Park Chan-wook's "Thirst" the Novel

"Thirst" 박쥐
Park Chan-wook and others
That Book: 270 pp., 12,000 won


Award-winning director Park Chan-wook is making headlines with his upcoming film ``Thirst,’’ and presents the book version, co-written with scriptwriter Jeong Seo-gyeong and novelist Choi In.

``This piece was inspired by Emile Zola’s `Therese Raquin’ and is a product of two countries, three centuries and four authors,’’ Park introduces his book.

The book reads quickly and easily even though it is replete with lush, descriptive details in depicting the downfall of a man. Zola’s 19th-century realism and the Western vampire legend melt naturally and eerily into modern Korea.

Sang-hoon, a devout Catholic priest, risks his life to take part in a dangerous medical experiment. During the process he contracts mysterious blood and turns into a ravenous vampire. He starts breaking the 10 Commandments as he succumbs to his newly developed instincts, and what’s more, he becomes entangled in an affair with his friend’s wife, Tae-ju. Meanwhile, Tae-ju, sick of her hysterical mother-in-law and spineless husband, lures Sang-hoon into killing her husband.

The movie is slated for release April 30.

UK Journalist Illuminates 'Forgotten War'

Fifty-eight years ago on this very day, April 22, 1951, the Korean War (1950-53) had been blazing for almost a year, and U.N. forces were sure the war was won. The Imjin River front stood still in silence, as Britain's 29th Infantry Brigade stationed along this critical line was about to wrap things up. But catastrophe broke loose with the largest communist offensive of the war.

Outnumbered 7-1, the soldiers stood in desperation for three days. One particular battalion, the Glosters, was stranded in enemy territory and had to fight back-to-back until their ammunition was exhausted. ``That's why it's called `To The Last Round,''' said Andrew Salmon, a Seoul-based British journalist, about his new book on Tuesday. ``The Last Round: The Epic British Stand on the Imjin River, Korea 1951'' (Aurum London) is the first comprehensive account of the conflict with China and North Korea and is being translated to film by internationally renowned director Daniel Gordon.

``British forces have fought all over the world since the 1950s, but Imjin River remains the bloodiest battle since World War II. Of the brigade's 4,000 men, 1,091 were dead, wounded or captured… However, today in the United Kingdom this tragedy is almost forgotten,'' said the author. Back home, he said, military history is a popular genre but there are barely any books on the Korean War.

British journalist-author Andrew Salmon, right, appears at a press event in Seoul, Tuesday with Lee Kyung-sik, The Korea Post chairman, 77, who interpreted for British soldiers during the Korean War (1950-53). Salmon’s new book “To the Last Round” is the first to trace the United Kingdom’s bloodiest battle since World War II that took place in Korea in April 1951. -Korea Times Photo by Lee Hyo-won

The Korean War itself is dubbed ``the Forgotten War,'' sandwiched between Hitler's World War II and the politically-charged Vietnam War. ``This is an important book because the Korean War is being forgotten, and such a tragic war should never ever recur,'' said special guest Lee Kyung-sik, 77, who interpreted for British soldiers during the battle. He is one of the four Koreans that Salmon quotes extensively in the book. Lee had memorized 100 English words a day for survival, since the smallest misinterpretation could risk lives on the front. A former reporter for The Korea Herald, he is now the publisher-chairman of The Korea Post.

``For many people the war is still alive,'' said Salmon. He met one British veteran who was haunted by the vision of a Chinese soldier he had killed, and was ``exorcised'' only when he revisited Korea recently. One soldier, Sam Mercer, 22 at the time, volunteered for ``travel and adventure,'' and lost an eye and a leg and spent two and a half years in captivity. But the veteran said, ``I don't regret a moment,'' and Salmon knew he had ``a fantastic story.''

In this black and white photo from 1951 titled ``Send it to Marion,'' a British soldier, looking at the photo in the center, asked the photographer to take it 30 minutes prior to his death. Feeling the end at a close distance, he asked that the photo be sent to his wife Marion. -Courtesy of Andrew Salmon

Salmon spent two years onresearch, interviewing some 50 veterans in America, Canada, Ireland, Belgium, England and Korea, and browsing through the national archives in London, Washington and Korea. Gordon began filming in London last month and is now in Gloucester to capture the local cathedral's Gloster regimental chapel. One interesting relic is the stone ``Korean Cross,'' which the Gloster commanding officer carved during his 18 months of solitary confinement in a Chinese prison camp.

