KOREAN NET

At the end of 2022, China faced a new phase as the entire nation rapidly change due to COVID-19. One of the most affected by contactless activities in the past three years is growing children. This was even more so for the children of overseas Koreans who grew up in a foreign environment and found it difficult to develop their own identity. Koreans living in China particularly were not able to return to Korea due to strict quarantine guidelines and children had to endure this situation. In a bilingual or trilingual environment, opportunities to experience the Korean language and culture have become more difficult due to repeated shutdowns and intermittent contactless classes. Children quenched their thirst from time to time when the Korean community held events for the youth but there were fewer opportunities to experience Korean culture compared to before COVID-19.

Panoramic view of the Gyeonghyang Library in Qingdao, China (courtesy of the Gyeonghyang Library)

In the meantime, there was a place that not only held the Literature Night event with children of overseas Koreans, but provided children the opportunity to read books in Korean, made a collection of writings by the children, and sold them through online bookstores. It is the Gyeonghyang Library located in Chengyang, Qingdao, Shandong, China.

Inside of the Gyeonghyang Library

Front desk, and new & adult books section, 1F of the Gyeonghyang Library

Children’s books section, 2F of the Gyeonghyang Library

Small exhibition space composed of children’s poems (courtesy of the Gyeonghyang Library)

The Gyeonghyang Library began as a children’s library with 1,000 books in April 2018. Now the library became a cultural space for overseas Koreans over 5,000 books in its own space.

The library could not open or limited its door for a long time due to the quarantine measures of COVID-19 from the end of 2019. Nevertheless, it showed the unique influence of the Gyeonghyang Library by closely cooperating with the overseas Korean community and carrying out small and large events depending on the circumstances.

The moment you open the door and enter the library, you will feel as if you are standing in a small library in Korea because of the Korean language that fills up the space. You can find cute props, library goods, posters made during previous events, and books drawn and made by children. Looking at the library that is warmly decorated with fine details, the limelight is placed on Director Geon-hee Park, who established the Gyeonghyang Library.

Director Geon-hee Park of the Gyeonghyang Library

Director Geon-hee Park who set the identity of the Gyeonghyang Library used to work in publishing, and he calls himself a bookworm. For a long time, he visited bookstores and libraries that are operated in a unique way, and created the inside and outside of the current Gyeonghyang Library. At first, he started with Gyeonghyang Hangeul School and offered classes focusing on reading activities for children. And he felt the need for books in Korean. The experience of dispatched work of supporting overseas libraries has helped him to open the library, and he later contacted several publishers for the supply of books.

On February 15, 2023, we interviewed Director Park at the library about the path the Gyeonghyang Library has taken and plans for this year.

Interview with Geon-hee Park, Director of the Gyeonghyang Library to open in Qingdao, China in 2023

Q. How was the Gyeonghyang Library affected in the past three years of COVID-19?

Director Park) Since we started as a free library on purpose, we didn’t have financial difficulties because the library still runs whether people visit or not. However, this is a space used by consulate staff and consuls, as well as students and teachers from each school. So if I am confirmed with COVID-19, they will be classified as close contact. It could affect the Korean community. I had to be extra cautious throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The door had to be closed more often, and even if it was open, there were inconveniences such as not being able to read at the library or only giving three minutes to borrow books. In the early days of COVID-19, we also worked with the consulate to deliver books to those who were quarantined in hotels. Meanwhile, there was a time when I went to Korea briefly and couldn't come back to China for a year. It was difficult at the time because I had paid all the fixed expenses related to operating the library.

Q. The number of overseas Koreans in Qingdao is decreasing recently. Does this affect the library?

Director Park) It is said that the number of Koreans is decreasing, but surprisingly, we say goodbye every week and then say hello every week as well. Library operating staff and visitors newly come in as much as they leave. For example, when three families return home, about three new families come in.
Besides, since we cover a fairly large area within Qingdao, people from far away such as Pingdu, Lichun, downtown Qingdao, and Huangdao visit the library. Of course, most people live in nearby Chengyang. So, there are still many people who visit the library during the week. The library is open until 8 PM on Wednesdays, so people who work come at late hours or visit on weekends.
Since many people still come and go, I don't think the decreased number of Koreans in Qingdao is affecting the library.

Q. Would you like to introduce activities that the Gyeonghyang Library carried out with the overseas Korean community?

Director Park) The biggest event is Literature Night where teenagers write, make videos, and present their works. We also published up to the 2nd edition of The Gyeonghyang Library Literary Award Winning Works.
We invite outside authors as judges of the Literary Award. We also connect talented youths with authors. One friend who won the first Literary Award is now 20 years old and has graduated, but we are currently working to connect him to the judge of the first Literary Award. Teenagers here are very talented but have no change to show their talents. It’s our goal to provide an opportunity for them.
We are operating the Gyeonghyang Hangeul School, which educates mainly on reading activities. We scanned the dummy books made by children and made them into books. Children have a higher affinity for the book and are motivated to take classes when they hold their own books. So I plan on continuing it.
There is also a book curation service. The Bookmark Club at the Galaxy International School requested this service and we lend books that suit the topic for a semester. Books need to be circulated anyway. Some of the books that are not read here can be read elsewhere.
Our books are sent to some Korean companies in Rizhao and we send books periodically to the cafe Charm of Intelligence in the apartment complex where many Koreans live. We also sending our books to the Kyobo Bookstore China office until they have books of their own.

