“Viewfinder” is what the photographer looks through to compose the subject area in a photograph. The world has been changing rapidly, and the media only focuses on new things. “Moonchang Viewfinder,” which “Channel PNU” presented, will introduce those who have been pulling their own weight for a long time.

The first is Lim Young-Ho (Prof. of Media & Communication, PNU). He had put his efforts into his field for 30 years, but decided to live a new life as a travel writer “alter-ego.” In a late-trip that started around 50 years old, he visited 76 countries, which created a new job for him. On August 18th, Channel PNU met him at his lab with his new travel books, "Europe and Soviet Travel (유럽과 소비에트 변방 기행)" and "Meet Medieval Europe in the Mediterranean Sea (지중해에서 중세 유럽을 만나다)."

Q. Is the bookshelf empty because you are about to retire soon?

A. There is no point in having many books. Initially, I had thousands of books but slowly disposed the ones that I was no longer interested in. I donated about 10,000 books to the university. There are about 200 scholarly books, including art history, pictures, poems, and history genres, at home, which are suitable during coffee breaks. In the past, I only studied academics, but now I’m going to learn about life with the books which I have at home.

Q. How did you start traveling? What made you become a travel writer in the second phase of your life? 

A. All professors are supposed to retire. In my case, thinking of the second phase of my life, or my alter-ego, I have been traveling to many places and wanted to do it continuously. That’s why I decided to be a travel writer and published books. Actually, I started traveling a bit late. I flew out to study abroad before I was 30, but I had never been anywhere because I had no money, time, or interest. Likewise, after coming back here, I only visited conferences, but everything changed after visiting the U.K for the first time, for 25 days, when I was 49 years old. It gave me the passion to travel and I have visited 76 countries so far.

Q, What kind of travel do you like?

A. I have a different attitude toward traveling from the younger generation, which may be a limit, but it can also be an advantage if you use your experience or knowledge. The good thing is that I don’t need to plan an excessive schedule to save money, like the younger generations do.

I think traveling needs four things: time, money, power, and interest. However, there is not a single day in our entire life that consists of all those things, at the same time. In our twenties, we have no money; in our thirties, no time; in our fifties, no physical power, or even though we have the power, we’re not interested. Therefore, I developed a style of traveling that fits me. I don’t rush during my trips, don’t move in a car at night or wake up at dawn. I leave the accommodation at 10:30 AM or 11:00 AM and look around for half a day, and in the evening, watch the night view sitting in a cool place. I look more closely than others.

Q. Many people pursue the stimulating-pleasure-with-their-money style of travel , but in terms of your travel, it seems like traveling and learning are in an inseparable relationship. Is this right?

A. Travels don’t have to be summarized in three phrases: “Taste good, Look nice, Have fun.” I wrote this book to travel beyond this meaning, and I have a habit of coming from the discipline. It is the point that I turn over what is given and think once more about what is hidden behind. Assume that there is an ancient castle. Don’t just admire the beauty you can see, but in detail, there is a tragic history where nobles were betrayed and exterminated hundreds of years ago. When you know about its history while looking at the beautiful scenes, it will be a new thing. What is important to note is to don’t just look at what you see, but take another aspect of view and observe it. You can see as much as you know.

Q. Please introduce the book briefly that you published.

A. The book I recently published is not a type of historical story in depth. Typically, it’s mainly a way that the artifacts I found in countries and the stories were derived from the remains.

“Europe and Soviet Travel (유럽과 소비에트 변방 기행)” is a book that I wrote after traveling around Georgia, Ukraine, and Belarus, which were consisted of Soviet Russia. They were positioned between Europe and Russia but were divided independently. According to the fortune of history, they are separate now. In the case of Belarus, it has never had independent power, so even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country is dependent on Russia, so the place names, such as the “Revolution Square,” still remains.

But, in terms of Ukraine, the country deleted all traces of the Soviet area because it identified them with the Nazis. As wheat was offered by the Soviets, the citizens died of starvation. Yet, Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, is one of the “heroic cities” where the army killed the most enemies in the Soviets during World War II. So, there are memorial cemeteries to remember the nightmares of the Soviets and monuments to the unknown soldiers of World War II. The view of the two symbols side by side is the way Ukraine treats the past. The past can’t be divided; some parts can’t be preserved or removed. Thus, there remains indivisible souls sharing the same roots and nightmares together. In this way, this book is for sharing the history of the ruins, streets, and landscapes.

