Maija Rhee Devine to speak at Thorpe Menn Literary Excellence Award Luncheon Author of ‘The Voices of Heaven’ also spoke for U. of Washington Library Korean Studies Section’s ‘Book Sori’ series
Tickets to the luncheon are US$35. For more information, call 816-931-5288 or email AAUWKC@gmail.com.
The author also recently spoke about her book for the University of Washington Library Korean Studies Section’s “Book Sori” series. This was the first time the series has invited an author who wrote a book about Korea in English. You can watch her talk – given in Korean – via Youtube here.
Published by Seoul Selection in 2013, “The Voices of Heaven” is a rare gem in English-language literature about Korea, a story that takes us deep into the devotion and secrets of a family living in Seoul at the cusp of the Korean War. A tale that spans decades, The Voices of Heaven has been expertly woven together to reveal not only the injustices of unmitigated life circumstances but also the restorative power of truth and love. Devine presents a stellar cast of empathetic characters to spin a tale that draws readers into the shadows of Korea’s Confucian web that at once constrains and defines the powerful will of its people.
SEOUL October Issue Out Haebangchon, Suwon Hwaseong and more
Celebrate the glorious Korean autumn with the October issue of SEOUL, Seoul Selection’s monthly travel and culture magazine. In this issue of Seoul, we explore the vibrant Haebangchon neighborhood, walk along Suwon’s historic city walls, wander around the trendy Yeonnam-dong district, sit down with E-sports “caster” Erik Lonnquist, and much, much more.
And of course, there’s our Goings On Around Town, our listings of the month’s concerts, festivals, exhibitions and other events.
Enjoy SEOUL on the Go: Download our magazine app for your tablet! (iOS, Android)
Korean pop-singer Kim Dong-ryul — a favorite of Koreans in their 30s — returns to Olympic Park for the first time in seven years. One of the biggest names of the 1990s, Kim will be performing radio hits and concert favorites. Formerly of the bands Exhibition and Carnival, he has been performing as a solo artist since 1998. He is a musician’s musician who writes, arranges and performs his material, and even designs his own stage concepts.
VENUE: Olympic Park Gymnasium PERIOD: Oct. 9-11 ADMISSION: KRW 55,000-132,000 MORE INFO: T. 1544-1555 GETTING THERE: Olympic Park Station 올림픽공ì›ì— (Line 5), Exit 3
Vienna Philharmonic & Christoph Eschenbach
There is perhaps no other musical ensemble more consistently and closely associated with the history and tradition of European classical music than the Vienna Philharmonic. The orchestra’s close association with this rich musical history is best illustrated by the statements of countless preeminent musical personalities of the past. Richard Wagner described the orchestra as being one of the most outstanding in the world; Anton Bruckner called it “the most superior musical association”; Johannes Brahms counted himself as a “friend and admirer”; Gustav Mahler claimed to be joined together through “the bonds of musical art”; and Richard Strauss summarized these sentiments by saying: “All praise of the Vienna Philharmonic reveals itself as understatement.”
On the program for this evening are three works by Mozart. Christoph Eschenbach will be conducting as well as playing the piano for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488.
VENUE: Seoul Arts Center DATE: Oct. 10 ADMISSION: KRW 70,000-350,000 MORE INFO: T. 1577-5266 GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429
A+ Dental Clinic
A dental clinic international residents in Korea can trust, A+ Dental Clinic has the highest level of satisfaction among foreign residents in Seoul. For more information, see this link or call T. 010-4903-2875.
East Asia Feminism: FANTasia
The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) will be hosting an exhibition titled “East Asia Feminism: FANTasia,” an exploration of the current state and implications of East Asian women’s art from a feminist perspective. Through the diverse works of 14 participating artists from various countries, including Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and India, visitors are provided the opportunity to heighten their understanding of feminism and learn about the current status of East Asian women’s art.
VENUE: Seoul Museum of Art PERIOD: Thru Nov. 8 ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: T. 2-2124-8934 GETTING THERE: City Hall Station — (Line 1), Exit 1
Access MBA Tour
The Access MBA Tour, worldwide leader in One-to-One business education events, will return to Seoul on Oct. 20 2015 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The One-to-One meetings enable business professionals to find a top MBA programme that corresponds to their background and expectations. Each MBA candidate undergoes a selection and matching process by business education experts. Qualifying attendees are then given a custom event agenda for a series of 25-minute long meetings with admissions directors.
The event features top international business schools from Europe and North America, as well as prestigious local institutions. Candidates can expect to meet representatives from schools such as UCLA, Georgetown University, INSEAD, Cheung Kong Graduate School of business, HEC Paris EMBA, IE Business School, Hult International Business School and many others Top Universities. It is expected that the gathering will be attended by up to 100 qualified MBA candidates from Seoul and elsewhere around the country.
VENUE: Ritz-Carlton Hotel DATE: Oct. 20 ADMISSION: In order to be selected for the One-to-One meetings, candidates are required to register on www.accessmba.com well in advance of the event date (at least 5 days before). Online registration is free of charge. MORE INFO: www.accessmba.com
The Sea Art Festival
The Sea Art Festival started in 1987 as a part of the pre-Olympics cultural events of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and has grown into an independent and specialized exhibition of local art that reflects the natural environment and conditions of the region. This year the festival has invited 36 teams from 17 countries to exhibit pieces under the theme “See — Sea & Seed.” Some highlights include Lee Lee-nam’s media art “With the Movement of Light” and Yoko Ono’s “Wish Tree.”
