Feb 19, 2013 / Issue No. 568
Bookshop Staff Needed
Seoul Selection Bookshop is looking for one full-time staffer and a part-time staffer. The full-time position is for 9:30am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, plus a half-day every other Saturday. The part-time position is 2pm to 5pm on Saturday. Applicants should speak Korean and English. Send a resume and cover letter to Hank Kim at hankinseoul@gmail.com.
Installation at DMZ
Artist Lee Eun-sook highlights tragedy of separated families
To mark the 60th anniversary since the armistice of the Korean War, globally-acclaimed installation artist Lee Eun-sook has dedicated her latest work along the wired fence located in the border village of Imjingak, north of Seoul. Lee experiments with her materials and light as a sculptural element. The tragic war theme is reflected in her use of old photographic images from the 1950–53 fratricidal war in the Korean Peninsula with iconic florescent threads and translucent polyester film panels. In particular, she highlights the millions of families who were forced to separate in the two Koreas as a result of the civil war.
To mark the opening of the exhibit, there will be a special sparkler event on Saturday starting at 6:30pm. To make things easier for those without cars, a free shuttle bus to the venue will depart from Gyeongbokgung Palace’s parking lot at 4:30pm Saturday.
VENUE: Imjingak Village
PERIOD: Feb 23–Mar 10
MORE INFO: www.eunsooklee.com
GETTING THERE: Various bus lines available from Paju City Hall
Around the Web
A miscellany of high-quality hyperlinks from the week, courtesy of SEOUL editor-in-chief Robert Koehler.
Brazil’s Carnival celebrates Koreans and Korean immigrants.
Events
London Symphony Orchestra
Following its resounding success here in early 2012, the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is returning to Korea for a two-day concert program from Feb 28 to March 1. Under the skillful baton of Dutch maestro Bernard Haitink, the orchestra will present Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea interludes, Mozart’s piano concerto No. 17, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 on the first day. The second-day program will be devoted to Beethoven’s piano concerto No. 2 and Anton Bruckner’s symphony No. 9, featuring the seasoned pianist Maria Joao Pires as a collaborator. Founded in 1904, LSO is the oldest of London’s symphony orchestras.
VENUE: Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center
DATES: Feb 28, 8pm / Mar 1, 7pm
ADMISSION: R: 350,000 won, S: 250,000 won, A: 180,000 won, B: 120,000 won, C: 70,000 won
MORE INFO: T. 02-599-5743, www.sac.or.kr
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station 남부터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429.
Rachael Yamagata—Live in Seoul
American singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata is coming to Seoul, hoping to expand her fan base here following the notable success of her concert tours in Korea last year. This time, she will cater to her younger, more devoted fans, performing at Ewha Womans University’s Samsung Hall on Feb 23 and 24. Yamagata became the vocalist for the Chicago group Bumpus and spent six years touring, writing, and recording with the band before leaving in 2001 to begin a solo career. Her songs have appeared on numerous television shows and she has collaborated with other musicians, including Jason Mraz, Rhett Miller, Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams, Toots and the Maytals, and Ray Lamontagne.
VENUE: Samsung Hall, Ewha Womans Univ.
DATES: Feb 23–24, 7pm
ADMISSION: 88,000 won
MORE INFO: T. 02-3143-5156, www.s2enter.com
GETTING THERE: Ewha Womans Univ. Station 이대역 (Line 2), Exits 2 & 3
Ben Folds Five—The 1st Live in Seoul
An alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Ben Folds Five is making its first appearance in Korea with a Feb 24 concert. Consisting of lead vocalist Ben Folds, bassist Robert Sledge, and percussionist Darren Jessee, the group achieved mainstream success in the alternative, indie, and pop music scenes. The band is best known for the hit single “Brick” from their 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen, which gained airplay on many mainstream radio stations. Though disbanded in 2000, the trio reunited in 2008, releasing a new album titled The Sound of the Life of the Mind.
VENUE: Uniqlo AX
DATE: Feb 24, 6pm
ADMISSION: 110,000 won
Tickets: http://ticket.interpark.com/global
MORE INFO: T. 02-563-0595
GETTING THERE: Gwangnaru Station 광나루역 (Line 5), Exit 2
Thee Oh Sees—First Live Show in Seoul
The San Francisco-based pop band Thee Oh Sees is holding a concert in Korea for the first time on Feb 24. The band is noted for its prolific album releases as well as its energetic live shows, featuring Dwyer on guitar and vocals, Brigid Dawson on vocals and tambourine, Petey Dammit on bass, and Mike Shoun on drums. In 2007–8, the band released two hit albums under the German Tomlab label. Thee Oh Sees returned in September 2012 with Putrifiers II, an album combining Castlemania‘s fractured pop sensibilities and Carrion Crawler/The Dream‘s ferocious rock experimentation.
VENUE: KT&G Sangsang Madang
DATE: Feb 24, 6:30pm
ADMISSION: 40,000 won (35,000 won in advance)
Tickets: http://ticket.interpark.com/global
MORE INFO: www.roundx2.net/7214
GETTING THERE: Hongik Univ. Station 홍대입구역 (Line 2, A’REX Line), Exit 9
The Face of Australia
The Korea Foundation and the Australia–Korea Foundation have joined hands for the presentation of a multifaceted exhibition that introduces diverse aspects of the culture and people of Australia.
The exhibition also includes various public programs, such as the special lecture “Redefining Australia” (Feb. 21) It is our great pleasure to invite you to this interesting exhibition.
VENUE: The Korea Foundation Cultural Center
PERIOD: Feb 14–Mar 7
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFO: T. 02-2151-6520, www.kf.or.kr
GETTING THERE: Mirae Asset CENTER 1: Euljiro 1-ga Station 을지로입구역 (Line 2), Exit 4. Turn left along Hana Bank. The bldg. is located behind SKT Tower.
AWC MARDI GRAS
Drinks, dinner, entertainment, live music, and a silent auction at the
American Women’s Club of Korea’s Mardi Gras 2013 masquerade charity ball. Grand Raffle Prize: two business class tickets courtesy of United Airlines to any city in the United States served by United.
VENUE: Renaissance Hotel
DATE: Feb 23, 7pm–Feb 24, 2am
Theme: Masquerade Party
MORE INFO: www.facebook.com/awc.seoul
GETTING THERE: Yeoksam Station 역삼역 (Line 2), Exit 8
World Sword Swallowers Day with Murray Molloy
Internationally acclaimed Irish sword swallower Murray Molloy will perform his mind-blowing version of the ancient Indian art of sword swallowing in Platoon Kunsthalle on Feb 23 to celebrate World Sword Swallowers Day. Molloy is one of only one hundred performing sword swallowers on the planet, and of these, one of twenty-five that swallow curved swords, and one of the ten that swallow multiple swords at once! His repetoire also includes escapology, clown, comedy, fire manipulation, fakirism, pirotechnics, and contortionism.
VENUE: Platoon Kunsthalle
DATE: Feb 23
MORE INFO: http://www.facebook.com/mrmurraymolloy
RAS-KB Tour: Kiln Tour–Korean Pottery & Porcelain in Icheon Area
We will visit some famous kilns to see some time-honored traditions at work. Traditionally, the important ingredients in making porcelain were good quality kaolin and large quantities of firewood. Kaolin was only found in some areas of the country, and the best kaolin close to the capital was found around Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do. There were also heavily wooded areas nearby, and the Han River provided a transportation route for moving raw materials to the kilns and finished products to the capital and beyond, so the nearby town of Icheon became the production center for much of Korea’s most famous porcelain.
DATE: Feb 23
COST: 39,000 won for members and 46,800 won for non-members
MORE INFO: See this link.
GETTING THERE: See link above.
Everyday Koreans
Suncheon Bay Ecological Park