``After a trilogy of films in North Korea, this marks my debut in the South,'' Gordon, the first non-Korean filmmaker to shoot in the Stalinist state, was quoted as saying in a press release. ``Ever since Andrew told me about his project, I have been intrigued. When I read the men's personal stories I was blown away by their courage and what they had endured during this battle.''

The movie's main aim is to bring the surviving veterans of Imjin River to Korea. The addition of computer graphics and dramatic reenactment by actors will add to the budget.

The filmmakers are seeking private investment because South Korean governmental bodies refused to fund the movie, reasoning that ``the Korean War is not in line with the `brand image' (they) want to promote," Salmon said. ``I think if you want to understand how prosperous and free Korea is, you need to contrast it with the brutality and poverty of the war,'' he added.

``Korea is now a rich country, one of the richest countries in the world. To fully understand that, you have to contrast it with the way it was 50 years ago. That is a tremendous achievement by the Korean people. On a different angle, war is the greatest human drama. Much of the great poetry, literature and film are on the drama of war. I'm surprised Korea doesn't package its tourism toward the Korean War,'' he said.

The filmmakers hope the film will be ready to be screened by the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War next year. ``I truly hope the Korean government and society will unite to commemorate next year's 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. For next year will be the last significant event that living witnesses will be able to participate in,'' said Salmon.

``(`The Last Stand') is just one story of the Korean War. There are thousands of more stories that will die forever unless Korea also tells them,'' he continued. ``South Korea owes it to herself to remember this human tragedy with the appropriate scale and appropriate honor.''

Salmon covers the Koreas for Forbes, The South China Morning Post, The Times and The Washington Times and is the author of ``American Business and the Korean Miracle: U.S. Enterprises in Korea, 1866-the Present.'' He lives in Seoul with his wife Ji-young and daughter Hannah. For more information about ``To the Last Round,'' visit tothelastround.wordpres.com.

>> Read about another book on the Korean War, "Diary of a Boy Solider," which the author, now a retired doctor, wrote as a 17-year-old soldier in the war.

`Traditional Hanok Villages'

"The Spirit of Korean Cultural Roots 25: Traditional Hanok Villages"
by Oh Hong-seok
Ewha Womans University Press: 172 pp., 15,000 won

This comprehensive book presents different types of housings and buildings and their functions and characteristics within the context of the community. While detailed and full of colorful photographs, and covering a wide timeline across different Korean dynasties, the book is very compact.

The book begins by examining the development and decline of old capitals and goes on to introduce specialized villages such as the detached palace or regional fortress villages, those around shrines, mountains and seaside, and villages inhabited by scholars and grave keepers. The function and role of each are described.

The author shows that the tradition of a village is sustained in harmony with historical development but in other cases it changes and disappears. With the introduction of Western culture and belief in its superiority, rapid modernization took place, accelerating the decline of the traditional Korean village.

The Black Cat and Other Short Stories

By Edgar Allan Poe & illustrations by Luis Scafati
Translated from English to Korean by Kang Mi-kyung.
Munhak: 107 pp., 9,500 won

This is no storybook for children. Accompanied with Luis Scafati’s stylistic yet harrowing black and white drawings, Edgar Allan Poe’s horror stories make violent graphic novels for adults, such as ``Watchmen,’’ look rather tame.

This year marks the bicentennial of the birth of the late American writer (1809-49), and Munhak provides reliable Korean translations of ``The Black Cat,’’ ``The Pit and the Pendulum’’ and ``The Premature Burial.’’

Poe achieved fame posthumously. During his short lifetime he suffered from constant poverty, nervous breakdown, depression and inebriety. The short stories explore the dark side of human nature, from irrational rage to insanity, and dream up the greatest nightmares like being buried alive and flirting with death.

The line-by-line translation transports the reader into the macabre world of Poe.

Watchmen I & II (Limited Edition)

Alan Moore, illustrated by David Gibbons
Translated from English to Korean by Jung Ji-uk
Sigongsa: 210 pp., 14,000 won for each book

Along with Frank Miller (``Batman: The Dark Knight Returns''), Alan Moore is considered an iconic graphic novelist who initiated the 1980s trend of comics with adult sensibilities. Like his other masterwork, ``V for Vendetta,'' ``Watchmen'' has been adapted to the big screen, and the Korean translation is now available in time for the local release of the film.

