SEOUL Weekly: SEOUL July Issue Out

Seoul Selection is pleased to announce the release of the July issue of SEOUL, our monthly travel and culture magazine.

In this issue of SEOUL, we wander around the gritty Changsin-dong district, venture off to far-off Mokpo to have a bit of fermented skate, take a look at the host city of the Gwangju Universiade, enjoy some unique takes on bingsu, shop for some wacky summer items, and much, much more.

And don’t forget the Goings on Around Town, our roundup of the month’s concerts, exhibits, festivals and events.

If you’d prefer a digital version, get SEOUL’s digital app (iOS, Android)!

Sports, culture and bamboo
Mokpo intoxicates with heady mix of history, beauty … and fermented skate
Sports, culture and bamboo
The 2015 Gwangju Universiade is a chance to discover one of Korea’s most relaxing travel destinations

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

• Could Korean policing become the next K-Wave?
• The University of Kansas basketball team gets an introduction to Korean culture.
• How Ghanaian actor Sam Okyere became a star in Korea.
• You wouldn’t expect Korea to be a place where the Talmud is a best-seller. And yet it is.
• Korean art is selling well at Art Basel 2015.
• The clouds roll over Mt. Wolchulsan.
• In case you needed visual evidence of how bad Korea’s drought is…
• Daegu has its charms, too.
• The volcanic beauty of Daepo Coast’s basalt cliffs.
• Another week passes at Robert Koehler’s photo blog.

Exquisite and Precious: The Splendor of Korean Art

This exhibit focuses on only the most exquisite and precious in the Leeum exhibition space’s already substantially exquisite and precious collection. On display on some exceedingly rare works of art, including Buddhist paintings such as the brilliant “Painting of Amitabha Buddha Triad,” created in the late Goryeo Dynasty using gold powder, and the ornately decorated “Bronze Lidded Bowl with Silver-inlaid Phoenix Design,” also from the Goryeo Dynasty.

VENUE: Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art
PERIOD: Thru Sept. 13
MORE INFO: T. 02-2014-6901
ADMISSION: KRW 10,000
GETTING THERE: Hangangjin Station­ (Line 6), Exit 1

Grand Hilton Seoul’s Summer Family Package

The Grand Hilton Seoul’s Summer Family Package (thru Sep. 6) lets guests staying at the hotel’s residence-type Grand Suites rent – for free – LG portable speakers or LG mini-beam TVs for the period of their stay. The package begins at KRW 205,000 a night – call T. 02-2287-8400 for more information.

Margarita Myrita at the WooBar

The W Seoul Walkerhill’s stylish WooBar is launching several summer promotions, including its cocktail service Margarita Myrita. You, the customer, get to design your own margaritas in accordance with your own tastes. Call the WooBar at T. 02-2022-0333 for more information.

Henrik Vibskov Fabricate

Seochon’s Daelim Museum is hosting an exhibit of work by edgy Danish fashion designer Henrik Vibskov, one of the leaders of the New Nordic Movement.”Fashion designer” doesn’t quite do justice to the man, actually — his artistic endeavors span a wide range of genres, including music and film, and his fashion shows transcend simple runways to become surreal works of visual and performance art. This exhibit will include not only some of Vibskov’s work from previous collections, but also the debut of his 2016 S/S collection, timed for simultaneous release with Paris. Some 250 photos documenting his work process will also be on display.

VENUE: Daelim Museum
PERIOD: July 9-Dec. 31
MORE INFO: T. 02-720-0667
ADMISSION: KRW 5,000
GETTING THERE: Gyeongbokgung Station­ (Line 3), Exit 3

Gran Tango: Young Song & Cuatrocientos

Korean cellist Young Song and Japanese tango quartet Cuatrocientos bring a little Latin passion to Seoul with a selection of pieces by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, the father of modern tango. Song is one of Korea’s best young cellists and certainly one of its most popular. Since his debut at age 9, he has performed at countless festivals both here and overseas. Cuatrocientos, meanwhile, has been at the forefront of Japan’s vibrant tango scene for some time.

VENUE: Seoul Arts Center
DATE: July 7, 20:00
MORE INFO: T. 02-2658-3546
ADMISSION: KRW 30,000-80,000
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station­ (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429.

The Flower of Print Culture: Ancient Woodblock Prints

Come see over 100 beautiful works of woodblock printing from not only Korea but also China, Japan, Tibet and Mongolia. The works on display are on loan from the Museum of Ancient Asian Woodblock Prints at Wonju’s Myeongjusa Temple, repository of one of Asia’s largest collection of the genre. The exhibit includes a beautiful late-19th-century woodblock etching of the Moral Rules of the Five Confucian Human Relations, a 15th-century Buddhist woodblock print, and a print of the Saruhashi Bridge in Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture by famed Japanese artist Ando Hiroshige, displayed to the public for the first time. The exhibit is designed to give the public a rare opportunity to experience the beauty of woodblock print art and ponder how the beauty of the form could be incorporated into today’s cultural content.

VENUE: National Folk Museum of Korea
PERIOD: Thru July 20
MORE INFO: T. 02-3704-3114
ADMISSION: Free
GETTING THERE: Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 1

RASKB Excursion: Walking Tour of Korea University Museum and Campus

Have you ever wondered about the globe clock pictured on the 10,000won note? Would you like to see what Seoul’s Eastern Palace originally looked like? Are you interested in learning about the distinctly Korean foundations of one of Korea’s famous SKY universities? If so, join the RASKB for an afternoon visit to the beautiful campus of Korea University, in the northeast of Seoul.

VENUE: Seoul Arts Center
DATE: July 5, 2PM to 5PM
MORE INFO: See this link.
ADMISSION: KRW 20,000-25,000
GETTING THERE: See link above.

The old Seonggyungwan and Munmyo Shrine, on the campus of today’s Sungkyunkwan University, is one of Seoul’s hidden gems. Photo by Robert Koehler.

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.