to fit in the Korean society. They are awkward of the unfamiliar cultures and struggle to understand. Later the story moves on to the perspective of other characters and each character tells the story of how they are trying to fit in this family and the new world. Based on Sonya Chung’s own experiences of visiting Korea herself as a Korea-American, the story is told in lively languages. Her experiencing of visiting Korea has inspired to her write this novel. After all, she is a Korean-American herself.

Reasons why people need to pay attention to Sonya Chung

Many people are probably not familiar with Sonya Chung and her work yet, since she is a new-comer to the world of novels. However, her soft yet vivid use of language is receiving many attentions from the literature world in the United States. She has been the recipient of Pushcart Prize nomination, the Charles Johnson Fiction Award, and the Bronx Council on the Arts Writers’ Fellowship & Residency. Her strategy of writing in a step-by-step process is well praised by many people. Chung said that her writing will not feel like looking at the whole society on a sunny evening. Instead she said that the reader will probably feel like driving through a dark foggy night with only the headlights on. As the headlight only shines a little at a time, so does her writing as she portrays the characters’ mentalities. As well as she expands the psychology of characters, she introduced the Korean cultures to many Americans. At her meeting with fans at the University of Maryland Ulrich Recital Hall, American readers said that they have been able to learn about new Korean cultures through her novel. Today, she speaks of her work and exposes her hopes that Long for This World would get more popular in Korea; popular enough for someone to translate into Korean.  

Photo Credit: Robin Holland

Q. Could you introduce yourself to us?  

A. I am Sonya Chung, a writer and writing teacher living in New York City. I was born in Washington, DC, and have lived in Maryland, Seattle, and New York.  My first novel, LONG FOR THIS WORLD, was published (by Scribner) in March 2010.  My parents were both born in S. Korea; they emigrated to the U.S. in the mid 1960s.

Q. Why did you decide to write a novel based on a Korean and Korean-American Family in 'Long for this world’?

A. The initial inspiration for LONG FOR THIS WORLD was in 2002, when I visited Korea for the first time.  I was meeting relatives I’d never met before and seeing the places where my parents grew up.  In a small town near Pusan, one of my aunts (by marriage) was playing tour guide and hosting me, and I found her to be an intriguing woman.  She wasn’t very talkative, and because my Korean is not very good we didn’t communicate very well in words; but something about her intrigued me.  She had a quiet competence about her, a bit of mystery.  I wondered who she was and if she had a story.  (My family both didn’t know much about her background, and didn’t talk about it – I think this was because she is not a blood relative, and because she is a woman, her identity subordinate to her husband.)  So I started writing the part of LONG FOR THIS WORLD that takes place in Korea, and I imagined a story for a woman like my aunt.  

The Korean American part of the story was also there from the beginning.  I knew that the novel would be about the interesting relationships between immigrants and their native place, and that there would be parallel stories in Korea and the US which would collide/converge in some way.  In addition, I knew that Jane, the Korean American main character, would be someone who had traveled a lot, who was worldly (in the novel she is a photojournalist); I wanted the story to encompass more than just Korea and the US.

 
Q. Does being Korean have any kinds of effects on your writer life in American? (Positive or negative)

A. It’s hard to know what the effects are.  There is a wonderful Asian American writer’s community in New York, and across the country, which I am fortunate to be a part of.   Also, I think a positive aspect is that many American readers are interested in stories of cultures that are different from their own – writers like Chang-rae Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith, and Junot Diaz, for example, has a very wide readership in the US.  For the most part, though, I think of myself as a writer, not primarily a “Korean American writer.”  Which is to say that my work every day is first to write as well as I can, to get better as a writer, as opposed to “representing” anything/anyone in particular, or speaking for a particular group.    

 
Q.  Have you ever read any Korean literatures? If yes, what book and what do you think about it? If no, do you have any interest in Korean literatures?

A. I have wanted to read Hwang Sun-won’s work, and I am excited that Shin Kyung-sook’s work is now being translated into English.  (Unfortunately, I don’t read Korean well enough to read literature in Korean.)  Also, there is a book that was written about my great grandfather, Song Chang-keun, who was a well-known theologian; I wish I could read that book, or that someone would translate it!

