From the Editor: February 2022

Welcome to February, and welcome to the February issue of the Gwangju News. February 1 not only signals the beginning of a new month and the publication of a new issue of this magazine, this year it also heralds the beginning of a new year according to the traditional Oriental calendar that Korea has followed for many centuries. This year, Lunar New Year’s Day, or Seollal, ushers in the Year of the Tiger – and that is a good thing! The tiger foretells a year of strength, power, and prosperity. Let us hope that this year we will have the strength to overcome the ravages of the coronavirus and other maladies that may target our health. Let us hope that we have the power to reach our goals, however small or large they may be. And let us hope for prosperity in our lives, especially inner wealth, which is what truly makes us the person who we are.

We also hope that throughout the year, this wealth will spread through the pages of the Gwangju News for the benefit of the magazine’s readership and the lives that they may touch. May the Year of the Tiger be one that roars of good fortune!

Our cover photo for this issue depicts the sun setting over Gwangju, signifying the close of another lunar year, a close that was marred by sorrow and tragedy. Sorrow in that January saw the passing in Gwangju of an activist mother who took up the baton of her activist son when his life was terminated by a riot police teargas canister. She is known nationwide as the “Mother of June,” and we carry a special photo essay in remembrance. January also witnessed the collapse of yet another building in the city – a high-end high-rise still under construction in Gwangju’s newest I-Park complex that ended the lives of multiple workers at the site [Lost in Gwangju].

In line with the Year of the Tiger bringing improved health, we feature a piece on the perils of smoking and the perks of not [“Thank You for Not Smoking”]. And in relation to the strength that the new year forecasts, we feature a female artist and the power of her feminine art [People in the Arts].

Within our February pages is a wealth of additional articles, a wealth of information, images, and interest.

As always, stay Covid smart, stay Covid safe, be Covid protected, and enjoy the Gwangju News.

David E. Shaffer
Editor-in-Chief
Gwangju News