VENUE: Dadaepo Beach, Busan PERIOD: Thru Oct. 18 ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: www.busanbiennale.org GETTING THERE: Take Bus 96 from Goejeong Station — (Busan Line 1), Exit 6
La Traviata
Soprano Son Ga-seul, tenor Heo Young-hun and baritone Seong Seung-wook join the Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra for a performance of Verdi’s opera “La Traviata.” Leading the show will be the orchestra’s artistic director, renowned Korean conductor Gum Nanse, who will also offer commentary along the way.
VENUE: Seongnam Arts Center DATE: Oct. 8 ADMISSION: KRW 10,000-20,000 MORE INFO: T. 031-729-4809 GETTING THERE: A 10-minute walk from Imae Station — (Bundang Line), Exit 1
Zandari Festa
Started in 2012, the Zandari Festa has grown into one of Korea’s largest indie musical showcases, bringing together acts and music industry professionals from across Korea and the world to Hongdae, the heart of Korea’s indie music scene. Over 100 bands will be paying at 20 venues around Hongdae, including blues-influenced rock band Dead Buttons, electro-rock band Love X Stereo, hard rock/ Korean traditional fusion band Jambinai, Daejeon punk band Burning Hepburn and glam metal band Victim Mentality. Groups from the United States, China, France, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Russia and elsewhere will be performing, too.
VENUE: Hongdae area PERIOD: Oct. 2-4 ADMISSION: KRW 25,000 (one-day pas), KRW 45,000 (two-day pass), KRW 100,000 (delegate pass) MORE INFO: www.zfesta.com GETTING THERE: Hongik University Station (Line 2)
Sanjeong Lake Mt. Myeongseongsan Eulalia Festival
Pocheon’s Sanjeong Lake is a beautiful mountain reservoir so renowned for its scenery that late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung built a villa for himself here before the region was captured by South Korea during the Korean War. Mt. Myeongseongsan, which overlooks the lake, is crowned by beautiful fields of eulalia grass in autumn. Cap this refreshing autumn outing off with a meal of Pocheon’s famous galbi and a cup or three of its equally famous makgeolli.
VENUE: Sanjeong Lake and Mt. Myeongseongsan, Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do PERIOD: Oct. 8-11 ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: T. 031-538-2068 GETTING THERE: Take bus 138-6 from Myeongmul Jjigae Geori, near Uijeongbu Jungang Station (Uijeongbu Light Rail), Exit 2
RASKB Excursion: Gangjin and Haenam: Dasan and Cho-ui
Led by Brother Anthony of Taize, this journey to far-off Jeollanam-do will take you to places related to two major figures in the history of Korean tea, Confucian scholar “Dasan” Jeong Yak-yong and Buddhist monk Cho-ui. The tour will visit a number of scenic locales in the towns of Gangjin and Haenam, including Muuisa Temple, Baegundong Valley, Daeheungsa Temple, Dasan Chodang and Borimsa Temple.
VENUE: Gangjin and Haenam, Jeollanam-do DATE: Oct. 10-11 MORE INFO: See this link. COST: KRW 248,000 for members and KRW 297,600 for non-members GETTING THERE: See link above.
EVERYDAY KOREANS
Hanbok and hanok, Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul. Photo by Robert Koehler, editor-in-chief, SEOUL.
NOTIFICATIONS
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.
https://magazine.seoulselection.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Seoul-logo.png00rjkoehlerhttps://magazine.seoulselection.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Seoul-logo.pngrjkoehler2015-10-03 03:21:232015-10-03 12:34:44SEOUL Weekly: Maija Rhee Devine to speak at Thorpe Menn Literary Excellence Award Luncheon
Maija Rhee Devine, author of the Thorpe Menn Award-winning novel “The Voices of Heaven,” 
Celebrate the glorious Korean autumn with the 
Korean pop-singer Kim Dong-ryul — a favorite of Koreans in their 30s — returns to Olympic Park for the first time in seven years. One of the biggest names of the 1990s, Kim will be performing radio hits and concert favorites. Formerly of the bands Exhibition and Carnival, he has been performing as a solo artist since 1998. He is a musician’s musician who writes, arranges and performs his material, and even designs his own stage concepts.
There is perhaps no other musical ensemble more consistently and closely associated with the history and tradition of European classical music than the Vienna Philharmonic. The orchestra’s close association with this rich musical history is best illustrated by the statements of countless preeminent musical personalities of the past. Richard Wagner described the orchestra as being one of the most outstanding in the world; Anton Bruckner called it “the most superior musical association”; Johannes Brahms counted himself as a “friend and admirer”; Gustav Mahler claimed to be joined together through “the bonds of musical art”; and Richard Strauss summarized these sentiments by saying: “All praise of the Vienna Philharmonic reveals itself as understatement.”
The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) will be hosting an exhibition titled “East Asia Feminism: FANTasia,” an exploration of the current state and implications of East Asian women’s art from a feminist perspective. Through the diverse works of 14 participating artists from various countries, including Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and India, visitors are provided the opportunity to heighten their understanding of feminism and learn about the current status of East Asian women’s art.
Started in 2012, the Zandari Festa has grown into one of Korea’s largest indie musical showcases, bringing together acts and music industry professionals from across Korea and the world to Hongdae, the heart of Korea’s indie music scene. Over 100 bands will be paying at 20 venues around Hongdae, including blues-influenced rock band Dead Buttons, electro-rock band Love X Stereo, hard rock/ Korean traditional fusion band Jambinai, Daejeon punk band Burning Hepburn and glam metal band Victim Mentality. Groups from the United States, China, France, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Russia and elsewhere will be performing, too.
