메리 크리스마스 - Merry Christmas - Joyeux Noël

Le 25 décembre est déjà presque arrivé en Corée.

Dehors, le vent soufle fort et il fait noir.
Dans le ciel, il n'y a que très peu d'étoiles et pas de lune.
Mais les lumières de Busan illuminent joliment la nuit.
Et au loin, sur l'océan Pacifique, sont visibles des phares de navires.   

Chez moi, il fait bien et je pense à tous ceux et celles que j'aime qui vivent au loin.
Joyeux Noël à vous tous!
J'espère que vous passerez de bon moments avec vos amis et en famille durant le temps des fêtes.

Un petit temple coréen, en hiver.  A small Korean temple, in winter.

In Korea, December 25th is only a few hours away now.

Outside, night has fallen, and the winter wind is howling.
In the sky, there are very few stars, and no moon.
But the lights of Busan illuminate the night beautifully.
And in the distance, on the Pacific, the lights of sailing ships are visible.

At home, I am warm, and I am thinking of the people that I love, who live so far away.
Merry Christmas to you all!
I hope that you will all have the opportunity to spend time with family and friends during the holidays.

Sunset on Baekyang Mountain

It was the last Saturday before the solstice.

In the late afternoon light, Baekyang mountain (백양산) was gorgeous, an explosion of beautiful reds and deep browns.

On the crest of Baekyang mountain, at sunset.

On the crest of Baekyang mountain, at sunset.

From the summit of the mountain, the view of the setting sun was unobstructed.
Beyond the Nakdong river (낙동강), it crept towards the horizon, colouring the sky with red, orange and yellow hues.

The setting sun, beyond the Nakdong river.

The mouth of the Nakdong river and the Pacific ocean, at sunset.

The setting sun, beyond the Nakdong river.

When it finally reached the horizon, it kissed the Pacific ocean.
It then disappeared for the night.

The setting sun just above the Pacific.

The setting sun just above the Pacific.

The sun, disappearing over the Pacific.

After sunset, in the last light of the day, the summit of the mountain contrasted beautifully against a dark blue sky.
Below, dozens of ships were waiting near the port of Busan, and the city lights shone beautifully in the early night.

The summit of Baekyang mountain, in the last light of the day.

Ships waiting by the port of Busan.

The city lights, coming on just after sunset.

What a beautiful sight it all was!

More About Kim Jong-il's Death

Not surprisingly, Kim Jong-il's death was the headline story in most South Korean papers today.

A selection of today's South Korean papers.

Today, the South Korean government issued a statement of condolences to the North Korean people but chose not to send an official delegation to the mourning ceremony being held in Pyongyang, opting instead to support a visit to North Korea by family members of a few South Korean politicians and business leaders that had relatively close relationships with Kim Jong-il.

Other South Korean news articles reported that it seems that Kim Jong-eun is now officially the leader of the North Korean government, and that some news agencies in the North now refer to him as "respectable" Kim Jong-eun.

Other articles in the international press continued to raise questions about the capacity of Kim Jong-eun to lead the North Korean government, and wondered about the implications of the passing of Kim Jong-il for the regular people of North Korea.  But things appear pretty stable in North Korea, with no unusual activity reported near the border with South Korea, or near the border with China.


Reports from North Korea about the passing of Kim Jong-il are quite surprising.  A few articles have shown people dramatically mourning and crying his death, but some people that I spoke with have suggested that North Korean citizens are being forced to act out this way by their government's propagandists.  The North Korean régime has, in the past, staged events in order to portray a rosy yet obviously false reality to the international community, as revealed by one BBC journalist who was invited into the country.  A radically different picture of life in North Korea is painted by people who defected to South Korea.  The degree of control exerted by the North Korean régime over the people of North Korea is shocking!  It seems that regular North Koreans obtain no information whatsoever about life anywhere outside of North Korea.

It seems, at the moment, that the transition of power to Kim Jong-eun is occurring smoothly in North Korea, and that nothing dramatic will transpire as a result of the passing of Kim Jong-il.  But because the country is almost totally isolated from the rest of the world, it is very difficult to know what is going on there.  I think that this is why so many international leaders are a little bit concerned by what is happening there now.

The Death of Kim Jong-il

Kim Jong-il (김정일), the dictator of North Korea, has died.

In North Korea, it was announced that Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack caused by the stress induced in him by his leadership work.

In South Korea, television stations cancelled much of their regular programming today, dedicating their resources to news coverage and analysis of this event.  Much was also published on the web-sites of the major Korean newspapers and news broadcasters (see KBS, Korea Times, Chosun Ilbo, and Hankyoreh).  I imagine that tomorrow, this will be the front page story of almost all print newspapers in South Korea.