"Meet Medieval Europe in the Mediterranean Sea (지중해에서 중세 유럽을 만나다)" is a book about the destruction of the knights born to protect pilgrims. I wrote the stories while traveling around medieval cities and fortresses about the knights who had been deprived of the holy land, which moved through Rhodos Island and Malta. I felt that the world we see now is similar to the world we met with prejudiced, ignorant fanatics. I wondered how much the attitude toward unfamiliar and ignorant things like the pagan changed.

Q. You are in the media, but historical stories in your books have always been included. Do you like history?

A. History, psychology, society, and philosophy are not separate, including journalism, and scholars have developed them; the results from these disciplines are just different. Wasn’t there only one philosophy in the disciplines until the Middle Ages. Likewise, philosophy and history apply to all disciplines.

*All current disciplines, including history, engineering, mathematics, and sociology are separate from philosophy: That’s why philosophers appear in chemical textbooks, and most doctor’s degrees are called “Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy).”

Q. What are the most memorable places of your journeys?

A. Well, I sometimes used to recommend some good places when I started traveling, but I don’t know these days.  All kinds of travel have their own dark scenes and good ones simultaneously.  So, I remember the snapshots in the middle of my daily routine rather than a particular place being the best.

I got lost on the sandhill once when I tracked down alone in Cappadocia. With over 40 degrees of sunlight, there was no way to go down and no one around me. The sky even turned yellow, but fortunately, I encountered people while hiking down. She was from France, and we had lunch at a cool place. She asked me if I had ever been to France, and I said that I had only visited Paris. Then, she said, “Paris is not equal to France” because that city is an one of an exception in France, so you can’t say you visited.”

But I felt that Eastern Europe is more impressive than Western because it’s rawer. When I left my accommodation on the mountain in Armenia, no matter how much time I didn’t have, the owner told me to have at least a cup of tea even if I couldn’t eat anything. It seems similar to our old culture.

Q. I can see you prefer to visit traditional local places rather than to schedule the fixed, jam-packed style. Is it right?

A. Of course, that point is what I want to say. China is the only country to go on a group tour, among the 76 countries I’ve been to. But I can’t remember where I visited. Honestly, I felt disappointed when seeing the pyramid in Egypt and the Eiffel tower in France. If I have three days in a city, one day I generally move slowly on my own schedule, and on the remaining days, move around alleys. 

Q. I traveled to Europe this year. I remember more about the relationship with the people I met while traveling more than the landmarks. What about you?

A. Good memories don't come back well. I went to Europe for about 40 days in 2006 because of my sabbath year. I met the advisor who retired, lived in Slovenia, and was managing grape farms on the hill. I stayed at his house for a few days , took a naps, and lived with two elderly couples, so I helped them pull out the grass and swam together in a small pool. In the evening, I was invited to a local feast in a house surrounded by walls like the movie, “The Godfather.” Music played outdoors and the house owner, a stranger, poured wine for me. After that, the advisor's wife sometimes asked me, “When will you come back? The grass has grown in the yard.” Then I thought I had to go again this year, but when I contacted her, she had already passed away. So I couldn’t visit there again.

This is another thing. The advisor and his wife visited Korea a few times, and when I visited their house, I asked if there was anything they needed, she asked me to buy banding pants that looked comfortable when the grandmothers wore them. So, I bought it at Gukje Market.

Q. What does travel mean to you? What do you want to say to students? 

A. To me, travel means to escape from current life. I don’t think travel means you must go abroad with a lot of money. Everything can be “travel” if you escape from the familiar world you’ve always seen in your daily routine. So, everyone needs to try out their own travel within their own circumstances, like going abroad, doing volunteer work, and doing things they’ve never experienced before. You may be busy when you’re young, but these chances might decrease as you get older.

I was a stereotypical person. When I first went to the US, I had never eaten a single new food except for milk and apples. But now, I don’t want Korean food in any country, and even eat fried scorpions or fried caterpillars. I don’t feel scared in any strange place because I have seen what I am accustomed to on trips from a different point of view. So, if you are young, I recommend you leave “your own journey.”

Reporter Jun Hyung-Seo

Translated by Park Yeon-Hee