{"id":162681,"date":"2000-09-07T15:12:53","date_gmt":"2000-09-07T22:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=162681"},"modified":"2020-11-16T14:03:29","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T22:03:29","slug":"%ec%9d%b4%ec%9b%90%ec%84%b1-duality-part-one-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/%ec%9d%b4%ec%9b%90%ec%84%b1-duality-part-one-land","title":{"rendered":"\uc774\uc6d0\uc131 | DUALITY| Part One: Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: This article is part of the Joy of Resilience<\/a> content series<\/i>, sponsored by Arc’teryx. This article was first published on the Arc’teryx blog<\/a>.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

Words by:\u00a0Shelma Jun<\/a><\/p>\n

Photos by:\u00a0Sasha Turrentine<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0Jenn Flemming<\/a><\/p>\n

This is part\u00a0one\u00a0of a\u00a0series on\u00a0Arc\u2019teryx\u00a0Ambassador\u00a0Shelma\u00a0Jun\u2019s investigation of how her identity as a climber and her identity as a Korean-American immigrant can converge through a three week trip to Korea this past May.\u00a0Land is about the way that climbing has impacted\u00a0her\u00a0connection to Korea. The last part, a short video, will be about how Korea has changed\u00a0her\u00a0connection to climbing.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a deep love for the land in Korea, and there always has been \u2013 through Japanese occupation,\u00a0<\/span>post-World War II\u00a0<\/span>oversight<\/span>\u00a0by the US<\/span>, the Korean war and\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>following\u00a0<\/span>tumultuous navigation of democracy into what it is today.<\/span>\u00a0I think\u00a0<\/span>a strong\u00a0<\/span>connection to the land has been a way for Korean fol<\/span>ks<\/span>\u00a0to maintain a\u00a0<\/span>con<\/span>s<\/span>tant<\/span>\u00a0sense of identity through<\/span>out these<\/span>\u00a0chaotic political times.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It makes sense when you have the opportunity to look at the landscape of Korea.\u00a0<\/span>It\u00a0<\/span>consists of 7<\/span>0 percent\u00a0<\/span>rolling mountains<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0long, rocky coastlines<\/span>\u00a0along most of the border of this peninsula country.<\/span>\u00a0Korean Confucianism and Shamanism\u00a0<\/span>helped shape traditions and beliefs<\/span>\u00a0deeply tied to nature<\/span>. Even<\/span>\u00a0t<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>South\u00a0<\/span>Korean flag\u00a0<\/span>is comprised<\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>simply the\u00a0<\/span>symbol<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0yin and yang<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>trigrams that represent the four natural elements<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>air<\/span>, earth, fire,\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>water.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most people know me as the\u00a0<\/span>f<\/span>ounder of\u00a0<\/span>Flash Foxy<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and the Women\u2019s Climbing Festival, which brings together hundreds of women several times a year<\/span>\u00a0to learn and grow together through climbing. Flash Foxy came into being from feeling as though women did not have equal opportunities or representation in the outdoors<\/span>. However,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>being a woman is just one part of my identity and one of the factors that\u00a0<\/span>has<\/span>\u00a0influenced my experience outdoors.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Born in Seoul, South Korea, I immigrated to the United States with my family when I was four years old.<\/span>\u00a0Due to financial reasons, we were never able to visit Korea as a family and it was not until\u00a0<\/span>well into my<\/span>\u00a020\u2019s that I was able to return for the first time<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>nd<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0it\u2019s been exciting to be able to make a second trip almost ten years later<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>his trip highlighted that my familial<\/span>\u00a0ties to Korea<\/span>\u00a0are<\/span>\u00a0getting older and older<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and it\u00a0<\/span>created<\/span>\u00a0a desire to gather as much knowledge as I can of what my connection to this place is<\/span>. T<\/span>he most obvious place to start was\u00a0<\/span>with\u00a0<\/span>my grandmother<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My\u00a0<\/span>\ud560\uba38\ub2c8<\/span>\u00a0(grandma) was born in Seoul in 1938 during the Japanese occupation of Korea, which ended in 1945. She\u00a0<\/span>stayed through<\/span>\u00a0the US Military Government in Korea from 1945-1948 and fled to<\/span>\u00a0Busan<\/span>\u00a0during the Korean War\u00a0<\/span>from\u00a0<\/span>1950-1953. She returned to Seoul to live through seven different republics of South Korea including several military coups. To come from a line of strong women who lived through so many tumultuous times (and these are just the political ones) and thrived is something I shall think back to often for inspiration. This is just one story of a strong woman who has\u00a0<\/span>thousands of stories to tell \u2013 s<\/span>omeone whose identity is inextricably tied to the land<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>I wondered\u00a0<\/span>how<\/span>\u00a0strong my ties truly were<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span>ould they slowly wane and disappear when I\u00a0<\/span>no\u00a0<\/span>longer had any family here?