From the Editor

It’s April! No foolin’! The first of this month (Manu-jeol, in Korean), is not this year a time for the tricks and pranks and gaiety that usually accompany the day – not with the horrid nightmare that has unfolded in Ukraine. Back when we started planning for the April issue, before the invasion began, nothing Ukrainian was on our minds for inclusion in this issue. But things changed quickly.

With the harshness of the assault on Ukraine, we knew that the Gwangju News had to do something, but what, and so little time to do it. We put our thinking caps on and remembered that one of our earlier writers had an uncle living in Ukraine. We contacted her, she contacted him, and the result is our cover story from an on-the-scene perspective – impactful in so many ways.

Our cover for this issue captures the unthinkable destruction that has befallen the civilian population of Ukraine. The photo depicts the remains of residential buildings hit in an attack on the town of Borodyanka, north of Kyiv. You may be wondering who the battered bust is of. He was the 19th century Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, who, by the way, penned the poetry on our back cover – words as meaningful today as they were when they were written.

Another extraordinary feature in this issue is a peek into North Korea and its English education through an analysis of their revised secondary school textbooks under their present head of state. Also in this issue is an interview with documentary filmmaker Roberto Santaguida, who is in town preparing an exhibit for the Asia Culture Center and has conducted a workshop at the GIC.

This month, we take you on a tour of some of Korea’s great indoor skateparks. And we give you a tour around some of the fabulous sights to visit in Belguim. But warning: Don’t read this month’s Lost in Honam article – it’s about Geogeum-do.

Language Teaching this issue details what is arguably the best English language teaching event in the nation: the Korea TESOL International Conference, coming this month. To find out what “Don’t take me for an airplane ride” actually means in Korean, check out Everyday Korean.

There is so much more: eating vegan, the latest music, the whole Culture and Arts section. Check it out.

As always, stay Covid smart, stay Covid safe, be Covid protected, and enjoy the Gwangju News. And… “Glory to Ukraine!”

David E. Shaffer
Editor-in-Chief
Gwangju News