[Chaekdam] "The Best Travel Destination, Those Tired of New York Are Tired of Life"

'Seobang Gyeonmunrok' Series New York Edition Published
Chosen as Starting Point for the Melting Pot of World Civilizations
Humanities and Culture Book Covering History, Culture, and Arts
Must-Visit Metropolitan Museum of Art

Writer Kim Jaeyeol

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] Kim Jaeyeol, a world travel storyteller highly regarded as an outstanding ‘travel docent’ based on differentiated humanities travel content. Having traveled the world for decades, he has accumulated knowledge and insights which he has shared through humanities travel concerts. Now, he has published a book titled Seobang Gyeonmunrok (Trojan Horse). While it might be easy to think of it as a travel book, it is closer to a humanities and liberal arts book. It is filled with knowledge that serves as the foundation for gaining a broad and deep perspective, encouraging readers to use it as ‘wisdom.’ The first destination in the series is ‘New York.’ The author explains, “I deeply embedded countless reflections and insights that I couldn’t show or tell within the limited time of lectures,” and adds, “There is no city like New York, full of sights to see, food to eat, things to learn, feelings to experience, and thoughts to ponder, making it the perfect starting point for humanities travel.” On the 8th, we met with author Kim Jaeyeol.

- You are called a ‘world travel storyteller.’

▲ I have traveled the world exploring the geography, history, and culture of travel destinations. Based on that experience, I established a new concept called Yeomunsacheol (旅文史哲), which adds the character for travel (旅) to the traditional humanities disciplines of literature, history, and philosophy (文史哲). Through infotainment (Information+Entertainment) lecture concerts that chemically combine information and impressions, I have shared my journeys with those who dream of traveling. I gave myself the name ‘world travel storyteller’ as a storyteller who offers a five-sense fantasy of ‘traveling the world while sitting still.’

- The book’s title is Seobang Gyeonmunrok. It evokes Marco Polo’s Eastward Travels.

▲ Eastward Travels is a travelogue written by 17-year-old Marco Polo, who explored the East for 24 years from 1271 to 1295, following his merchant father and uncle. It greatly influenced Western perceptions of the East and ignited the adventurous spirit of Christopher Columbus 200 years later, leading to Western-led great voyages. Through this single travelogue, Europe physically and spiritually opened the history of Seoseodongjeom (西勢東漸, meaning Western dominance over the East). Now, more than 700 years later, the title reflects the idea that it is time to look back at Western civilization with the mindset of knowing oneself and the other.

- If you had to choose only one travel destination, you said you would choose ‘New York.’

▲ New York is a city more American than America itself and is called the ‘melting pot of world civilization,’ the ‘final destination of Western civilization.’ It is a living exhibition of modern industrial capitalist civilization, where people from around the world speaking hundreds of languages live together. It is a hyper-dense microcosm of human culture where diverse cultures coexist like magic, unlike anywhere else in the world. Anyone tired of New York must be tired of life itself.

- It seems closer to a humanities and liberal arts book than a travel guide.

▲ The phenomena encountered at travel destinations are complex. One experiences ‘lived experience’ where various three-dimensional elements such as scenery, geography, history, culture, art, customs, and food are organically felt and internalized. To convey that vividness intact, my story’s essence is to continuously discover and blend without discrimination the sensibility of art, the emotion of film, the imagination of fantasy, the insight of wisdom, the playfulness of peripheral nerves, and the nostalgia of memories.

- If you recommend something that must be seen in New York.

▲ The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York holds over 3 million pieces covering 5,000 years of culture from ancient to modern times. It is a world-class museum and art gallery comparable to the Louvre in Paris and the British Museum in London.

- Is there anything else that must be felt or experienced at least once?

▲ In New York, where Little Italy and Chinatown face each other across a single street, you can taste foods from all cultural spheres worldwide. Historic buildings house modern trendy cafes, and the city also boasts the largest public parks designed for citizens anywhere in the world.

- What kind of content do you plan to present in the future?

▲ I plan to write travelogues about London, Paris, Rome, and Athens, which have greatly influenced the journey of Western civilization.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.