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also\u00a0<\/span>been\u00a0<\/span>an interesting experience to be raised in<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0Korean household in America and then return to Korea. Some gestures, expressions and cultural ideas feel incredibly familiar and recognizable<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0while others make you feel completely disconnected.\u00a0<\/span>And not only that \u2013\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>ome\u00a0<\/span>folks<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>will tell you\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>you are Korean no matter where you\u2019ve been while others see you as a foreigner. Neither is completely wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As we left Seoul<\/span>\u00a0at the beginning of the trip<\/span>\u00a0to explore the amazing climbing Korea offers, I was feeling a bit lost<\/span>. I was<\/span>\u00a0unsure if I would be able to find an intertwining of my climbing and Korean identities. At this point, I was feeling as though my connection to Korea was more\u00a0<\/span>tenuous<\/span>\u00a0than ever before.\u00a0<\/span>We filled our climbing packs, headed to the crag and looked up at the climbs. Excitement began to fill my insides. I racked up and started up my first pitch of rock climbing in Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Rock climbing has this amazing capability to create connections.\u00a0<\/span>The physical act of climbing is a sort of communion with the landscape. I\u2019ve always felt a bit like an observer<\/span>\u00a0when l<\/span>ooking up at big walls from the ground. But when I\u2019m hundreds of feet up, hanging on the side of a wall surround<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0only by rock and air, that\u2019s when I\u2019ve felt a part of these places<\/span>\u2026<\/span>\u00a0like the trees, like the mountains, like the clouds<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>And<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0it should have come\u00a0<\/span>at<\/span>\u00a0no surprise that I would feel like this again clipping the anchors\u00a0<\/span>up on the walls of\u00a0<\/span>Bukhansan<\/span>\u00a0National Park<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I was reminded of something I wrote in my journal this past winter while in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Payahuunadu<\/span>, the Paiute name for the Owen\u2019s River Valley where Bishop is located.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWhen things are hard, go back to the land. When you can\u2019t remember what you\u2019re doing here, go back to the rock and remember what drew you here \u2013 the push, the pull, the familiar dance between body and land. Embrace the rawness of palms against the sharp rock and the stillness of windswept summits. And give thanks for powerful places.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Sick and stressed, I wasn\u2019t sure what I was doing there as I wasn\u2019t even motivated to climb. My friends Paul and Jolie encouraged me to take some time and get out onto the land. They are from the Bishop Paiute Tribe and have long understood the\u00a0<\/span>healing\u00a0<\/span>power\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0places.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I realized that my connection to this land<\/span>\u00a0is<\/span>\u00a0beyond being born in Korea, beyond being raised in a Korean household and beyond my ancestral ties to this place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0simple act of climbin<\/span>g<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>of spending the day interacting with rock<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>has provided<\/span>\u00a0me<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>with a different pathway to\u00a0<\/span>my ancestral homelands<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 and for that I am grateful.
\n<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: This article is part of the Joy of Resilience content series, sponsored by Arc’teryx. This article was first published on the Arc’teryx blog.\u00a0 Words by:\u00a0Shelma Jun Photos by:\u00a0Sasha Turrentine\u00a0&\u00a0Jenn Flemming This is part\u00a0one\u00a0of a\u00a0series on\u00a0Arc\u2019teryx\u00a0Ambassador\u00a0Shelma\u00a0Jun\u2019s investigation of how her identity as a climber and her identity as a Korean-American immigrant can converge through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":162689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"internal-tag":[2035],"class_list":["post-162681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climb","internal-tag-arcteryx-brand-landing-page"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/climb\/%ec%9d%b4%ec%9b%90%ec%84%b1-duality-part-one-land","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"\uc774\uc6d0\uc131 | DUALITY| Part One: Land","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/%ec%9d%b4%ec%9b%90%ec%84%b1-duality-part-one-land","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/%ec%9d%b4%ec%9b%90%ec%84%b1-duality-part-one-land"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2000\/09\/SashaT65.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2000\/09\/SashaT65.jpg?fit=1200%2C800"},"articleSection":"Climb","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chelsea Davis"}],"creator":["Chelsea Davis"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2000-09-07T22:12:53Z","datePublished":"2000-09-07T22:12:53Z","dateModified":"2020-11-16T22:03:29Z"},"rendered":"