Today, we will meet Lee Yong-won, the editor of Monthly Tomato.

Q1. Please introduce yourself briefly.

Hello, I'm Lee Yong-won, editor of Monthly Tomato. After entering the Department of Mass Communication (currently communication sciences) at Chungnam National University, I continued to write and founded Monthly Tomato.

Q2. Please introduce Monthly Tomato briefly.

Monthly Tomato was founded in May 2007 and has been publishing monthly magazines since. We discover content in Daejeon under the theme of “Space, People, and Records.”

Currently, most of the content we commonly consume focuses on the metropolitan area. However, I think that the cultural gap between the outer regions and the metropolitan area will widen if we blindly consume content centered on the metropolitan area without paying attention to the region where we live.

The theme of “Space, People, and Records” actually encompasses our entire lives. I promise that I will not place restrictions on what my magazine deals with. Space is both a basis and a foundation. People gather in spaces to create various stories. Recording and sharing these stories is very important to build relationships between people. I think this is a necessary factor to maintain society and take it in a better direction.

Q3. Why is there “tomato” in the name?

I just wanted to choose the fruit that stimulates the five senses. It is refreshing, squishy, and cheerful. Of course, you can argue that tomatoes are vegetables, but such fuss is meaningless. A tomato has both the characteristics of fruits and vegetables. I did not think of it at first, but the boundaries of tomatoes are very good. Don't you think you can imagine and talk freely? Also, when fully cooked, the outside of a tomato is no different from the inside. It is the same red.

Q4. What do you think the charm of Daejeon is?

Monthly Tomato ran a book café called Ide in Daeheung-dong in the past. There, we also opened a market in an alley like a flea market called Sampal-gwangddang Jang, and have held many events such as exhibitions, band performances, and mural painting. The charm of Daejeon is that it is fun to walk down alleys like this, and Daejeon is a leisurely place where you do not have to walk along the busy sidewalks. In the Seoul metropolitan area, where I am always busy, I do not have much time to think about alternative life, but I think this is possible in Daejeon. I think it is a place where you can go your own way without having to live with others.

Old Downtown in Daejeon was developed when Daejeon Station was opened during the Japanese occupation. So there are many places in Old Downtown where time and history have accumulated. It is more interesting because it is a history that affects our people now, not a long time ago.

In the new downtown, some institutions show the aspects of a metropolitan city. Hanbat Arboretum is good, and the art complex is also a great asset. There are many interesting places if you pay a little attention.

To sum up these various thoughts in one word, I think it is "possibility." It is a pity that there is still an endless in-flow of people into Seoul. Daejeon is a good city to create something unique. That is the charm.

Q5. Please introduce some hidden attractions or your favorite places in Daejeon.

I will tell you one thing. There is the Daecheongho Obaek-ri (hiking trail) road. As far as I know, there is a historical site called "Sinsunbong Historic Site" in section 4 of the trail. It is a small mountain, so it is easy to climb. If you hike up there, you can see strange rocks and bizarre stones. There is a group of incredibly large rocks that look like a giant crab lying down as if laid on purpose. If you hike up there and look at Daecheongho Lake, you can imagine a variety of things. It is a good place to go and focus when you feel a little confused.

Q6. I heard that you run an independent bookstore called “Ide Bookstore.” I wonder what the purpose, goal, or pursuit of the bookstore is.

It is an era where numerous books are published but disappear too fast. We want to provide really high-quality books. There are already many independent bookstores in Daejeon. So, we offer publications of local publishers across the country, taking advantage of our strengths. Most of them are bestsellers, and many books are well marketed with pretty covers. We want to offer books that contain valuable stories in the region to the public.

Q7. How do you think independent bookstores and general bookstores are different?

I think independent bookstores can be a kind of salon. In the past, I think independent bookstores played a role in creating culture; for example, in France, cramped rooms were common due to high housing prices, so local people met and interacted at such bookstores. They are a third place (Ray Oldenburg).

Regular bookstores have innumerable books in them, but independent bookstores offer books that suit specific tastes and personalities. In other words, the people who visit independent bookstores are more likely to have similar tastes. I think they provide an opportunity for people to get to know and communicate with others who are similar through the many cultural events held. This is the difference between independent bookstores and general bookstores. I think an independent bookstore is a cultural space where we can meet others and learn new things.

Q8. Some people who visit independent bookstores do not know which book to choose. If you have any books that you want to read at Ide Bookstore or any recommendations, feel free to tell me.

Most independent bookstores tend to offer books read by the storekeeper, but not always. Independent bookstores have fewer books than regular bookstores, so storekeepers generally have some knowledge of the books. So if it is hard to choose a book and if you want to read a new book, it is best to ask the storekeeper. In the past, I used to think about which of the numerous books to read. What can be enjoyed from the same book is different. Some readers may like good phrases, some may like new information, and others may just like the shape of the book. So when asked, "Which book should I read?" I think it would be good to just start reading without rejecting any books. You may discover a new taste.

