Korea (39 page)

Read Korea Online

Authors: Simon Winchester

BOOK: Korea
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-do:
Province.

-dong:
Suburb.

-gun:
County.

-jip:
Literally, house, used as ‘restaurant’.

-mun:
Gateway, as in
Namdae-mun
, the great south gate in Seoul.

-myun:
Borough.

-pan:
Parish.

-ri:
Village.

-saram:
Person, e.g.
Meeguk saram
, American.

-shi:
City-region.

-up:
District.

A-joshe!:
Hey, you! (said to a man).

Angibu:
The Korean secret police.

Anio:
No.

Anju:
Snacks and salty appetizers served with beer.

Annyong-haseyo:
Literally, Are you in peace? Used as ‘Hello’.

Annyong-hee kaesayeo:
Goodbye (said by the one who is leaving to the one who isn’t).

Annyong-hee kashipshiyo:
Goodbye (said by the one who isn’t leaving to the one who is).

Arirang:
A Korean mountain, and the title of a famous song.

Buk:
North.

Bulgoki:
Marinated and barbecued meat.

Cha-da:
Sleep.

Chaebol:
The major Korean industrial corporations, e.g. Hyundai, Samsung.

Cheju-do:
Literally, the land over there.

Chige:
Wooden A-frame-shaped carrier used by porters or
chige
men.

Chima:
Long, floor-length skirt, traditional dress for women.

Chindo-kae:
A tough little dog found on Chindo Island in southwest Korea.

Chogori:
Jacket or blouse, traditional Korean dress.

Chokbo:
Family-tree book kept by almost all Korean families.

Chonbok chuk:
Rice and abalone gruel, popular in the south.

Chong mal?:
Really?

Choson:
Literally, Land of Morning Calm; old name for Korea.

Choson Minchu-chui Inmin Konghwa-guk:
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).

Cho-un:
Good.

Chung wa dae:
The Blue House—the Korean presidential palace.

Daegook:
Literally, big country; also used to refer to China.

Daehan Minguk:
Republic of Korea (South Korea).

Dong:
East.

Gang:
River.

Gwen chan sumnida:
No thank you.

Haenyo:
Diving women of Cheju Island, gatherers of abalone and sea cucumbers.

Hae-sam:
Sea cucumber, a much-favoured seafood.

Haetae:
Guardian beasts of a town, mythological mixtures of lion and dog.

Hanafuda:
Japanese word for the Korean game
hwatu

Hangbok:
Korean national dress.

Hangul:
Korea’s unique phonetic alphabet, designed by King Sejong.

Hanyak:
Korean folk medicine.

Harubang:
Standing ‘grandfather’ stones, often found on Cheju-do.

Hodori:
Baby tiger, symbol of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Hong cha:
Red tea.

Hongsam:
Red (steamed) ginseng root.

Hopak-dan chu:
Ornamental amber buttons, used for fastening Korean clothing.

Hun min chong um:
Early designation of hangul script.

Hwadu:
Profound question set as a basis for Korean Buddhist meditation.

Hwan-gap:
Sixty-first birthday celebrations.

Hwatu:
A traditional Korean picture card game, played like gin.

Hyodo kwan guang:
Literally, parental respect tour—holidays for the elderly paid for by their children.

Ibalso:
Korean barbershop.

Ibul:
Coverlet placed over
yo
.

Insam:
Ginseng.

Ip chang:
Face, as in the Oriental concept of pride and self-esteem.

I shipaloma:
Grave insult; literally, a whore.

Jip-sin:
Traditional Korean straw slippers.

Kalbi:
Barbecued spare ribs.

Kimchi:
Peppered, garlicked and brine-pickled vegetables—a national staple.

Kinyombi:
Monument.

Kkot saem chu wi:
Literally, flower-jealousy weather—a snap of cold in early spring.

Koan:
Riddle posed for Japanese Buddhist meditation.

Kobuk-son:
The armoured ‘turtle ships’ of Admiral Yi Sun-shin.

Koguryo:
Ancient northern Korean kingdom.

