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40Summit Diplomacy 
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34Sports
 a Lgdry hdll Scrr Y Kyug-si
32Now in Korea
 K-p Dc d  music Clsss fr ovrss Visirs
38Gloal Korea
Culurl prrsi Iiiiv
36Special Issue
t 2012 Kr Fsivl i brzil 
30festival
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®
Wrld  Flklrid 2012 i asg 
16People
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12Pen & brush
 a msr i Kroril piig Sg S-
22Seoul
 mygdg Sul’s #1 Sig  Disric 
26Travel
Clrd i auu buyCugju Lk
20Great Korean
Crgrr  Ki Jg-
45flavor
Sgu Gui
Salt-Grilled Shellsh
42Entertainment
t Gl’s G wi“Gg Syl” pSY  
46My Korea
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49Learn Korean
 I ik  dcs wll.
contents
october 2012 Vol.8 no.10
02
Cover Story 
 
K-Literature
Korean LiteratureReaches Outto A Wider Audience
Key Themes inKorean LiteraturebookRecommendations y four Amassadors toKorea
Cover 
Chaekgado045PArchival Pigment Print120cm×100cm2010Soosik Lim
National Foundation Day of Korea
Gaecheonjeol 
October 3 is the day when Koreans celebrate the foundation of Gojoseon, the rst state of the Korean
Peninsula. Gojoseon was founded by Dangun on October 3 by the lunar calendar in 2333 BCE. The Koreanname of this day is
Gaecheonjeol
 , which literally means “the day when the heavens opened.” According tomyth, Hwanung, son of Supreme Deity Hwanin, came down to Earth and founded Sinsi, the City of God,at the top of Mt. Baekdusan. Hwanung begat a son and named him Dangun, who became the progenitorof the Korean nation. Originally, gaecheon (opening of heavens) symbolically referred to the foundation of 
Sinsi, the rst human settlement, which was destined to become Gojoseon.
The Republic of Korea promulgated the Act on National Holidays on October 1, 1949, stipulating thatNational Foundation Day shall be commemorated on October 3 by the solar calendar. Koreans refer to theera starting with Dangun’s ascension to the throne as Dangi. So, this year, 2012 CE, is 4345 Dangi, and thisyear’s Gaecheonjeol is the 4344
th
.
On Gaecheonjeol, households and public oces hoist the Taegeukgi, the national ag of the Republic of 
Korea, while the government holds a ceremony. In addition, Cheonje, a ritual of worship for Cheonsin, theGod of Heaven, is held at the summits of Mt. Manisan and Mt. Taebaeksan.
 
3
Kora Ltratur:Uqu but Ural
A
lthough such terms as ‘Korean literature in the world,’ ‘Korean literature as worldliterature’, and ‘Globalizing Korean literature’ have been in existence for some time,they have only recently emerged as issues worthy of concrete and practical discussions. In thetwentieth-century’s quest for modernity, Korean literature welcomed a variety of stimulations
and inuences from diverse literary traditions in the West. Twentieth-century Korean literaturedepicts a dramatic conict between the legacy of Korean traditional literature and ventures intothe realm of modernity induced by the shock of Western literature. Korean literature of today
rejects categorization as unfamiliar works from one particular corner of East Asia, but keenlyseeks to communicate with a wider audience worldwide.In order to understand the ongoing globalization of Korean literature
and its signicance in terms of national identity, it is crucial to note three
overriding themes found across the works of Korean writers from theprevious century: ‘history and memory’, ‘family’, and ‘love.’
These thematic concerns served as a vehicle for transporting
Korean modern literature from the domain of traditions to
modernism and postmodernism. The three themes, which
can be found in most other literary traditions, have beendistinctively illustrated within the sphere of twentieth-century Korean society, and thus reveal more about both the universality and the distinctiveness of Koreanliterature than any other matter. Literary expressionsof Korea’s turbulent history have been made possiblethrough exploring ‘history and memory.’ ‘Family’,as the smallest unit of community, successfullyencapsulates Korea’s dynamic social changes. Inaddition, readers witness that ‘love’ has been aunique central emotion in the midst of all the trialsand tribulations of Korean modern society.In the future, Korean writers will continue
their eorts to give voice to many universal
concerns of human existence, thereby further
arming the rightful place of Korean literaturein the global literary rmament.
korea october 2012
2
COVER STORY
The turbulent history o the last century and the rapid road tomodernization sculpted the unique characteristics o modernKorean literature which is depicted by three distinct themes: ‘historyand memory’, ‘amily’, and ‘love’. These themes are universal inother literary traditions worldwide, but within Korean literaturethey are the values that refect the innate sentiments o the Koreanpeople and the phases o society.
 KOREA
will guide you throughthe sentiments and ideology o Korean literature with notable worksby Korean writers that represent each theme.
Collaboration between Korean Culture and Information Service andLiterature Translation Institute of Korea / photographs by Lee Jin-ja
K-Literature
Kora Ltratur Rah Outto A Wdr Aud
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