 Q. How did you become a writer in America? Was there any hardships?

A. It was, and is, very challenging.  For immigrant families, the job of a writer is one that seems unstable and unfamiliar.  Many Koreans emigrate to the US with the hopes that their children will do well academically, professionally, and financially.  A writer’s life is not as easily accepted as that of a doctor, or an engineer, or a lawyer, for instance.  So the decision to become a writer was somewhat lonely for me; it wasn’t something that my family quite understood or for which they could offer much support.  

In addition, when you are starting out as a writer, and even later after you’ve published a book, it is very difficult to make a living from your writing.  So you have to always be figuring out ways to earn income while also writing books and stories.  These things are always in competition, i.e. your “job” and your writing.  In 2006, after I’d been working on LONG FOR THIS WORLD for two years, I quit my full-time job because I felt I needed time and space to finish the novel.  This was a big risk, and an anxious time, because I didn’t know if I could finish it, and I didn’t know if I could get it published.  I was happy and relieved that I was able to do both.

Lastly, writing itself is very difficult; it requires so much patience, and solitude, and you are always facing the blank page, figuring out how to tell your story.  It never really gets easier, and in many ways it gets harder.


 
Q.  Can you give words of cheers to anyone that is deeply interested in being a writer like you?
 
A. I would say: 1) Read a lot, read all the time, read the best writers; reading is your best teacher 2) Expect difficulties.  Writing well is difficult, getting published is difficult, getting your book to be recognized can be extremely difficult.  3) Because it’s difficult, you should pursue writing only if you love it, if you are someone who feels you MUST do it in order to fulfill your sense of purpose and your sense of yourself in the world.  The writing itself is its own reward; everything else is somewhat out of your control, so you can’t count on it.  Good luck!

This interview has been done by e-mail through the MIZY youth reporter MinKyung Kim and Sonya Chung.

Super Korean Power Dazzling Greatly by “Stars”

 “Obba, obba!”

 
    Tens of thousands of fascinated teen girls with blushed pink-rose cheeks scream out their idol’s names as loud and high as they can with their best soprano voices. Crowded Korean restaurants full of customers of different looks shouting out the same name for their meals. These are some of the results of nowadays’ ‘Han-ryu’, which is ‘a colossal hurricane of Korean cultures’ capturing and intriguing innumerable global fans, especially here in China.

     By the January of 2011, in a book store in Nanjing, China, a book called “동방신기- 신이 세상에 준 기적 (东方神起- 神遗落在人间的奇迹, TVXQ- The miracle God granted to the world) recorded the Top 1 bestseller. The book is about the past seven years Korean top Han-ryu group band “동방신기”(English abbreviation: TVXQ) has lived as singers and stars. Despite of different nationalities, Chinese readers passionately purchased the biographies. “The sales rates between TVXQ’s book and the Top2 best seller book differ very much. It is the first time to see customers being so excited over the biographies of singers,” said Fensiwang, a Chinese web portal site. “Some customer still asks the publisher about TVXQ’s biography.” 

 

 

                                       <The Miracle God granted to the World> ranked No.1 bestseller book

 

      TVXQ's 7-year biography, <The miracle God granted to the world> on the web site of Hunan wenyi publisher.

My “Short Han-Ryu Journey” on a Weekend

                                     Countless Korean characters seen anywhere in Beijing 

     As a Korean high school student who have dwelled here in Beijing for five years, I could feel the heat and passion of ‘the Han ryu effect’ in my daily life. While strolling along a street in Beijing, I encountered “삼겹살”(Sam gyup sal, Korean barbecue), “노래연습장” (No rae yeon seup jang, Karaoke) and “한국 화장품”(Han guk hua jang poom, Korean cosmetics) written on numbers of places. As I entered one of “Korean” buildings, a man’s eye full of confidence immediately captured my attention. “The Best, 2011 Rain Asia Tour Concert”, the poster of a Korean singer Rain’s concert was attached to the wall. With slight laughter, soon I could see several Chinese customers at “Casting”, a Korean beauty salon satisfyingly receiving hairdressing services.