North Korea's neighbours solemnly responded to the news.  The government of Japan offered formal condolences to the North Korean people, as did the government of China.

In South Korea, the news was received with some concern.  The South Korean president held an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.  Both the South Korean military and the South Korean civil service were placed on alert, just in case something unexpected happens in North Korea.  Some government officials, including the president of South Korea, expressed fears that the passing of Kim Jong-il could have a negative effect on the economy of South Korea.


In the longer term, there is concern about the new ruler of North Korea, Kim Jong-eun (김정은), as he is very young and inexperienced.  Kim Jong-eun is the son of Kim Jong-il, and even before Kim Jong-il died, analysts had argued that Kim Jong-eun may not be able to maintain control of the North Korean government after the passing of his father.  Could it be that dramatic events will soon unfold in North Korea?



update - 2011-12-23
Japan has officially decided not to convey official condolences to anyone in North Korea on the occasion of Kim Jong-il's death.  Earlier reports were actually about statements made by a representative of the Japanese government who now claims that his words were personal, not official.

Also, North Korean defectors now living in South Korea have stated to South Korean news agencies that they doubt that many North Koreans are truly saddened by the death of Kim Jong-il.  Defectors interviewed by the Chosun Ilbo stated that only the residents of Pyongyang are likely to be truly saddened by Kim Jong-il's death, as they are the only residents of North Korea who benefit from his régime.  According to the same defectors, there is no real support for Kim Jong-il in the North Korean countryside, as people there are starving and receive no government support.  In contrast, people in Pyongyang receive food rations from the government, thus ensuring that they remain loyal to it.  Interestingly, one defector indicated that loyalty towards Kim Il-sung, the first dictator of North Korea and father of Kim Jong-il, was far more widespread.  So it seems that support for the North Korean government has declined since Kim Jong-il took power.  Could it be that North Koreans will soon rise up and overthrow their government?

Autumn in Canada - l'automne au Québec - 한국의 가을

L'automne est une très belle saison, tant au Québec qu'en Corée.

Au Québec, et ailleurs au Canada, elle ressemble à ceci:

Le parc de la Gatineau, en automne.

Sur la rive du lac Meech.

Un feuillage d'octobre.

Encore des feuilles colorées.

Une plume d'oiseau noire.

Un joli paysage orangé.

Au lac Meech au couché du soleil.

Plus tard à l'automne.

Des pommes mûres à cueillir.

Des feuilles oranges, même dans la ville.

Et la lune qui se lève tôt.

En Corée, l'automne est aussi très colorée:

Coloris automnal au parc du mont Jogye.

À Busan, sur le mont Baekyang.

Au temple SeonAm, encore sur le mont Baekyang.

Sur le mont BukAk, dans la ville de Séoul.

Encore sur le mont BukAk.

Le coloris automnal au couché du soleil, sur le mont Nam à Séoul.

Les feuilles rouges du mont Nam, avec Séoul en arrière-plan.

Une fleur de tournesol, profitant d'une journée automnale chaude.

억새풀

Even though the trees in Busan are not that colourful in October and November, there are still some beautiful natural landscapes to see in Busan in the early autumn.

On many of Busan's mountains, there grows a particular species of grass called "eulalia grass".  In Korean, it is called "eok-se-pul" (억새풀).  In mid-October, eulalia grass turns golden yellow.  And its seeds ripen, forming a beautiful white crown atop every blade of grass.  A field of ripe eulalia grass is a beautiful sight, and the wind blowing through it makes a soft, soothing sound. 

Eulalia grass on 구덕산.  The Pacific ocean is visible in the distance.

A tree on a mountain crest, surrounded by eulalia grass.

Eulalia grass with the Nakdong river (낙동강) visible in the distance.

억새풀, with Busan and the Pacific ocean in the distance.

The 낙동강  and eastern Busan.

Again, the 낙동강 and eastern Busan, with eulalia grass in the foreground.

Focusing the camera on the grass.

The ripe seeds of the eulalia grass.

It seems to me that eulalia grass is celebrated in Korean culture, at least in the area of Busan.  A few days ago, in a subway station in Busan, I noticed that the station had been decorated with placards featuring Korean poems.  Each poem was accompanied by an illustration, and I immediately recognized that one of them was about eulalia grass.

A poem about eulalia grass, in a Busan subway station.

I asked a Korean friend to help me translate the poem.  It is beautiful!  It speaks of a person, impatiently waiting for the eulalia grass to ripen in the autumn.  Once ripened, the grass covers the mountains and fields, as if greeting the person as it waves in the wind.  The ripe grass reminds the person of someone else, tending a rice field, tanned skin in the autumn sun, wearing a white scarf on her head - that is, the person's mother.