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Translator Needed
Seoul Selection is looking for a part-time Korean-to-English translator, preferably one who majored in economics. If you’re interested, please send a resume and cover letter to atoz@seoulselection.com.
Three New Books to be Released Soon
Brighten your spring with books on handicrafts, Korean cooking and Seoul travel
Looking for some good Korea-related reading this spring? We’ve got good news—Seoul Selection will soon release three titles: Debbi Kent and Joan Suwalsky’s 100 Thimbles in a Box, an introduction to the world of Korean handicrafts; Jia Choi’s cookbook A Korean Kitchen Companion; and Charlie and Liz’s Seoul Subway Travelogue (English translation of the Korean title), a Korean-language exploration of the Korean capital through its subway by the people who brought you Seoul->Suburban.
The titles should be available by the time the AAS Annual Conference opens in Philadelphia on March 27–30.
We will also release an e-book of our popular guidebook SEOUL by the end of this month.
Seoul Selection has been publishing foreign language books, magazines and other materials about Korea for over a decade. We’re always looking for new ideas for books and other publishing projects, so if you’re thinking of something, make us your first stop.
Around the Web
A miscellany of high-quality hyperlinks from the week, courtesy of SEOUL editor-in-chief Robert Koehler.
Japanese New Age pianist Yuhki Kuramoto is returning to the Seoul stage in commemoration of the 15th year of his Korea debut. Kuramoto is a perennial favorite among local music fans, partly due to his highly intuitive and sensitive qualities of musical interpretation. As an artist and composer, his interests are quite expansive, crossing genres from classical to folk songs and popular music. Lately, Kuramoto released the new album “Scores of Piano,” which compiles 15 of his career highlight compositions, including “Romance,” “Meditation” and “Lake Louise.”
VENUE: Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center
DATE: Mar 13, 8pm
ADMISSION: KRW 30,000–100,000
MORE INFO: T. 1577-5266, www.sac.or.kr
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station 남부터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429
The Shadow Of A Star
French artist Elodie Dornand’Oh’s “The Shadow of a Star” will be on exhibit at Buam-dong’s Zaha Museum thru March 30. Based on her own fascination with the heavens, Dornand’Oh attempts to communicate with the museum space itself, utilizing the architectural and geographic characteristics of the space in her work.
Chairman Park Byung-won of the Korea Federation of Banks will be hosting a photo exhibit of 57 photos of Korean flowers, taken by local artists, at Insa-dong’s Gallery Now. All the proceeds from the exhibit will go to POM, a Korean organization conducting and supporting childhood vacinnation programs in North Korea in conjuction with Caritas Germany.
The Korean National Ballet is returning with La Bayadere, or “The Temple Dancer,” an Indian epic of eternal love and the tragic fate of the lovers. This classic ballet is complete with lavish costumes and vibrant colors as well as grandiose stage sets depicting lush temples. In the story, temple dancer Nikia loves Solor, a noble warrior. In actuality, however, she has been “married” to a Hindu deity and must spend her life serving this deity with rituals and dancing. The events that follow—lust, betrayal, death and revenge—are inevitable, but when the gods unleash their vengeance, the bonds of eternal love are unbroken.
VENUE: Opera Theater, Seoul Arts Center
PERIOD: Mar 13–16
ADMISSION: KRW 5,000–100,000
MORE INFO: T. 02-587-6181, www.sac.or.kr
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station 남부터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429
The National Theater of Korea is screening a film that captures the entire stage production of the international smash hit War Horse. First introduced as a popular young people’s book by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse became a play by Nick Stafford for the National Theatre of Great Britain, which produced it in an extravagant theatrical style. Filled with stirring music and songs, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness, including life-size puppets of horses. The film was produced when the drama was broadcast live on Feb. 27 from London’s West End to cinemas around the world.
War Horse—NT Live
The National Theater of Korea is screening a film that captures the entire stage production of the international smash hit War Horse. First introduced as a popular young people’s book by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse became a play by Nick Stafford for the National Theatre of Great Britain, which produced it in an extravagant theatrical style. Filled with stirring music and songs, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness, including life-size puppets of horses. The film was produced when the drama was broadcast live on Feb. 27 from London’s West End to cinemas around the world.
VENUE: National Theater of Korea
PERIOD: Mar 15–16, 3pm
ADMISSION: KRW 10,000
MORE INFO: T. 02-2280-4114, www.ntok.go.kr
GETTING THERE: Dongguk Univ. Station 동대입구역 (Line 3), Exit 2.
The National Theater of Korea is screening a film that captures the entire stage production of the international smash hit War Horse. First introduced as a popular young people’s book by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse became a play by Nick Stafford for the National Theatre of Great Britain, which produced it in an extravagant theatrical style. Filled with stirring music and songs, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness, including life-size puppets of horses. The film was produced when the drama was broadcast live on Feb. 27 from London’s West End to cinemas around the world.
Rachael Yamagata Live in Seoul
Following her mesmerizing sold-out performance here just last year, Rachael Yamagata is on her way back to Korea to satiate Korean fans thirsty for her return. Yamagata is often called “the troubadour of heartbreak” by the press, and fans are drawn to her ability to turn emotion into song. Lately, Yamagata has been touring the world in support of her third album “Chesapeake.” Yamagata has had songs placed in famous films like Prime, Hope Springs, Duet and Elephant. In Korea, some of her songs, including “Be Be Your Love,” have been used as background music for TV commercials.