``Watchmen'' is an atypical superhero story that begins with the death of a superhero. The narrative is non-linear and told from multiple points of view. The series is also noted for being visually experimental, with some pages being symmetrical, near-mirror images of one another.

The story is set during the Cold War, and superheroes fight against evil Nazis and Communists. But conflicts with local authorities force them to either retire or continue working under supervision. But when one of the heroes, Comedian, turns up dead, his former colleagues reunite to unravel the mystery.

This limited edition features the bright yellow Smile Version cover and full color pages.

I gotta go watch this movie... Directors like Park Chan-wook and Michael Kang flocked to theaters to catch it. I love noir comics like "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" but I find "Sin City" and such a bit too disturbing.

Sexuality in Joseon

Sexuality in Joseon
Jung Sung-hee; Garam: 312 pp., 13,000 won

The Joseon Kingdom (1310-1910) can be considered the Korean equivalent of the Victorian Age, when strict moral codes dictated society. ``Sexuality in Joseon’’ by historian Jung Sung-hee explores the hushed sexuality of the era.

The book details the prevalent Joseon (and thus Confucian) attitudes, customs and laws concerning marriage, chastity, virginity, adultery and prostitution, among other topics.

Yet interestingly, such a big sex scandal as that of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, would have been nothing. Had Clinton been a Joseon man, he could have had Lewinsky as a concubine in a society where male polygamy was not only accepted but also omnipresent. This sharply contrasts with Korea today, where extramarital affairs are outlawed.

It is a well-known fact that Joseon women were subject to harsh rules of chastity and conduct, both before and after marriage. The author points out that in pre-Joseon times, daughters inherited equally as their brothers. But in the Joseon era, as women lost economic power, they also lost rights regarding marriage and other aspects of life.

Jung argues that sexuality was a means of political control. While she does not reveal anything groundbreaking in suggesting the all-too familiar correlation between sex and power, the book is nevertheless an interesting and well-organized account of Joseon sexuality.

Love in the Time of Cholera

GENEVA, Jan 27, 2009 (AFP) - The death toll from the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe is approaching 3,000, with over 56,000 people infected by the disease, the latest statistics from the World Health Organization showed Tuesday.

The outbreak, which started in August, has killed 2,971 people and infected 56,123 others. The previous count released on Friday recorded 2,773 deaths and over 50,000 cases of infection.

Ay me!
I've been devouring my favorite author G.G.M.'s novel, "Love in the Time of Cholera," with ardent fervor, relishing in the idea of such a "romantic" virus. Yet I've been painfully ignorant of how people are still perishing from it (and I used to work for the Red Cross!). My oblivion makes me blush crimson.

"...the weak pulse, the hoarse breathing, and the pale perspiration of a dying man. [...] the symptoms of love were the same as those of cholera." But Death is in no way beautified. Cholera serves to show the deathly effects of love.

According to the UK's Telegraph, UN reports that the epidemic could top 60,000 cases in Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are increasingly concerned about the lack of funding received for the Zimbabwe Cholera Appeal. How can we help? Visit www.alertnet.org/thepeople/members/218536.htm

Poems on Rembrandt’s Religious Paintings

"Drawn to the Light: Poems on Rembrandt’s Religious Paintings"

(렘브란트를 만나다)
Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, Jo Eung-jung (조은정); English text translated to Korean by Moon Ji-hyuk; Gachi-Changjo (가치창조): 159 pp., 10,500 won

With the exhibition ``Great Masters of European Art: Meet Rembrandt’’ currently ongoing at Seoul Arts Center (예술의전당 through Feb. 26), this book of poems inspired by the Dutch painter will be of interest to art aficionados, poetry lovers and readers of any age.

I wasn't able to appreciate the exhibition as much because of a headache, but the selection was good. Ah, memory tide. Amsterdam was the first European city I visited while living in Paris, and the Rembrandthaus (Rembrandt's old house/studio) was such a treat!

This book features Rembrandt’s representative works including his ``Self-Portrait as a Young Man’’ (1628) and etchings like ``Autoportrait aux yeux hagards’’ (1630). Accompanying the images are poems by McEntrye, an English professor at Westmont College in Santa Barabara California who has published several books of poetry on Van Gogh and Vermeer. Also included are texts by Jo, a curator at the Busan Museum of Art.

