May 22, 2015 / Issue No. 685
Web Planner/Editor/Writers WantedSEOUL Magazine is looking for two people who can help develop our online presence as a part-time web planners/editors/writers. You should be familiar with WordPress, have an interest in restaurants, events and other goings-on around town. Daily posting required. Attendance of a weekly meeting preferred, too. Space in our office and a computer can be provided if you need it.If you’re interested, send a resume to our magazine PD Kim Hansol at pubco@seoulselection.com or give her a call at T. 02-734-9567. Be sure to tell us your areas of interest, too.

SEOUL Contributors Needed

SEOUL Magazine is always looking for contributors. If you’d like to write for our magazine, send a resume to pubco@seoulselection.com.

Take Care of All Your Date Needs at Dragon Hill Spa
Get a KRW 2,000 discount on admission with coupon in June issue of SEOUL

Enjoy a massage, spa treatment, film and chicken & beer all in one spot!

Couples have surprisingly few places to go in Seoul. One day it’s a movie, coffee shop then dinner, and the next it’s coffee shop, a movie and dinner.

If you’re bored with the usual date course, why not try a place where you can do everything in one place?

At the Dragon Hill Spa, just a two minute walk from Yongsan Station (Line 1), you can enjoy a wide range of leisure activities in the comfort of the spa’s exotic surroundings.

After experiencing the many Korean-style saunas, or jjimjilbang, on the first floor and letting experts take away your built-up fatigue with a massage, enjoy a lunch of galbijjim and bulgogi at the spa’s Korean restaurant Ilpum Myeongok. After filling your stomach, head to the game zone and have fun with your significant other playing on its many arcade machines, computers and other games. Afterwards, head to the first floor snack bar and have a drink and a stone-plate cooked egg. Then you can head to the separate outdoor pools for men and women. After that, go to the theater in the basement to watch a free movie before ending your date at the rooftop garden watching the sunset over some fried chicken and beer.

And don’t forget – you can get a KRW 2,000 discount by bringing the coupon in the June issue of SEOUL.

MORE INFO
T. 02-792-0001
Reservation: e2@eyangji.com
www.dragonhillspa.com

GETTING THERE
Just next to Yongsan Station, Line 1


AROUND THE WEB

A miscellany of high-quality hyperlinks from the week, courtesy of SEOUL editor-in-chief Robert Koehler

 


EVENTS

HBC Festival

The HBC Festival celebrates 10 years with its spring event. Originally started as a three-bar folk festival, the gathering has grown into one of the largest indie music showcase festivals in Korea with over 20 lives venues, not to mention a ton of participating restaurants and vendors.

See the website for the full list of bands, venues and times.

VENUE: Haebangchon, Yongsan
DATES: May 22-23
MORE INFO: www.hbcfest.com
GETTING THERE: The entrance to Haebangchon is a short walk from Exit 2 of Noksapyeong Station (Line 6).

Pentatonix

American a cappella group Pentatonix debuted by winning NBC’s third season of “The Sing-Off.” It wasn’t until the fivesome started posting cover songs on their YouTube channel, however, that the band’s career started kicking off. Their reinterpretations of songs such as Psy’s “Gangnam Style” and Lorde’s “Royals” and their medley of songs from electronica duo Daft Punk have all gone viral on the Internet virtually overnight. Their most popular upload thus far has been their “Daft Punk” compilation, which has more than 125 million views on YouTube and won a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.

VENUE: Olympic Hall, Olympic Park
DATE: May 28, 20:00
MORE INFO: T. 1544-1555, ticket.interpark.com
ADMISSION: KRW 99,000-110,000
GETTING THERE: Olympic Park Station­ (Line 5), Exit 3

Murakami Haruki’s Music Room

Murakami Haruki is a Japanese novelist known for bestselling books such as “Norwegian Wood,” “Kafka on the Shore” and “1Q84.” Music is often a key component of the plot line of his novels, and Korea’s top-notch jazz and classical performers such as Ji-yong, Ditto Orchestra and Jazz Quintet have gathered to make the novels’ music come alive. The concert will open with Ditto Orchestra playing Janacek’s Sinfonietta, the song that opens the novel “1Q84.”

VENUE: Grand Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
DATE: May 31, 17:00
MORE INFO: T. 1577-5266, www.sejongpac.or.kr
ADMISSION: KRW 30,000-80,000
GETTING THERE: Exit 1 or 8, Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5)

Korean National Ballet: The Seventh Symphony & The Rite of Spring

The Korean National Ballet is the country’s oldest professional ballet company, boasting more than 50 years of history on the peninsula. This May the company will raise its curtains to stage “The Seventh Symphony,” based on Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, as well as presenting “The Rite of Spring,” based on Igor Stravinsky’s masterpiece of the same name. “The Seventh Symphony” is choreographed by German ballet dancer Uwe Scholz, and has received much praise for visualizing the rhythms of the beloved classical compositions that inspired it. “The Rite of Spring” is choreographed by American dancer Glen Tetley and blends neoclassical techniques into a powerful work of modern ballet. The dance revolves around the themes of struggle and renewal in its tale of a girl being sacrificed to the God of Spring.

VENUE: National Theater of Korea
DATES: May 29-31
MORE INFO: T. 02-587-6181, www.ntok.go.kr
ADMISSION: KRW 30,000-50,000
GETTING THERE: Dongguk Univ. Station ë™ëŒ€ìž…구 (Line 3), Exit 2

RASKB Excursion: Color and Pageantry in Seoul’s Temples on Buddha’s Birthday

This afternoon and evening will be especially memorable. As well as helping to commemorate this special day, you will witness all the color and pageantry which the Koreans lavish on the celebration of the birth of Buddha. The lanterns, costumes, and celebratory dances are colorful and joyful. Don’t forget your camera! In celebration of Buddha’s birthday you will be visiting several different temples and shrines in Seoul.

VENUE: Seoul
DATE: May 25 (1 PM-9 PM)
COST: KRW 35,000 for members and KRW 42,000 for non-members
MORE INFO: See this link.
GETTING THERE: See link above.


EVERYDAY KOREANS

Walking along a Bukchon alleway. Photo by Robert Koehler.

NOTIFICATIONS

Survey on Korean language learning – Jini Shim, a visiting graduate student at the Academy of Korean Studies, is conducting a survey on the user preference of Korean language study methods. If you have a few moments to spare, please click on over to the surveys and fill them out: English/Korean.

Seoul Selection’s Free Book Giveaway – Our free book give-away continues! Check out the list in last week’s newsletter here.

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.

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 atoz@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 pubco@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 english@seoulselection.com.

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SEOUL (June 2015)


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