It would be best to read books from Tomato at Ide Bookstore. This is half a joke and half-serious. If you are interested in writing or novels, I recommend Six Extremely Natural. The Monthly Tomato Literature Award was held every year.  Six Extremely Natural is a collection of the works that were awarded at that time. The Literature Award is not currently being held, but if there is a lot of response, it may be restarted. Scenery of Time We Know would be good to read if you want to think about Daejeon. After reading it, you may wonder if there is something like this in Daejeon, and when you walk on the same street, you will be able to see it from a different perspective.

Q9. Monthly Tomato seems to contain a lot of daily small stories and special stories of ordinary people. In particular, articles on the elderly are noticeable. I wonder what criteria there are for selecting topics in writing such stories, and how do you contact people?

I think the lives of those who have done one thing steadily for a long time have an echo. I try to deal with people who are living a "real" life with a serious attitude. A "real" life can have many aspects. The important thing is not to spend time lightly with interview subjects, but to really communicate with them and write stories that can fully express their lives. Usually, senior citizens are contacted and visited in advance, but there are many impromptu cases. When I try to conduct interviews over the phone, many people refuse because they are shy.

Q10. Please introduce the most memorable person you have met so far.

An old man name Hanshinnam. He is an ironworker in Wondong. He specializes in fine welding. All of the elderly in their 70s and over in Korea have penetrated the curve of modern history, so their life is a drama. The same goes for this person. I was really touched by the passion he showed me during the interview. At an age of more than 70, he still plans to make and display his iron goods.

In any case, I admire people who set their own goals clearly and take steps toward achieving them with a strong passion. Of course, it is memorable.

Q11. Please explain Monthly Tomato's “Daejeon Yeojido (compound word of Daejeon and comprehensive map)” series. I am curious about why you started this series.

Most cities in Korea are similar in shape. This phenomenon gets worse when you go to a thoroughly planned and uniform space filled with "apartments." The disappearance, birth, decline, and prosperity of residential spaces occurring in the urban space of Daejeon is a pattern that is found similarly in any city in the country. Anyone living in Korea will have experienced at least once a familiar alley, house, or small landscape where they once lived disappearing in an instant due to development. Many spaces have degenerated into places for consumer goods, losing their individuality and warmth.

However, if you look closely, various types of residential spaces coexist in this city. Even though a place looks shabby, old friendly places remain. As the author Lee Yong-won said, "Recording the space we live and the life unfolding in it is precious wherever it is." Records are the only way to revive the existence of a time when familiar alleys disappear due to development, meaningful buildings lose their true appearance due to capital logic, or of the people who remember a village's history. -Excerpt from Daejeon Ygkseojido 1 Publishing Company's book review.

The “Daejeon Yeojido Series” is an ambitious project that has continued for 10 years following the “Discovery Series” of Korea, which was introduced by Han Chang-ki's magazine Deep-rooted Tree, which made a big mark in the history of Korean magazines. The project is also a work recording the native culture, the unique space of the region, and the people who built nests in it, which disappear day by day due to the concentration of the metropolitan area and the expansion of urban development. I wanted to step into the villages in Daejeon and record them before they disappear. If all of the village names and village stories that only the elderly know are not recorded, they will disappear and be forgotten.

Q12. The section "Tomato Intern Diary" stood out on the website. I am curious about the behind-the-scenes story. It would be nice if you could add some stories about the intern.

As we produce the magazines ourselves, there are many articles that we discard in the process of completion. At first, I did not want to do this, so I kept a diary of these articles and put them in a monthly magazine. Then, from January this year, intern students came from Daejeon University. Those youngsters created their own stories with a youthful feeling. So, the stories were collected and included on our website and Naver Post.

When we run a company, we become dull and take it for granted. I think it is the interns who look at things from a new perspective. It makes the book-making process more efficient. They also created a YouTube account and uploaded videos. It is very encouraging because it seems to show different aspects of Monthly Tomato.

Q13. I wonder what the most important thing in the Monthly Tomato organization is. Please feel free to tell us what you consider the most important in hiring employees and whether you have plans to hire employees.

Since it is a company with a small number of people, I think teamwork is the most important. Also, I think it is inefficient to distinguish work from play. The working time is fixed anyway, but I think it is irrational to consider that time as a waste of time and find a work-life balance. That is why I like people who can really enjoy their work and have fun. The employees are not working to make money. They work really well but need compensation to make the process sustainable, though. Currently, I have posted an advertisement for employee recruitment closing on October 17, but I think it will be over by the time this article is published.

Q14. What else do you want people to know about Monthly Tomato?

People say Daejeon is boring, so there is nothing to see, but, in fact, there are many fun places to visit. I think the important thing is "attitude,”  having an attitude of really looking for something in earnest. I want to help Monthly Tomato readers have such an attitude and pay attention. Also, I opened a bookstore, so I hope you can come and visit freely whenever you have time. Then you can meet new people and create a new culture.

Q15. Lastly, if there is anything you want to say to society or young people, please tell us.

Our society is in the middle of a transition period. We face the moment when existing values and common sense are collapsing. In this situation, if you do not think freely due to old common sense, you cannot happily design the world to come.

It is an era where so-called innovation is the most important. For innovation, how to break existing trends is very important. In this era of transformation, isn't the generation that will lead innovation today’s young people? I think it is time to think about what roles to play as a planner in designing a new world.