Kokoro:
Japanese word for ‘heart’.

Komusin:
Korean slippers.

Koran-cho:
Medicinal herb.

Koryo:
Post-Shilla kingdom from which Korea took her name.

Kukbo:
The National Treasures, the most valuable classification.

Kut:
Shamanist devil-driving ceremony.

Mabu:
A horseman.

Maekju:
Beer.

Makkoli:
Milky rice wine, the working man’s principal drink.

Makkoli-jip:
Working-class bar where
makkoli
is the favoured, though not the only, drink.

Man:
Ten thousand, as in
man won
, ten thousand
won
.

Man won gyon:
Telescope.

Maum sang hada:
Anguish over the loss of face (see
Ip chang
).

Meeguk:
America.

Mian hamnida!:
I am sorry!

Mogyok:
Bath.

Mogyoktang:
Public bath.

Moktak:
Wooden clapper used in Buddhist ritual.

Mudang:
Shamanist sorceress.

Mukkop-ta:
Heavy.

Nakhwa-am:
Rock of Falling Flowers in Puyo.

Naksonjae:
Mansion of Joy and Goodness at Changdok Palace, Seoul.

Nam:
South.

Nay:
Yes.

Nunchi:
An extraordinary Korean ability to discern someone’s mood.

Odi isumnikka?:
Where is?

Ojingoa:
Dried squid, a favourite snack.

Oksusucha:
Toasted-corn tea.

Ondol:
Lacquered-paper floor, heated from beneath, common in Korean houses.

Onnyi:
Literally, older sister; used by women, e.g., to summon bar hostess.

Paduk:
Korean version of the Japanese board game
go
.

Paekche:
Ancient southern Korean kingdom.

Paekhwa jom:
Department stores.

Paeksam:
White ginseng root.

Paem sul:
Snake wine.

Paem tang:
Snake soup.

Paji:
Trousers for men, traditionally worn baggy, ankle-length.

Pegae:
Small pillow, filled with corn husks.

Pindae-ttuk:
Bean-flour pancake; Korean pizza.

Pi pim pap:
Rice and vegetables, staple food.

Pomul:
Literally, treasured things—a secondary classification (see
Kukbo
).

Pori-cha:
Toasted-barley tea.

Poshin-tang:
Dog-meat soup; literally, soup for strength.

Putokkhamnida:
Please.

Pyong:
Unit of area measurement.

Sa:
Temple.

Saemaul Undong:
New Community Movement, a rural organization created by President Park.

Sajok:
National Historic Sites.

San:
Mountain.

Sangnom:
‘Unperson’, outcast, untouchable.

Saunatang:
Public bath with sauna and other luxuries.

Seoul:
The word means ‘capital’ it cannot be written in Chinese.

Shilla:
Ancient eastern Korean kingdom; later, the term represented the unified whole country.

Sijo:
Form of Korean poetry.

Soh:
West.

Soju:
A strong sweet potato liquor, the Korean approximation of sake.

Sunim:
Buddhist monk.

Sushi:
Japanese-style raw fish and rice.

Taeguk: Yin
and
yang
emblem used in the Korean flag.

Taeguk-ki:
The Korean national flag, with
taeguk
and four trigrams.

Taehakkyo:
University.

Taejungtang:
No-frills public bath for the poorer people.

Taekwon-do:
Korean martial art.

Tae-namu:
The bamboo.

Tangun:
The mythological founder of Korea.

Tojang:
Name seal, equivalent to Chinese
chop
.

Ttok:
Rice cakes.

Won:
The unit of Korean currency.

Yangban:
The Korean aristocracy, now officially defunct.

Yangnom:
A Westerner—a term of mild abuse, similar to the Cantonese
gweilo
.

Yo:
Thin mattress, placed on
ondol
floor at night.

Yogwan:
An inexpensive roadside inn.

Yoinsuk:
A very cheap Korean hotel for working men.

Yongduam:
The Dragon Head Rock of Cheju-do.

Yong guk:
England.

Yontan:
Drum-shaped powdered-coal briquettes used for heating and cooking.