They say a picture says a thousand words, and the poetic nature of Rembrandt’s paintings make them a natural fit for the poetry. McEntrye’s writings illuminate overseen details of the canvas and give flight to limitless imagination. Even the most diehard Rembrandt fans will be able to appreciate the poet’s visions.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

F. Scott Fitzgerald (Translated from English to Korean by Kim Sun-young)

Munhakdongnae: 412 pp., 11,000 won

The Korean translation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic is now available, in time for the Feb. 12 release of the film version starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchette. The movie recently topped 2009 Oscar Nominations with a total of 13 including Best Picture.

Books that inspire major motion pictures tend to sell well, but ``Benjamin Button’’ is a must read for anyone of all ages. The florid language of ``The Great Gatsby’’ author does not wholly come across, as with many translations, but the original short story is laid out extensively over 400 pages. The vivacious 1920s American jazz era comes to life, and will be particularly intriguing considering Koreans’ recent heightened interest in early 20th-century Korea, when jazz and other cultural novelties were introduced.

Benjamin Button’s case is truly curious, as he is born with the physical appearance of a 70-year-old man and ages backwards, becoming younger by the year. His wife, on the other hand, of course matures with time. This star-crossed romance may appeal to Koreans who have always loved such stories as ``Il Mare.’’

A graphic novel illustrated by Kevin Cornell, which also includes the story in text in the back, is also available in Korean (Novelmine: 200 pp., 10,000 won).

'Selected Screenplays by Kim Ki-young II'

"Selected Screenplays by Kim Ki-young II" (김기영 시나리오 선집 2)
Edited by Kim Hong-jun. Korea Film Archive: 624 pp., 25,000 won

Director Kim Hong-jun brings a second volume of selected screenplays by the late Kim Ki-young (1919-1998), one of South Korea's most celebrated cineastes.

Last year, Kim's representative film ``The Housemaid'' was digitally restored and screened at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in 2008 ― in time for the 10th anniversary of his death. The Korea Film Archive (한국영상자료원) also honored the director with a retrospective and other events.

Having directed a documentary on Kim, the editor of the book carefully chose six scenarios including that of ``The Sea Knows'' (1961). The book provides a unique opportunity to appreciate movies that are very rare or no longer available. For example, readers can flick through the ``director's cut'' of ``Ban Geum-ryun'' (1981). It includes the script of the 30-minute scene that was cut in the theater release.

The book is more than just dialogue and stage directions. It includes Kim's own commentaries on the story and its theme, which reflect his intentions and creative impulses. Also included are images of original movie posters and still cuts.

Joseon Films in Newspaper Articles 1911-1917

Joseon Films in Newspaper Articles 1911-1917 (신문기사로 본 조선영화 1911-1917)
Edited by the Korean Film Archive (한국영상자료원); Korean Film Archive: 478 pp., 30,000 won

The Korean Film Archive brings the first volume in a series of research materials on Korean cinema during the Japanese colonial era (1910-45).

This is a compilation of newspaper articles that appeared between 1911 and 1917 in the Maeil Shinbo, the only Korean language daily published at the time.The first Korean film was produced in 1919, and so this book covers the “prehistoric” times of Korean film history.

The clips include detailed reports on the local cinema, theater and entertainment scene. We learn that theatergoers complained about students cutting class to watch a movie and couples displaying too much affection in public.

The articles, however, are difficult to read since they retain archaic spellings and Chinese characters. The twopage background information that opens each chapter (on each year) is very useful.

`Comfort Women' as Unfading Flowers

Raped, shamed and silenced, hundreds of thousands of women from Korea and other countries were forced to serve in Japanese military brothels during World War II. Who can be justly blamed for the woes of these so-called ``comfort women''?

While the usual answer is Japanese colonial authorities, a novel argues that in fact it is the cowardly men of the male chauvinistic Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) who were unable to protect their own women from imperial Japan (1910-45), and the Korean government, which neglected the victims for over 60 years, that should be chastised before others.

Wu Bong-gyu, whose novel ``Nunggot (Snow on the Branches)'' was selected by The Korea Times' sister paper Hankook Ilbo as the representing piece for Korea's 50th Liberation Day, has brought ``Chinese Pink: The Spirit of a Downtrodden Joseon Woman'' for the country's 63rd year of independence.

The book pays homage to the victims and their unimaginable suffering and courageous survival. They are likened to ``paeraengiggot''(Chinese Pink or Dianthus chinensis), a light purple flower shaped like the upside down paeraengi hats worn by lowly Joseon commoners. While trampled and exploited, the women persevered and keep their heads up like wild flowers that don't wilt.