                                       The combination of Korean characters and Chinese characters

To the way back home, a familiar melody of a song called “Gee” by Korean girl band “Girl’s Generation” merrily entered my ears. This was not even an amazement, since I even have heard of the more brand-new Korean song in a local Chinese village, isolated from the foreign influence. After having passed by “Artbox”(Korean stationery brand) and “Paris Baguette”(Korean bakery brand) full of customers, I got home. With a slight sigh in coziness, I turned on computer and surfed on the most popular and well-known Chinese video web sites, “Tudou” and “Youku”. With a curiosity, I typed “韩国” (Han guo, means “Korea” in Chinese) on both sites. Tudou came up with 329,812 videos, 108,945 of them related to entertainment. Youku showed up with 404,660 videos, which is even more than Tudou.

 Han-Ryu Molten into My Friends’ lives

“Anything ‘Korean’ is always awesome!”

Fei, my best friend in the same class with me from Macau is an enormous fan of Korea, infected by the ‘Han-ryu effect’ her friends offered her. Fei has lived in Beijing and several other Chinese cities for the most of her life. She has been influenced by Korean influences in her surrounding circumstances. She is particularly crazy with Korean food and clothes. “Korean food is extremely yummy! I love the kimchi your mom makes. Korean moms are excellent at cookery, really!” Fei got trapped into Han-ryu hurricane without any intentional purposes. Although she did not have any Korean friends before, via her Chinese classmates, she fell in love with Korea. “All of my Chinese classmates are accustomed to Korean products. I naturally got influenced by them. I often go out and grab the ones from Korean clothes shops and stationery stores.”

Beaming her blue eyes and blond hair, Eri from France got particularly excited with the talks over Korean celebrities and songs. She just came to my school in Beijing this semester. Eri emphasized, although she has lived in New York, Shanghai, Beijing and so many other cities, her only passion has been Korea. “I love Korean celebrities, especially! I love ‘Wonder Girls’(A Korean girl band) and their songs. When I lived in Shanghai, all my best friends were Koreans and they invited me to the ‘Han-ryu’ world.” Having glanced at her pinky i-Pod touch, numbers of Korean characters could be seen. “Oh, almost half of the songs in my i-touch are Korean. I don’t listen to French music at all.” Unable to understand such thought as a Korean, I asked Eri why she does not even look at her home country’s stars and music. “Koreans have their own unique styles. They have diversity of attractions to watch, feel and listen to. I especially love such creative and interesting Korean pop-dances! These are the reasons why I am fond of Korean culture.”

 Asking “Korea”

     Via the popularity of Korean cultures and via their Korean friends, numbers of my buddies from China, France, USA, Japan, Singapore, Hong kong, South Africa and so on often get opportunities to encounter Han-ryu. For such reason, I surveyed my friends from my class!

Korea makes me think of…

l  Hard-working students at academies after school!

l  TV shows, movies and dramas!

l  Plastic surgery!

l  Fashion, make-up, stylish hair-styles and lovely items!

l  Karaoke bars!

l  Korean food, especially Kimchi, kimbob, tteokbokki and Korean barbecue!

l  Parents who decide children’s future (excessive emphasis on education)!

l  Polite youngsters!

l  Patriotism!

l  Small land with good climate!

l  Busy people with their works or studies!

 
“When wandering around the shops and stores, you can see most of the Chinese women purchasing Korean make-up equipments, lotions, creams, clothes and accessories,” said Ms. Wu, my Chinese teacher in thirties. “Generally, my friends and neighbors love Korean electronics and cosmetics. I agree that they have high-quality.

A housewife shopkeeper working at “한국미”(Han guk mi, a Korean accessories brand) answered, “I also like Korean accessories. Do you see how these jewels are so equally and firmly embedded?” She kindly explained about the style and quality of Korean products.

 

                                          Korean characters written on products; wrong term


Han-Ryu, Keep Moving On!

There is a Chinese word “哈韩”. Pronounced as ‘Ha han’, its definition goes: “A colossal fan of Korea whose life is full of everything related to Korea”. It is not a false that I actually have seen numbers of ha-hans here in Beijing. Holding up LG mobile phones, spraying Misha perfumes and listening to Rain’s (A world-widely very well-known Korean singer and actor) songs, countless people from my school, neighbors and Beijing citizens have asked me about Korea with sparkling curiosity in their eyes. By now, it is no exaggeration that Korea has offered fresh style of life, fashion, entertainment, eating, and interests to Chinese people’s everyday life and much.

