Until 1960, the word "Sebiro" was commonly used in Korea. This is a Japanese word for Western-style dress for men. We call "Shin-Sa-Bok" these days. You will be interested to know that North Korea's Kim Il-Sung had to borrowed a Sebiro from someone else, when he gave his first "triumph" speech in Pyongyang on October 14, 1945.
This web page is based on two of the seasonal letters I sent out to my Korean friends who shared the same high-school class until March of 1954.
March 6, 2017
When did you wear your first Sebiro?
- To us, the high-school graduation in 1954 meant a great liberation. We became
free to grow hairs, go to movie houses, and talk to girls. As you know I still exercise
the
freedom of talking to girls.
In addition, we had an expensive freedom: to wear formal Western dress called "Sebiro." When did you wear your first Sebiro?
Toward the end of the Pacific War in August of 1945, Japanese authorities became desperate and forced every Korean man to wear their military uniform. Even after the war, Sebiro was a rare item.
- North Korea's Kim Il-Sung came to Korea with the first wave of
Soviet troops who landed in Wonsan. He was a captain of the Soviet army.
His real name was Kim Sung-Ju (pronounced as Sung-Du in Pyongyang), but he
called himself Kim Young-Hwan at that time. He was an intelligence agent
trusted by Stalin's hatchet man called
Lavrentiy Beria.
Kim's initial duty was to convert to a Soviet puppet a respected Korean nationalist named Cho Man-Sik. But he failed. Soviet authorities then changed his name to Kim Il-Sung, and ordered him to give a triumph speech at a meeting in Pyongyang. His speech was composed in Kremlin, and was translated into Korean by a Korean poet named Ri Chan. Click here for what else he did.
The meeting took place in October 14 of 1945. The purpose of the meeting was to welcome Soviet troops and General Kim Il-Sung. Koreans were more interested in General Kim Il-Sung, and they were expecting a military man in army uniform, looking like a Polish general named Jan Henryk Dabrowski who fought for Polish independence while his country was occupied by Russia, Prussia, and Austria for 125 years until the end of the first world war in 1917. There is a Polish song entitled Mazurek Dabrowskiego to praise him. This song became later became the Polish national anthem.
Soviet authorities later asked the Korean composer named Kim Dong-Jin to compose a song praising General Kim Il-Sung, and he did, but his composition was based on the true Kim Il-Sung in the heart of all Koreans. As you know, Kim Dong-Jin moved to the South as soon as Pyongyang was liberated by (south) Korean troops in October of 1950.
Click here for the music of this song circulated by North Korean propaganda agency in the 1960s. It does not say who composed the song. Kim Jung-Il later fabricated the composer's name as Kim Wong-Gyun. We all love Kim Dong-Jin's songs, especially "Gagopa," but not many Koreans know he composed also the song of North Korea's No. 1 song.
Let us go back to the meeting that took place in Pyongyang on October 14, 1945. Quite contrary to the great expectation Koreans had for General Kim Il-Sung, the 33-year-old kid named Kim Young-Hwan appeared as Kim Il-Sung and gave his triumph speech. He was wearing a Sebiro, but it was clear to everybody that was wearing a borrowed Sebiro. Look at this photo:
http://ysfine.com/kobak/1014.jpg.
The sleeves are too long for his arms. Look at this photo:
http://ysfine.com/kobak/1014c.jpg.
This photo was taken right before he went to the podium to give his speech. He was escorted by two low-ranking Soviet officers. It is quite clear that his Sebiro was borrowed from someone. Some people say he borrowed it from Kang Mikhail, Korean-born Soviet officer, standing next to him.
Let me stop here. I can write a book about this Gazza Kim Il-Sung, but I have more important things to do. I have to write another book in phuysics.
- Next, let us talk about Cho Byung-Ok's Sebiro. After the 8.15 liberation,
the only political organization in Korea was Park Hun-Young's communist party.
Worried about this situation, a number of well-to-do (somewhat pro-Japanese)
Koreans got together to organize a political party called "Hankook Minju Dang"
or Hanmin-Dang, but they could not find among them anyone who could talk to
Americans. They decided to invite an American-educated man named Cho Byung-Ok.
Because of his strong American background, Cho had been harshly treated by Japanese authorities, and he was thoroughly bankrupt by 1945. He had to wear a Sebiro to meet Americans, but did not have it. Thus, those well-to-do Hanmin-Dang people collected money among themselves to arrange a Sebiro for him. Cho then met Americans and got the job of organizing Korean police. Here is Cho's photo in his police uniform:
You should be able to recognize the man in police uniform. http://ysfine.com/saram/m09.jpg.