But ``Chinese Pink'' goes beyond the scope of conventional works dealing with this particular subject, and scrupulously criticizes Korea's own disregard for the victims since 1945. The novel begins by pointing out that using the euphemism ``comfort women'' endorses colonial Japan's efforts to conceal the horrid nature of the institution.

The victims themselves understandably prefer the expression over the more precise ― and explicit ― term ``sex slave''. Yet the women's shame and that of the Korean bystanders who employ it to ease their own guilt, the author seems to argue, are two different things. Korean readers will find themselves feeling far less comfortable than perhaps Japanese ones.

The novel reads more like an allegorical fable or song than a graphic historical drama, and rings with ``Arirang,'' the quintessential Korean folk melody evoking ``han,'' or pervasive sadness ― bidding farewell to a loved one, and making the arduous journey across mountains and the road of life.

Images of cascading mountaintops and the smallness of man in the bosom of Mother Nature suffuses, yet the novel by no means beautifies the tumultuous period. In the center of it all stands a female protagonist, Ok-a, who, more saint than human, understands the secrets of the universe and maps out her own destiny.

Adopted by Hoe-san, a Buddhist monk, Ok-a grows up enjoying an independence, education and respect most Joseon women were deprived of. Ok-a's muse is none other than Nan Sul-hun (1563-89), an esteemed Joseon poet known for dying at the young age of 27 after an unhappy marriage to an intellectually inferior man. She, like Ok-a, perished, her towering talent unable to blossom because of her gender.

When Japanese officials begin ``recruiting'' youths for labor in factories, mines, etc., Ok-a, unable to stand her romantic feelings for Hoe-san, voluntarily leaves to work in a factory in Japan. There, she refuses to be saved by I-gu, a man desperately in love with her, and ends up getting sent to a military brothel as punishment for teaching other Korean women ``hangeul'' (Korean alphabet).

At the brothel, Ok-a's beauty strikes the fancy of high-ranking generals. While she could have avoided serving up to 100 men a day by accepting their advances, Ok-a refuses. What drives her is not the conventional force of Korean nationalism, but her own rules of transcending boundaries set by nations and people. She derides the Joseon men, who, preoccupied with continuing their own skewed Confucian legacy, had allowed their country to collapse and their women to be exploited. She even goes as far to admire the fierce loyalty of Japanese soldiers for their homeland.

Moreover, the book paints Korean modern history in a few lines about a remote Korean village: ``1940: A man clubbed to death a female tiger caught in a trap. 1945: Four women were sent to Manchuria by Japanese troops. 1950: Three North Korean soldiers were shot to death while eating. The village housed just three homes.'' Korea surrendered powerlessly to Japanese imperialism like a trapped tiger and had to helplessly watch its people be torn away from home.
``Chinese Pink'' continues on to the rise of ``Great Leader'' Kim Jong-il, another name for Joseon's male chauvinism, and Syngman Rhee, not as South Korea's first president, but as a nameless Hawaiian immigrant capitalizing upon desperation.

Demonstrators, including former "comfort
women'' or World War II sex slaves, take part in the 827th regular rally
demanding justice in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, Aug. 20. / Korea
Times File

Following Japan's defeat in 1945, the surviving sex slaves were abandoned and many, uninformed of forthcoming attacks by UN forces, died. Those who survived were often unable to find their way home or committed suicide. Those who did make it through the years have only recently dared to speak of the past.

Civil organizations on behalf of the women demand that the Japanese government acknowledge the sexual slavery and examine the truth; apologize in the form of a national assembly resolution; include facts in school history manuals; construct an archive center and a monument to console the spirit of the dead; and punish those responsible for the slavery.

Unbending the women may be, but flowers are bound to perish with time. Until just action is taken, habitual sadness will linger, clawing at an already downtrodden soul.

Boy Soldier's Diary Testifies Human Strength

This book gave way to a most beautiful "inyeon" or friendship with the author, Dr. Park.


"Diary of a Boy Soldier"
"소년병의 일기" (문학)
Munhak: 230 pp., 10,000 won

Various works in literature depict the reality of war in modern history. But rarely do we see such a vivid and thorough record such as Park Myung-kun's ``Diary of a Boy Soldier'' (Munhak: 230 pp., 10,000 won), a journal he kept on a day-to-day basis as a teenage corporal during the Korean War (1950-53). More than just a valuable historical record, it is a testimony to the human spirit and its strength to survive.