Seoul Youth Center for Cultural Exchange ‘MIZY’ has published new brochures for MIZY Center and its programs.

The MIZY Center brochure, refreshing with its green cover, provides detailed description of MIZY Center as well as the information on the center’s core values and public facilities. With combination of colorful pictures and the delicate design, the brochure is recreated with visual fun.

Regarding the MIZY Program Guide 2011, the brochure includes simple information on MIZY Center, along with 8 programs from Multicultural Education Programs and 5 programs from External Relations Programs. The provision of various images of each program increases the understanding of the programs. In addition, the brochure is published in English in order for foreigners who are interested in programs of MIZY.

The new brochures of MIZY can be found at the center.

< Statistics from the Korea Tourism Organization Website (http://kto.visitkorea.or.kr/)>

             According to the survey taken by Korea Tourism Organization, tourists were satisfied by unique Korean culture – they gave 4.3 out of 5. However, they were disappointed by lack of shopping opportunity in Korea: shopping scored 3.8 which was the lowest. Many found the language issue as the reason; tourists often do not know how to speak Korean and average Korean does not speak fluent English.

             One day, a Korean American friend of mine, who was suffering from the same language problem, asked me for help. She has been studying in North Carolina, the United States and visited Korea during the Spring break. It was her second time visiting Korea, and she wanted me to guide her around Seoul. She said, “I want to play around Seoul just like average Korean girls in 20s.” So we decided to make a plan focused on “eating, playing, and shopping.” The following was our plan: Sinchon, Chunggye cheon, N-Seoul Tower, and Myeongdong.

             Guiding my friend in Seoul was a challenging task because Seoul is not yet a good tourism site – only 4.7% of 506 foreigners living in Seoul answered that they want to tour Seoul (2010 fall statistics from Korean Tourism Organization). In other words, entertainment in Seoul is more targeted to Koreans. I wanted to take my friend to either Dongdaemun or Daehakro where she could see collected shops and theatres respectively. But since we only had a day, we decided to follow the green subway line, the line number 2.

First Hot Spot: Sinchon

                                              <Image from Korean Tourism Organization Website>
             

Sinchon is not only home of Yonsei University or Ewha Womans University but also to spirited college students. It is college students’ one of the most favorite entertainment spot. There are both large shopping malls and small shops. Any girl can buy whatever she wants: clothes, cosmetics, and accessories.

             At Sinchon, I took my friend to the shopping street around Ewha Womans University because the shops sell diverse clothes in affordable price. Also, I wanted her to shop like average college freshmen who do not have affluent money but wish to be fashionable. Furthermore, I took her to cafés around Sinchon and Hongik University. Between Sinchon and Hongik University, you can easily find colorful, unique cafés. I wanted to take her to my favorite café where you can buy a bowl sized hot chocolate, but the room was filled by the time we arrived there.

 

Second Hot Spot: Chunggyecheon and N Seoul Tower

 

             In order to arrive at Chunggyecheon and N Seoul Tower, we took the subway to the Seoul City Hall. We walked along Chunggyecheon to N Seoul Tower – we walked roughly half an hour. Chunggyecheon and N Seoul Tower is not an amazing entertainment center. Yet, the two are the symbols of Seoul. Chunggye cheon, which is located near the Seoul City Hall, is a manmade stream. It symbolizes the harmony between the city and nature. In the meanwhile, you could look down the Seoul from N Seoul Tower, the first electric wave tower.

             Chunggyecheon and N Seoul Tower intrigued my friend a lot. She seemed to be fascinated by observing the Seoul in one look.   

 

Third Hot Spot: Myeongdong

                                                   <Image from Korean Tourism Organization Website>

             My friend enjoyed Myeongdong the most because she bought all the souvenirs for her family in the United States and for herself. I recommend to visit Myeongdong during weekdays since it gets heavily crowded during the weekends; if you have enough time and money, it is a good place to shop and play.

/MIZY Youth Reporters Yeongran Ahn