Knowing nothing about how the police world, Cho had to use the system left behind by Japanese. When Americans criticized, he defended his position by saying Koreans in the Japanese police organization were pro-job, not pro-Jap.
Cho's son is the senior politician named Cho Soon-Hyung. He is known as the life-time assembly man. He is also known for saying things people do not want to hear, jut like me. No wonder, he was my classmate in high school.
Many years ago, I met Cho Byung-Ok's daughter in Washington, DC. You will be interested to know that she was the first Korean woman licensed to drive a car. Her husband was a medical doctor at the Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington. She was with her two sons. They looked exactly like Cho Byung-Ok. Indeed, he was a strong man!!
As you recall, Cho Byung-Ok died at the Walter Reed in January of 1960. MacArthur and Eisenhower also died there.
When I went into this Sebiro shop in London, the manager knew I came from America from my dressing. As an expert an expert on clothing, he should have known what my business is. Dressed in the same way, I met this neat-looking lady In Frankfurt, Germany. She was an airline hostess for private jet services for oil-rich Arabian countries. From my appearance, she should have known how rich or how poor I am. Yet, she thought she could exchange some intelligent talks with me. We did and became close enough to produce this photo.
Two Koreans in Paris dressed
like Americans. - Do you know where the word "Sebiro" came from? As some of you now, it came
from a short street in London consisting of tailor shops for men. The name
of the street is "Savile Row." The Wikipedia page for this street is
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savile_Row.
Japan's Emperor Meiji ordered his first Western suit from one of the shop in this street, and many of Japan's upper class men did the same thing. Thus, Savile Row became Sebiro.
For curiosity, I went to Savile Row when I was in London last year, and exchanged some useless talks with shop keepers. At one of the places, I asked the manager whether he knows the Western suit is called Sebiro in Japan. He said Yes, and said he owns a Sebiro shop in the Ginza district in Tokyo.
I also checked the price of their products. He quoted the lowest possible price for a tailed set in British pound. It was about 10,000 US Dollars. Many people say America is the best place to live. It is because you do not have to spend money on clothing.
- During the same European trip, I met a very neat-looking lady while waiting
in the ticket line at a railway station in Frankfurt, Germany. She was an airline
hostess for private jet services for oil-rich Arabian countries. This means that
she knew from my appearance how rich or how poor I am. Yet, she thought she could
exchange some intelligent talks with me, and we did. She talked to me first.
In general, I seem to enjoy having photos with the airline people during flights or at airports. They are highly trained professionals, and they know I am a Korean, not Chinese or Japanese. Click here for my photos with those airline hostesses.
You may be interested in a photo of two Koreans in Paris dressed like Americans:
http://ysfine.com/friends/koparis05.jpg.
In this photo, I am sharing a breakfast table with a Korean music student at a hotel in front of Sorbonne University. They look hopeless, but Parisians know we are from America. I do not know how I will be treated in Korea if dressed like that.
One of Selfridges store's show windows. Oxford Street during the Christmas season.
- While Savile Row is a short street, it is in the middle of London's
main shopping district. Here is
a map containing Savile Row and other major
shopping streets in London.
- There are all major department stores, including
Debenhams,
John Lewis, and
all others.
- You are old enough to recognize the recording trademark called
His Master's Voice.
The original record store is in this area.
- The most interesting store for us could be the department store called "Selfridges."
Harry Gordon Selfridge was born in
Wisconsin (U.S.A.), and started as the lowest-ranking clerk in one of American department
store. He then produced new ideas for retailing. During his time, women stayed home while their
husbands had to work. Thus, he was interested in getting money from women. This is
the reason why the perfume sections are on the ground floor near the entrance of
every department store.
Ultimately he started his department store near one of London's subway stations. He knew that women did not have cars while their husbands are away for their works. Many new ideas propelled his success.
However he has an unrealistic goal: to become a noble man in the British society. After realizing this, he spent his money recklessly and became homeless when he died.
In Korea, Park Heung-Shik is known as the pioneer in department store business. We all know how he lived. Selfridge was an American Park Heung-Shik.
- 100 years ago, in this ares, there was the headquarters of the Royal Academy of Sciences.
These days, the place became a museum dedicated to a physicist named Michael Faraday.
Click here for the map.
Some of you know about Faraday and some do not. He is responsible for discovering physical laws which will raise or lower the voltage of electricity. Thanks to his discovery, we are able to transmit the electrical energy from one place to another using high-voltage transmission lines. Since I am still interested in electrical stuff, I went to the Faraday museum and constructed a webpage. Click here for the page.
Faraday on the back of the 20 pound bill.
- There are all major department stores, including
Debenhams,
John Lewis, and
all others.
- There are many other interesting places in London. You may click here for my webpage for London. I go there very often, and constantly add more interesting photos.
