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National Geographic : 1950 Jun
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The National Geographic Magazine itlocert A. lKinney Manpower, Yoked to a Rope Sling, Moves Rocks to Build a Mountain Railroad Chanting as they work, two-man teams carry boulders up to 600 pounds in this way. At left. Dr. Edgar A. J. Johnson, Director of ECA's Korea Program, watches one of the native "bulldozers" in operation. Built with ECA funds, the single-track road links an isolated east-coast mining area to the rest of South Korea through rugged country (page 777). As all members of the committee began offering me their cups, I realized I should have to drink at least 30 cups of strong warm sake (rice brandy). Fortunately I got a timely tip from one of the kisang girls, professional entertainers cor responding to Japanese geisha girls. I saw her touch her lips to the cup and dump the rest into a big can, used as an ash tray, hidden under the table. I followed her exam ple! How a Korean Farmer Lives A few days later I visited the Sangdong tungsten mine, one of the most important deposits of this material in the world. When the Japanese-built mill is recon ditioned and new equipment is installed, the mine will provide Korea with a sizable source of foreign exchange through export of tungsten concentrates. Traveling in a jeep, I stopped with my in terpreter and Korean driver to eat our lunch near a sparkling mountain creek. Nowhere can a foreigner stop on a Korean road without being surrounded in a few seconds by dozens of children and later by staring adults. A kindly middle-aged man invited us to his farmhouse to have our rations warmed up and to enjoy protection from the chill air of early spring. I accepted, partly to see how a peasant of this area lives. My host was a fairly prosperous farmer living in a rugged, not too overpopulated, dis trict. Unlike many sections of Korea, this area still has plenty of timber and wood for heating. As a rule, wood is extremely scarce, and every twig and leaf is used, either for heating or for making compost. The farm had about ten acres of beautifully terraced rice fields, following the contours of the valley bottom. Every flat space of ground 790
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