Before taking us to the battlefield, Park introduces early 20th-century Korea under Japanese colonial rule. The joy of liberation (1945) and finally being able to read and write in Korean at school were short-lived, however. The inter-Korean conflict broke out in the summer of 1950, and Park was forever separated from his family, ``not knowing it would be my last farewell… not having had a chance to hold their hand or hug goodbye like they would nowadays.'' After surviving the war, he would fulfill his childhood plans to become a doctor and immigrate to the United States. Now, aged 73, the retired professor lives in Texas.

Doctor Park Myung-kun, top left, was 17 years old when he served in the South Korean armed forces 1950-52. He chronicled the 20 months in a diary./ Courtesy of Munhak

Park's story stretches across important moments and places in modern Korean history, from colonization all the way to the Korean Diaspora. Moreover, it is an extraordinary tale of endurance ― both physical and moral.

Born in North Korea in 1934, Park was ``the baby of the family,'' he told The Korea Times in a recent e-mail interview. Communists took away his eldest brother and his family had no news of his other brother who was studying in Seoul. As the only son at the time, Park said he felt a ``duty to take revenge'' and voluntarily joined the 6th division of the South Korean army at the tender age of 16. They were recruiting North Korean youths who could speak the northern dialect, and one entry shows how soldiers sometimes had difficulty communicating.

Park and others joined the armed forces completely untrained, except for some basic knowledge of handling rifles. ``I was in a way forced to be brave, although deep in my heart, I was scared most of the time,'' he explained in the interview. The harsh reality of war was omnipresent, and four comrades were killed just a few days into his military life. No one is to be trusted at the front, where the enemy hired toddlers to poison soldiers.

He said one of the most terrifying moments was when he had to flee an attack barefoot on a snowy day ― his boots were too large and were more of a hindrance. Fortunately, he had an extra pair of socks.

Surviving on the Front

Early entries trace the route of Park's infantry. He smartly kept track by locating the address signs of abandoned houses. We see how these young men made their way through rough times, taking whatever they could, like toothpaste in abandoned houses, and catching fish using grenades. The helmet doubled as washing bowls, food bowls and even pillows. Unable to bathe or change, lice would add to the discomfort.

While striking in factual detail, the diaries are marked by a sense of detachment. About six months into warfare, Park writes about being bothered by the stench of rotting corpses. When asked if the sight shocked him, he said: ``Perhaps I had become insensitive about death... I got used to seeing dead bodies. I knew that if I died, my body may become like one of these bodies but I did not want to think about it much.

``This was when I was on the very front line where life meant very little. Frankly, I did not feel many emotions those days. Having an emotion or deep thought was a luxury. When you know you may disappear from this world at any minute, the only thing you have is the basic instinct of survival,'' he said, adding that emotional detachment is perhaps a ``protective mechanism'' that enables people to ``endure unimaginable hardships.''

What is most remarkable about the diary is that Park managed to write almost everyday. ``I did not want to stop (writing the diary), because even though I was not certain if I would be alive the next day, there still was a thin line of hope that I could survive the war and show my parents the diary,'' he said.

He further explained in the interview that he had a good fountain pen and was able to obtain good quality paper from an empty house. ``There was always a quiet moment even on difficult days,'' and he often grabbed a minute before dark using candlelight.

Doctor Park, top left, poses with fellow soldiers near Nakdong River in Gupo, Busan, May 1952. Courtesy of Munhak

The diary entries chronicling his 20 months as a soldier (1950-52) are laid out with additional notes. Archaic or dialectic terms were changed, and some names were switched, in which case there are explanations.

Less than a year on the frontline, Park suffered a wound below his knee and was hospitalized for several months in what used to be a school building. The entries become more introspective as he spends each day listlessly, reading novels or watching movies to chase away the loneliness.

His longing for family would peak on holidays like Chuseok (Thanksgiving) and when other patients would have visitors. Occasionally Catholic nuns would stop by on an evangelistic mission. One touching entry is about mouth-watering persimmons. Usually visitors would share food with neighboring patients, but Park was unfortunately two beds away. Ever since, he would indulge in the sweet fruit whenever he could and even grew a persimmon tree in the yard of his U.S. home.