Panoramic view of Suncheon Bay Ecological Park. Photo by Nino Sandil, a tourist from Manila.
*Click the photo to see a full-size version at our website.
NOTE: If you have a photo you would like to see in our Everyday Koreans section, please sent it to story@seoulselection.com. Photos should be AT LEAST 950px wide. Send a one-line bio, too.
Notifications
Tell Us About ‘Your Korea’: If you’re a long-time resident of Korea and would like to share your story in KOCIS’s KOREA magazine, shoot an email with your story idea to book@seoulselection.com.
Update Your Shopping Mall ID – Seoul Selection encourages you to change your ID and password for our online bookshop and shopping mall at Seoulselection.com. The old IDs and passwords no longer work following our recent upgrade.
Looking for translators – Seoul Selection is looking for a few good translators (Korean to English) for general translation work. Those interested should send a resume and cover letter to Eugene at planner@seoulselection.com.
Seoul Selection eBooks – You can purchase some Seoul Selection titles in ebook format via Amazon.com (for Kindle) and Apple’s iBookstore. Titles include Ask a Korean Dude, Moon Tides, Doing Business in Korea, Once Around the Sun, and seven volumes of our Korean Film Directors series: BONG Joon-ho, IM Kwon-taek, KIM Jee-woon, LEE Chang-dong, LEE Man-hee, PARK Chan-wook, and SHIN Sang-ok.
Seoul Selection via Ingram – Seoul Selection now has a direct wholesale distribution agreement with Ingram Book Group, the world’s largest wholesale distributor of publisher content. By choosing to allow Ingram to represent our material, we have opened our titles to a wider audience. Our titles will be available for order through Ingram at more than 35,000 distribution channels worldwide. Ask your local bookstore to have Seoul Selection titles available!
Send Your Event Info – If you would like to advertise any upcoming events you are organizing, please send us the press release material at book@seoulselection.com by the preceding Friday in order for it to appear in the following Tuesday’s issue.

Freelance Contributors Wanted – SEOUL magazine needs writers who are
fluent in both Korean and English. Writers should have a strong interest in Korean culture and be able to interview Koreans. Send your resume and writing samples to book@seoulselection.com.

We Buy & Sell Used Books – Seoul Selection buys and sells used books in English. Unlike our regular selection of publications that specialize in Korea-related topics, our Used Book section carries books on all subjects. It’s all part of our effort to make life easier for the English-speaking community.
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Consumer Trend in Korea 2013
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Perfect Number
I AM: SMTOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR in Madison Square Garden
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Publisher: Hank Kim / Editor: Robert Koehler
Seoul Selection reserves all intellectual property rights on information provided in this newsletter. Some event information has been provided by the Korea Foundation. The IPRs are protected by pertinent laws
Seoul Selection Web Site: https://www.seoulselection.com
e-mail: hankinseoul@gmail.com tel: 734-9567 fax: 734-9563