In the Korea Times, Prof. David Mason — who sometimes posts here as “sanshinseon” — writes about Korea’s “unrealized potential to attract religious, spiritual and pilgrimage tourism.”
Be sure to read it in its entirety.
Korea and Spiritual Tourism
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I occasionally give Dave Mason’s Spirit of the Mountains as a keepsake gift to friends and colleagues, and it always gets nice feedback from them. If Mason’s noticed an occasional sales spike from five copies to 10 some month, I’m to blame. Really, it’s a good book and I wish he would sell a lot. The “books on Korea” niche is a small one, though.
Thank-you very much Brendon, every sale helps (and every plug
That 1999 tome on San-shin mountain-spirits is actually going “out of print”, as Hollym shifts its catalog away from (semi-)academic books on Korea’s culture & etc towards more profitable sectors. I believe that there are only about 60 left for sale anywhere in the world now, so anybody interested should get theirs (or stock up for gifts) right away! — it’ll soon be a rare&valuable collectors-item, esp the signed-&-stamped ones
Yes, I agree its a good book David. While there are indeed too few like it, I think you could be a little more creative with you gift giving, Brendon.
Why Robert hasn’t released a book on early modern Korean architecture I don’t know, all he would have to do is rehash some of his blog posts and fill in a bit more information. And don’t forget to delete the comments.
Seriously Robert, get to it already.
I think the occasion of Hollym Press edition going out of print means it’s time for the updated 2d edition, Mr. Mason. Shop it to the Korea Foundation. The Korea Foundation’s series of books is consistently excellent, but based on my experience with the Korea Foundation as a graduate-school fellowship recipient, they would probably require you to partner with a “co-author” who is Korean. But their production quality is consistently high, and it’s clear that Korea Foundation loves its subject.
Yes, he should.
And thanks Robert for posting this — i was gonna but hadn’t had time yet. It’s on the front page of today’s Times, and quite a few students brought the issue into class at noon today, excitedly proud… They don’t normally read newspapers… Ah, to be so young and impressable like that again…
Brendon slipped-in — with a good suggestion. Yeah, i’ve been thinking about doing a new book, larger, updated — so much has happened with and been newly-discovered about San-shin in the decade since that one was written! — which is what my site is about, trying to include all what the book didn’t have space for, and keeping up with updates (a failing attempt, as i’m just too busy).
Another publisher has already asked me to write such a new tome, but the KF might be another good chance to go with, i’ll eventually talk to them. But of course the Baekdu-daegan books are already underway and must come first…
I’ve got a copy of Spirit of the Mountains too–expanding tourism from temple stays to include indigenous religions is a great idea. Watching a “kut” ceremony would be a wild experience for Westerners if the practitioners were OK with that.
Very good tourism idea. Not for everyone, but it would be about as unique as they come.
Yes, i have argued with officialdom for a decade to include Korea’s vibrant Shamanism and other folk-religions within its “Tourism” offerings and promotions — to no avail — but that story is a different topic for another time.
By the way, the online essay is significantly shorter than the one printed in the paper; some paragraphs were cut which may not leave it ‘flowing’ right.
In particular, the entire companion article “Recommendations for Upgrading Tourism”, in which i offer my criticisms of government policy and practices, was not put online.
Even in the printed version, only 70% of what I submitted was printed. One of the things i ranted about was the official policy on usage of the “5000 years of Korean History” meme, which has always bugged me — KT only printed the first third of what I wrote on that. For your general amusement, i will here post the original text i wrote and submitted on that pressing problem:
“Ever since the Park regime declared it as a theme in the 1970s, it is endlessly repeated in all kinds of tourism promotions and information-texts that the Korean nation and its culture has “5000 Years of History”. This is not even close to being true, and all those international persons educated on the subject know that it is not, and the constant blindly-unthinking usage of it simply exposes Korea to deserved ridicule. This nation actually does have one of the longest continuous national cultures on earth, and should be contentedly proud of displaying the 2000 years of history that it actually has (by any serious definition of “history” – old myths and bronze relics are not history). No nation on earth can compete with China on this score, and Korean tourism authorities just look ridiculous when they try to claim an even longer history than its giant neighbor. The truth about Korea’s origins and past are fully admirable, the achievements of its three classical Golden Ages were superb, and Koreans can and should find great pride in proclaiming and cherishing the realities of them, without ultra-nationalist exaggerations.”
X number of years of histories (plural).
Island tourism is also a massive undeveloped resource. After Indonesia, Phillipines, Australia, Greece, Candada and Russia, the latter two of which are too cold for mainstream tourism, Korea has the most number of islands of any nation. (did I forget anybody?)
Access to these islands is still from mainland ports, rather than leisure boats plying between seoul and pusan. Korea should send Sanshinseon to Greece for a number of years to learn about island tourism.
And remember, ouzo only looks like soju
kerplunk/swlee/troll: “Korea has the most number of islands of any nation” except…? Citation needed. Japan is composed solely of islands and America probably has more islands bound by lakes than Korea has total.
Back to the point of the OP, obscure religions actually are a good way to attract tourists. Iceland attracts Pagans of all sorts (especially for certain festivals). Perhaps not millions, but tens of thousands who ordinarily wouldn’t choose Iceland as a destination.
Korea’s shamanist past seems an embarrassment to the average Korean, while the younger kids profess ignorance… but the older generation evidently still practice something of it. An officetel I lived in for awhile was apparently “haunted” and had to be cleared out by a shaman woman by banging a tin-sounding drum while throat-singing… something I might’ve appreciated more if it hadn’t been going on 20 hours a day… for 2 weeks.
#10 – did they split your submission into two articles? See here:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/10/113_32552.html
I’d say it’s not so much the shamanist past that is so embarrassing to the average Korean and most gov officials (as that past is vividly celebrated in museums, shows & etc), but the shamanist present! One manshin assoc. claims that there are 100,000 shamans now practicing, which must be exaggerated — but i’d believe there are 20,000 making a full-time living at it, and many more part-timers (esp if fortune-tellers are included). There are millions of clients… It’s quite widespread, just hidden.
But then, to what extent it could authentically survive much more exposure as a tourism attraction is a different, and caution-inducing, question. Certainly the large public rituals put on these days would be ‘fair game’ at least…
kerplunk/swlee/troll: “Korea has the most number of islands of any nation” except…? Citation needed. Japan is composed solely of islands and America probably has more islands bound by lakes than Korea has total.
Wikipedia lists 3579 islands in South Korea and Japan has the main four plus “also about 3,000 smaller islands, including Okinawa, and islets, some inhabited and others uninhabited”. But a giant island country like Indonesia beats both of them with 17,508 islands.
I think both Japan and Korea could do island tourism.
I’ve enjoyed exploring the remotest areas here for 7 years now, and since I read your book David there is a new dimension of discovery to my travels; it’d be a shame to see it out of print.
I agree with Kerplunk, the islands are a great resource for Korea and with the long hot summers could attract return visitors. Ive hopped around quite a few of the southern islands and with the exception of Jeju, Geoje and to an extent Jindo they’ve all been pretty quiet and underdeveloped, which is of course the great attraction but it makes you wonder if anybody out there is interested in making money.
Thanks trekkorea. …and you made “17 steep peaks over 28km” last weekend, wow! Great walkin’… and your photo of the Sangseon-am Buddha (29 Sept) is totally awesome!
Island tourism, yes, some potential — esp the likes of Bogil-do, Jindo and such.
Hey, i thought i’d be starting a hundred-post flame-fest with that anti-5000-years rant — doesn’t anybody wanna argue about that…?
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