Meanwhile, fear of being crippled by the knee seized him, but the possibility of being discharged from military service also boggled him: what lay ahead for an ``orphaned'' 17-year-old? But he would recover and return to the army. Yet the ruthless cruelness from senior soldiers would strengthen his determination to leave and become a doctor. As a young boy living in a Stalinist state, he realized early on that doctors had comparatively more freedom.

Becoming an American Doctor

But all was not lost for Park. Though devastated to learn that his parents and nephews were unable to cross down to the South, he reunited with his sister and brother. He went back to school and made what he calls a ``miraculous'' entry to Seoul National University medical school. During his residency, he was encouraged to apply for the Educational Council for Foreign Medical Graduates program, which granted him residency in America.

When asked about pursuing medicine, he said, ``I thought my experience in the army would pull me through the long duration of medical school. I believe my experience of hardship during my military service gave me confidence, taught me to be patient, and to work hard for whatever I chose to do.''

The doctor arrived in the United States in 1962, and obtained his pediatrics degree after years of struggling with English and a tight budget. He met his Korean wife, a schoolteacher. In 1991, he won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and in 2005 he received a special honor from the Seoul National University medical school alumni association.

Park wishes to tell young people one thing: ``Do not be disheartened by reality, but don't be satisfied by reality, either. Always dream big and make constant effort to achieve it. Heaven helps those who help themselves.''

Books Map Out Korean Film History

Two books offer comprehensive retrospectives of Korean cinema: the Korean Film Archive brings ``Korean Film History'' while the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) offers ``Korean Cinema From Origins to Renaissance.'' Both offer 100 years of film history in 10 chapters, decade by decade.

Film specialist Jung Jong-hwa provides a short but all-inclusive anthology in ``Korean Film History'' (271 pp., 8,000 won). It's a nice pocketbook for Koreans and is filled with movie stills and posters as well as antique photos and newspapers clips. You can flip through it and skim the yellow boxes that summarize trends such as ``Korea's first film director'' and ``Actresses of the 1960s.''

``Korean Cinema From Origins to Renaissance,'' edited by Kim Mee-hyun, is available in both Korean and English. The latter is the ultimate ``bible'' of Korean cinema for non-Korean speakers, as it includes all the standardized names of films, filmmakers, actors and significant terms in both English and Korean. The drawbacks, however, are its hefty price ($65), weight and length (477 pp.). It's great for those who are seriously committed to knowing all the facts and figures. But good news is that the KOFIC Web site (http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/) provides free, downloadable excerpts from the book (each of the 10 chapters summarized in essay format).

The Beginning

It is generally agreed that motion pictures were first introduced here as early as 1897, when shorts were played for Japanese residents. The chronicles of Elias Burton Holmes, an American traveler, reveal that movies were being shown around 1901. Called ``moving photos,'' films were an imported luxury, and in 1919 as many as 218 were brought in. Early homegrown works largely comprised of kino-dramas, or theatrical productions that featured screenings of outdoor scenery as backdrops.

Japanese Colonialsm

As Korea was under Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), art had political undertones. In 1924, Park Seung-pil, owner of Dansungsa Theater (which, now a part of Cinus multiplex theater chain, still stands today in Jongno 3-ga), made a breakthrough with ``The Story of Jang-hwa and Hong-ryeon,'' the first ``purely Korean feature film.'' It was a response to the hit Japanese-Korean work, ``The Story of Chun-hyang,'' and the two competed for audiences at theaters.

There was more organized resistance against imperialism, such as the Korea Artista Proleta Federatio (KAPF). Founded in 1925, the group produced its own films. While KAPF was weakly funded and failed to make a great impact, it marks a significant effort in Korean history and Korean cinema.

Above is a rare photo from the set of ``Arirang'' (1926), the most representative piece from Korea's silent film era. Directed by superstar Na Woon-kyu, it was an ambitious project starring some 800 extras. It was Korea's first ``blockbuster'' but unfortunately, the original film is long lost. /Courtesy of Korean Film Archive

Soon, sound films were introduced but Korean cinema faced regulations by the Japanese government. There were also co-productions of propaganda movies. After 1945, there were a host of ``liberation films'' celebrating Korea's independence. Then with the outbreak of the Korean War (1950-53), filmmakers concentrated on documentaries.

War and More

Post-war Korea was poverty stricken, but it was also a time of revival and boom. Melodramas and comedies were all the rage and film studios sprang up. Chungmuro in central Seoul became home to filmmakers, becoming the Hollywood of Korea. The 1960s are usually called the Golden Age of Korean cinema, with representative directors like Shin Sang-ok and his wife and actress Choi Eun-hee making one hit after another.