Poster for the 2022 Gyeonghyang Library Literature Night (courtesy of the Gyeonghyang Library)

Students at the 2022 Gyeonghyang Library Literature Night (courtesy of the Gyeonghyang Library)

Gyeonghyang Library Literature Award Winning Works of 2021 and 2022

Small picture books of drawings and writings by elementary school children

Q. Where do you get inspirations from when planning various activities?

Director Park) I think I can do it because I not only like books, but I also really like publishing culture and activities related to it. They say someone like me a ‘nerd’ these days. I get inspirations from bookstores.
I was a ‘bookstore traveler’ in Korea and I visited about 100 bookstores while I was in Korea. My job was related to planning when I worked at a publishing company. My planning note has over 100 planning ideas I got from bookstores. I need to unfold them one by one. I can't do them all at once but I select one as if I’m raffling from a secret box and decide to do an event for this time. And we start from finding and arranging a place. We ask for permission if we want to do an activity. If there is a pace with a brilliant ideas, we ask for permission first. Even if we are not doing it immediately.

Q. You mainly conducted events for Korean teenagers. What do you think these children need?

Director Park) Author Gyeong-seon Lim lived abroad for a long time because her father worked at an overseas diplomatic office. And when I heard that 200% of her writing was from living abroad like a wanderer, I found a potential in writing. Children here must have similarities with Lim. They just didn’t have an opportunity to express them.
I always ask children what they think after the Literature Night event. Children tell me it was an intense experience and it helped them to write. I’m grateful for that the most. That children understood and felt my intentions well.
We also think a lot about the dreams, futures, and hopes of children. Since last year, we have been recruiting youth supporters, providing a platform for youths to voluntarily carry out campaigns. Literature Night that began last year was prepared by children. We allowed children to plan and proceed on their own. The supporters members come to the library to read books and carry out voluntary activities such as organizing books.
Every time I say goodbye to children, I tell them to see you again. I say ‘zai jian,’ meaning that we will meet again when you become an author later.

Q. What is the most difficult thing about running a library abroad and what kind of support do you need in the future? How is the supply of books?

Director Park) I think the supply issue is somewhat solved. What we need to the most is a library pass. I’ve filed complaints for the past year. The library pass is generally issued by local governments in Korea, and overseas diplomatic missions do not have a responsibility over this pass. The library pass is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The MCST tells us to make a proposal to overseas diplomatic missions and the missions tells us to ask the MCST. It’s very ambiguous. However, we can still ask a question from our point of view because there is still a legal possibility if we look at the Small Library Promotion Act. So we wanted to solve this issue , but it is still difficult. It’s not just us but all Korean libraries in overseas will face this kind of problem. There is someone in the Netherlands who made an inquiry before me, but eventually gave up and runs a bookstore now. I hope this will be resolved as soon as possible.
Currently, there are several Korean libraries in China including Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu. I discussed with the directors of these libraries to submit a petition when an Overseas Koreans Office is formed but the details are not yet decided.

Q. What are the plans for 2023?

Director Park) We are planning a children’s poem contest in October. I had a meeting with some teachers of the Korean language school and there was an opinion that it would be nice to have a children’s poem contest. So I decided to do it. I already registered the project and contacted the judges for the contest. I will be making a poem book. We are debating whether to limit the scale of the event to Shandong Province or expand it to the entire China, and we plan to request cooperation from other Korean schools.
In Summer, we will be holding Literature Night as always. This year, I’m running a Trivial Club for taking sunset photographs in the same spot every day. I used to make video once a month called Monthly Sunset, but now seven people joined me. I am thinking about holding a screening at the end of the year.
I’m also preparing mentoring between students and professionals. Mentoring is partially ready now, but there are limits to doing this alone. We have a space on the second floor so we will invite professionals such as those who work in films, marketers, or teachers to meet students who want to become one. It wouldn’t be a lecture-like mentoring but open-hearted conversations. This will be an event to teach students what kind of process they need to go through to achieve their dreams High school graduates I had a relationship with asked me. They want to do something but can’t find any data.
As people who use our library have various occupations and they will be kind enough to share their talents.

As the interview lasted for about an hour, visitors constantly entered and left the library, like the sunlight coming in to the building. There were volunteers, general visitors, students who came to study, and various people. This place was not only a library but a gathering place for the region.

Exhibition of children’s poems in the corner of the library (courtesy of the Gyeonghyang Library)

The small exhibition displaying poems of children in the corner was full of children’s emotions and dreams. Like this small but carefully prepared exhibition space, we hope the Gyeonghyang Library will continue for a long time, like a boat floating in diaspora life.

※ The above interview is the summarized version of the entire interview.