Bouquets and Briquettes

In some countries, bags of rice or baskets of bread may be the typical gift from volunteers to those in need. However, in South Korea, the coal briquette is the daily must-have of lower-income households and a welcomed donation especially during the chilly seasons.

On the surface, they look like innocuous lotus pods. But shouldn't this factory worker

 in a briquette factory  in Chuncheon be wearing a protective mask ?

The yeontan or yontan, as it is called, was an idea borrowed from the Japanese in the 1920s and it became a staple in many homes after the Korean War. Used to heat the ondol floors and as fuel for cooking, these were more convenient to use instead of natural coal or firewood.

Easier to deliver briquettes when the houses are down the road

They were easier to store, stack and transport and the holes drilled into them made burning more efficient. In fact, they were voted by Koreans  in a 1970 survey as "the most important product of our time".

A gift of compassion, Korean-style

It was a locally produced and cheaper source of fuel and it did help to check deforestation as an alternative to firewood. However, it did have its drawbacks. It tended to pollute the air and occasionally people who were sleeping on ondol floors which weren’t sealed properly died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Still, as late as 1986, about 80 percent of homes around the country were using yontan.

Many hands make light work of delivering briquettes uphill

I'm not sure if I'd agree with Professor Andrei Lankov who believes that yeontan will eventually become extinct as more households have access to electricity. It's true that subsidies for them are being phased out to keep prices of other energy sources competitive but the demand for glue-bonded coal dust will be around for some time.

At the very least, the humble yeontan will remain part of the nostalgia for simpler but more heart-warming times as evident in this true account by Lim Yong-Ae. In her essay, she quotes some lines from a poet: 
" Don't kick a spent yeontan thoughtlessly / Have you ever burned yourself like it with passion for someone else?"

Sources:
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_photo_detail.htm?No=13915¤t_page=

http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_photo_detail.htm?No=13809¤t_page=2

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67031207.html

http://www.korea.net/image/news/today/20061102036L.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeontan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34517346@N02/3463999221/

For How to make briquettes http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081001031957AAtrYBC