Yukgap:
The five twelve-year cycles of life—the sixtieth year.

Adams, Edward B.
Korea Guide
. Seoul: Seoul International Tourist Publishing Co., 1976.

Adams, Edward B.
Korea’s Kyongju
. Seoul: Seoul International Publishing House, 1979.

Amnesty International.
South Korea—Violations of Human Rights
. London: Amnesty International, 1986.

Asia Watch Committee.
Human Rights in Korea
. Washington, D.C.: Asia Watch, 1985.

Bartz, Patricia.
South Korea
. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972.

Bird, Isabella.
Korea and Her Neighbours
. Reprint. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985.

Buck, Pearl S.
The Living Reed
. New York: John Day Co., 1963.

Chung, Chong-Wha, and Boyd McCleary.
Korea and Britain Today—A Developing Relationship
. Seoul: Korea-British Society, 1986.

Clark, Allen D.
History of the Church in Korea
. Seoul: Christian Literature Society of Korea, 1971.

Cole, Lani, ed.
Peace Corps Guide to Korea
. Seoul: U.S. Peace Corps (undated).

Crane, Paul.
Korean Patterns
. Seoul: Royal Asiatic Society, 1967.

Crowther, Geoff.
Korea & Taiwan—A Travel Survival Guide
. Sydney: Lonely Planet, 1985.

Fodor’s Korea
. New York: Fodor, 1987.

Gore, M. E. J.
The Birds of Korea
. Seoul: Royal Asiatic Society, 1971.

Griffiths, William Elliot.
Corea, The Hermit Nation
. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1904.

Hall, Basil.
Account of a Voyage of Discovery to the West Coast of Corea
. London: John Murray, 1818.

Hamel, Hendrick.
An Account of the Shipwreck of a Dutch Vessel on the Isle of Quelpaert, together with a Description of the Kingdom of Corea
. 1668. Reprint. Amsterdam: B. Hoetink, 1920.

Hastings, Max.
The Korean War
. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1987.

Henthorn, William.
A History of Korea
. New York: The Free Press, 1971.

Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank.
Korea
. Hong Kong: Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (business profile series), 1986.

Hyun, Peter.
Koreana
. Seoul: Korea Britannica, 1984.

Insight Guide: Korea
. Singapore: Apa Productions, 1981.

Kelly, Jeremiah F.
The Splendid Cause
. Seoul: Columban Fathers, 1983.

Kim, Dae Jung.
Mass Participatory Economy
. Cambridge, Mass.: Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, 1985.

Kim, Edward H.
Korea—Beyond the Hills
. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1980.

Kusan, Sunim.
The Way of Korean Zen
. New York: Weatherhill, Inc., 1985.

Landor, Henry Savage.
Corea—The Land of Morning Calm
. London: Heinemann, 1895.

Leckie, Robert.
The Korean War
. London: Pall Mall Press, 1963.

Ledyard, Gari.
The Dutch Come to Korea
. Seoul: Royal Asiatic Society, Korea Branch, 1971.

Lee, Ki-baik.
A New History of Korea
. Seoul: Ilchokuk, 1984.

Lee, Peter H.
Poems of Korea
. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1974.

MacMahon, Hugh.
The Scrutable Oriental
. Seoul: Sejong Company, 1975.

McCann, David, ed.
Studies on Korea in Transition
. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 1979.

Michener, James A.
The Bridges at Toko-ri
. New York: Fawcett-Crest, 1953.

Middleton, Dorothy H., and William D. Middleton.
Some Korean Journeys
. Seoul: Royal Asiatic Society, 1975.

Office of Monopoly.
Korean Ginseng
. Seoul: Office of Monopoly, 1986.

Rees, David.
The Korean War
. London: Orbis, 1984.

Ridgway, Matthew B.
The Korean War
. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1967.

Sands, William Franklin.
Undiplomatic Memories
. Reprint. Seoul: Royal Asiatic Society, 1975.

Suh, Kuk-Sung, et al., eds.
The Identity of the Korean People
. Seoul: National Unification Board, 1983.

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