March 12, 2017
Spring is here!
- Before 1945, when we were small boys, we used to greet the Spring by
singing the Japanese song:
- Toward the end of our high school periods, a number of us became
quite fond of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 5 entitled "Spring."
Let us hear the music played by our Chung Kyung Wha:
- Irina Bachkova is
the violin progam leader of the Moscow Conservatory of Music. You will be
surprised to see
my photo with this distinguished violinist. How did this happen?
The Russian city of Volga is a very interesting place, interesting enough for Hillary Clinton to visit by disrupting her schedule while visiting Russia in 2009. Both Lenin and Tolstoy steadied at the university there, although they were expelled for their unacceptable behviors. Click here for my Kazan page. I went there three times to attend physics conferences.
Irina Bachkova came from Kazan, and she comes to her home city during the summer month. She was invited to give her violin recital during the physics conference held in July of 2001.
She played Beethoven's Spring Sonata. After her performance, I introduced myself to her, and I told her I heard this Sonata when I was a high-school boy. I then gave her this post card showing Beethoven's four string instruments. I usually carry one or two copies of this card when I expect to meet musicians. I bought 30 of them when I went to Beethoven's house (now museum) in Bonn.
- If you are not interested in this kind of classical stuff, it is OK. You are
quite normal. However, you still enjoy Vienna waltzes. We used to hear the
Voices of Spring by Johann Strauss:
Look at the above video carefully. The orchestra conductor is a violinist. His name is Andre Rieu. As some of you know, he is the most popular pop-violinist in the world. Wherever he goes, he draws a large crowd, and everybody gets excited.
- You will be surprised to see my photo with him. I met him in February of 2017
after checking out from Berlin's Steigenberger Hotel near the Hauptbanhof
(main railroad station). He was sitting on a chair at the
hotel lobby waiting for his colleagues to come out, with a number of lunch boxes
for them. I asked him whether I could have one of them. He said YES.
He looked polished and spoke fluent English. I asked him what his business is. He said music, and he is the music director of the Johann Strauss Orchestra. I then asked him whether he is from Vienna. He said No. He is from the Netherlands but he is travelling around. After some talks, he thought I could recognize his name, and gave me a copy of his photo with his name. Indeed, I was happy to recognize his name and we posed for this photo. He was with his business manager who takes care of the hotel bills for him and the members of his orchestra. The floor mat in this photo says "Steigenberger Hotel".
Let us go to some of his videos.
My photo with Andre Rieu (middle) and his business manager in Berlin (February 2017). Steigenberger mat is on the floor. - Johann Strauss waltzes
in Paris, starting with the Voices of Spring.
- Bessame Mucho.
- Radetzky March.
- Rosa Munda.
-
Habanera from Carmen.
- Cieliti Lindo.
- La Paloma.
- 100 years of
Johann Strauss.
-
Carnival in Venice.
- Many more videos by Rieu.
My photo with Logunov, and
with his staff members (1999).
Logunov served as the president of Moscow State University from 1977 to 1992. When Korea established the diplomatic relation with the Soviet Union in 1990, he was the first Russian to visit Korea with Korean Visa No. 1. - Johann Strauss waltzes
in Paris, starting with the Voices of Spring.
- Let me switch to another subject. Russia has
been and still is a very strange country to us. Since 1990, I went there
many times, and I was able to post more than 300 photos of Russian ladies
to my webpage. I then construct a theory why it is so easy for me to
talk to Russian girls.
Click here and
here for explanations.
Recently, I reorganized my Moscow page in order to entertain my Russian colleagues. Needless to say, I did this to advertise myself to that part of the world. I would also like to invite you to this Moscow page.
Toward the end of the page, I talk about their Moscow State University. About 70 percent of my Russian colleagues are from that University. You will note that I am talking there about Korea and our Confucian background. I say also that the Korean version of Confucianism is different those in China and Japan.
With this point in mind, I note also that Korea is the only country, among those three, where Christianity flourishes. Thus, it is an interesting problem to look into the common ground shared by both Christianity and Korean Confucianism. If that is the case, the first person to see this point was a Japanese military man named Konishi Yukinaga, known to us as So-Seo Haeng-Jang. You all know he was one of the two commanders of the Japanese troops who invaded Korea 400 years ago.
Konishi was a Christian and was so attracted by Korean Confucianism that he kidnapped Korean scholars to his country. This became the origin of the Japanese version of Confucianism called "Shushi Kaku" (Chuja Hak). Since Japan started copying Western system in 1850, their Confucian tradition is not strong. In spite of their enthusiasm about copying the Western systems, Japanese stil do not know how to believe in Jesus.