The '70s and '80s, however, were woeful times, with the strict regulations under the Yunshin regime and censorship of military rule, respectively. Yet these were also times of many firsts, with awards at international film festivals and the direct distribution of Hollywood films.In the early 1990s, local romantic comedies swept box offices while the Screen Quota System ― obligating theaters to show Korean movies for a minimum period ― was enforced to protect domestic films.

Birth of the Blockbuster

In 1998, Korea's ``first blockbuster'' ``Shiri'' (aka. ``Swiri'') ― a North Korean spy story combining action, melodrama and suspense ― sent a shockwave through the industry. With the establishment of multiplex theaters, the number of screenings across the country tripled. Box office smashes drawing over 13 million people (Korea has a population of about 49 million) like ``The Host'' took flight, also faring well abroad.

Hallyu

In addition to the already institutionalized Korean TV soaps, ``hallyu'' (Korean Wave) stars paved the way to box office hits in Japan, China and other Asian countries. For subtitle-phobic American audiences, Hollywood bought the remake rights for some 25 homegrown hits. One example is ``The Lake House'' starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock based on ``Il Mare'' with Jun Ji-hyun. Jun (aka. Gianna Jun), who appears in Hollywood's upcoming ``Blood: The Last Vampire.''

More stars are making their way beyond Asia into the American entertainment capital, notably actors Kim Yun-jin (ABC's ``Lost''), Jang Dong-kun (``Laundry Warrior'' produced by Barrie M. Osborne), Lee Byung-hun (``I Come With the Rain'' opposite Josh Hartnett) and pop star Rain (``Speed Racer'' by the Wachowski brothers) among others.

Today

The Korean film industry, while gaining international reputation however, stands on shaky grounds. It saw an unnatural vertical growth as chaebol or large conglomerates heavily invested, withdrew then came back. Big monster production companies control the distribution of major movies, while those made by small- or medium-size firms find it hard to squeeze in.

But there is a leeway, as Mary K. Evjen Olsen, executive director of corporate marketing at Dreamville Entertain said in a Korea Times column. Hyun Jin Cinema, a medium-sized production company, made a smart move to team up with Japanese and American partners for the upcoming gangster movie ``Streets of Dreams,'' starring Robert De Niro, Andy Garcia and Korea's Choi Min-soo. (>> April 2008 update - Choi's Hollywood debut got cancelled due to an assault allegation)

As Korean movies and cineastes make their way near and far, there is room for improvement. Archiving and restoration of classic films are big ongoing projects for the Korean Film Archive. But there is also a serious lack of support for a decent cinematheque. While KOFIC provides a set standard, the omnipresence of irregular Romanization of Korean titles and names is still a problem. It is hoped that Korean cinema gets past these growing pains.

(http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/)

Read about the Korean Film Museum, which maps out 100 years of Korean film history.

`Enjoy the Classic, Ditto'

Richard Yongjae O'Neill, Compiled in Korean by Jo Jeong-hyeon

Joongang Books: 237 pp., 12,000 won

One of the most promising ― and explosively popular ― young artists of today, violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill has three hit albums and a string of acclaimed performances on the world stage under his belt. Now the 29-year-old brings a collection of essays, ``Ditto'' (also the name of a chamber ensemble of which he is a member).

The book is in essence a guide to appreciating classical music, which is often regarded as being limited to the elite intelligentsia. ``Enjoy the classic, you don't necessarily have to understand everything!'' writes the author. He compares the music genre to food, how one does not necessarily have to be a great chef to enjoy delicacies.

But this is no ``Dummy'' guidebook. The author presents thoroughly subjective viewpoints and experiences with classical music as both an individual and artist. While strongly autobiographical, however, the book's core focus is not O'Neill (readers probably know about his life from the hit 2005 KBS documentary, "Human Theater.")

Rather, it is a passionate love letter to music. Through his personal anecdotes and philosophies about music, O'Neill establishes a basis of mutual understanding, heart to heart, with readers -- ditto.

Just as celebrated director Park Chan-wook, one of O'Neill's fans and sponsors, writes in the foreword, you feel like you know the author, both as an artist and individual, after reading it, and some might feel inspired to tackle centuries-old music.

The book also includes a list of concert etiquette and recommended music pieces.

Read about my interview with Mr. O'Neill