From the Editor: December 2021

The colored leaves that we have so recently been admiring have now been shed by their bare-branched trees and bespeckle the ground below. Nighttime hours of darkness are distinctly lengthening, and shirtsleeve weather is but a fading memory. These are all indicators of the arrival of December, the advancement of winter, and the impending culmination of another year.

Another year of life within a pandemic is surely not the most pleasant of experiences to encounter, but the corona gloom has seen a break in the clouds this year, as vaccines have become available and shots have gone into arms. We hope also that our twelve issues of the Gwangju News that we have provided this year have added a ray of light, a bit of brightness, to your 2021.

With the chilling air and the earlier onset of darkness, more time is being spent indoors. We hope that as you recline in your favorite chair, you will keep the Gwangju News close at hand to bring you reading enjoyment. Our magazine staff and writers constantly strive to bring to our readership and our community, articles that are interesting, informative, and insightful.

As December hosts the holiday season, in this issue, we hope to bring you some Christmas cheer with our feature on some staple songs of the season [“I’m Not a Grinch”]. Our other features this issue are on Gwangju’s human rights education program with KOICA, an interview with Gwangju artist/sculptor Choi Soon-im, the unsung heroes who run into the flames as their calling, and an encore on what Jang Bo-go did for Unified Silla [Blast from the Past].

Why do old buildings deep in the Jeolla countryside wear “anticommunisn” and “counterespionage” in huge lettering on their sides? Find out in Lost in Honam. Why do holiday fruit cost an arm and a leg? The answer is in our Opinion column. And this month we have a second Opinion article on Covid confusion.

How we eat can not only improve our health but also our environment. Take a look at our two delectable plant-based recipes that are eco-friendly as well as vegan-friendly: bean burgers and falafel. And much, much more!

We at the Gwangju News wish you the happiest of holidays as this year comes to a close and a new year opens, bringing with it more brightness, good fortune, and good cheer.

David Shaffer

Editor-in-Chief

Gwangju News

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