VENUE: Centennial Hall, Yonsei Univ.
DATES: Mar 14–15
ADMISSION: KRW 88,000
MORE INFO: T. 02-3143-5156, www.s2enter.com
GETTING THERE: Sinchon Station 신촌역 (Line 2), Exit 2 & 3. Yonsei University is a ten minute walk.
Suzanne Vega: Live in Seoul
Widely regarded as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation , Suzanne Vega is touring as a duo with her amazing guitarist Gerry Leonard (David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Chris Botti, etc) in support of her new album, “Songs of Family.”
Suzanne Vega has reached in the top 10 of various international charts with “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” both from her sophomore album, Solitude Standing and has gone on to release over eight albums, live CDs and DVDs, and career retrospectives. In 2010, Vega began to release several volumes entitled Close Up which finds her re-imagining songs from her vast catalog in a stripped down, unadorned setting, placing emphasis on her lyrical talent and hushed melodic sensibility. The first three volumes have received worldwide critical acclaim.
Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk-music revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been labeled contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has given sold-out concerts in many of the world’s best-known halls. In performances devoid of outward drama that nevertheless convey deep emotion, Vega sings in a distinctive, clear vibrato-less voice that has been described as “a cool, dry sandpaper- brushed near-whisper” and as “plaintive but disarmingly powerful.”
“Music Show Wedding” is a unique non-verbal show combining dance, music, and theatre together. The show is a comical theatrical portrait of a typical wedding situation where the bride’s father does not like his future son-in-law and the groom makes hilarious efforts to impress his father-in-law. Its actors and actresses sing, dance, act and play over 20 musical instruments on the backdrop of a dazzling stage complete with 30,000 pieces of LED lights and other high-tech stage props.
VENUE: Sangsang Madang
DATE: Open run.
ADMISSION: KRW 40,000–60,000
MORE INFO: T. 02-739-8288 www.musicshowwedding.co.kr
GETTING THERE: See link above.
CAU Kid’s Global Club
Spring Session Begins April 2nd.
*Saddle Club – A horseback riding program instructed by a professional equestrian instructor.
*Stanley Club – An ice hockey program coached by a former national team player.
*Mickelson club – A golf program instructed by a PGA certified instructor.
*Little League Club – A fun baseball program run on Saturdays.
CAU Kid’s Global Club is provided by Chung-Ang University to foster inter-cultural friendships and to create an extracurricular environment where children can grow and develop themselves through various sports and cultural activities.
RAS-KB Excursion: Sujongsa, Hongyuneung and Donguneung
Today’s tour will take us north along the banks of the Hangang River on a beautiful, scenic road heading towards Mt. Ungilsan. Near the crest of the northern mountain range lies the serene temple of Sujongsa, nestled beneath two majestic ginkgo trees. The temple trek will take participants on a path that passes under chestnut, elm and pine trees, while far below the merging of the Bukhangang and Namhangang rivers forms a natural S curve and united they become one of central Korea’s largest rivers. It is said that in 1458 King Sejo came by boat to this river junction and spent the night. In the early morning, he heard what he thought was the faint sound of temple bells. Thinking that there was a temple in the area, he went in search of one and found only a cave containing eighteen stone images of Buddha’s disciples and dripping water. It was this sound that the king had heard, and he ordered that a temple be built on that site and named Sujong-sa (Water Bell Temple). In 1969, a new structure was built to replace the temple destroyed during the Korean War.
VENUE: Various locations in Gyeonggi-do (near Seoul)
DATE: March 15, 9AM to 6PM
ADMISSION: KRW 45,000 for RAS-KB members; KRW 54,000 for non-members
A child runs around a Korean War-era MiG-15, War Memorial of Korea. Photo by Robert Koehler.
*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
Seoul Selection Offline Bookshop Sale: One of the greatest repositories of Korea-related English-language books anywhere, Seoul Selection is offering a 10% sale on any and all books published by Seoul Selection purchased from our OFFLINE bookshop next to Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Tell Us About ‘Your Korea’: If you’re a longtime 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.
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 Kyehyun at trans@seoulselection.com. Experienced translators only.
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.
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.
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
https://magazine.seoulselection.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/export1.png644618rjkoehlerhttps://magazine.seoulselection.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Seoul-logo.pngrjkoehler2014-03-12 13:57:422014-03-12 13:57:42SEOUL Weekly: Three New Books to be Released Soon
The Korean National Ballet is returning with La Bayadere, or “The Temple Dancer,” an Indian epic of eternal love and the tragic fate of the lovers. This classic ballet is complete with lavish costumes and vibrant colors as well as grandiose stage sets depicting lush temples. In the story, temple dancer Nikia loves Solor, a noble warrior. In actuality, however, she has been “married” to a Hindu deity and must spend her life serving this deity with rituals and dancing. The events that follow—lust, betrayal, death and revenge—are inevitable, but when the gods unleash their vengeance, the bonds of eternal love are unbroken. 
“Music Show Wedding” is a unique non-verbal show combining dance, music, and theatre together. The show is a comical theatrical portrait of a typical wedding situation where the bride’s father does not like his future son-in-law and the groom makes hilarious efforts to impress his father-in-law. Its actors and actresses sing, dance, act and play over 20 musical instruments on the backdrop of a dazzling stage complete with 30,000 pieces of LED lights and other high-tech stage props. 
SEOUL (March 2014)