SEOUL Weekly: Court Paintings from the Joseon Dynasty

Seoul Selection is pleased to announce the release of “Visual Korean Heritage No. 1: Court Painting from Joseon Dynasty.”

Both ornate and majestic, the various formats of royal court paintings of Korea have been exhibited all over the world and include folding screens, murals, paper sliding doors, and government records. Crafted by the best painters of the era, the works exhibit a refined level of artistic skill and are rich with symbolism, even in the tiniest details, having adorned spaces that were occupied by the highest authorities. The vivid colors and fastidious minutiae of Joseon court paintings, with their intriguing iconography and ornamentation, are sure to introduce any viewer to a startling new world.

AUTHOR: Park Jeong-Hye
PAGES: 168 (softcover)
PRICE: KRW 23,000

Map Banner Special Event

From December, SEOUL Magazine will be offering banner space in our magazine’s Maps & Guides section for the low, low price of KRW 50,000 a month. International visitors and expats make great use of our maps, which include detailed information about Gwanghwamun, Samcheong-dong, Itaewon, Dongdaemun, Hongdae, Gangnam and other tourist destinations. Our packages begin from three months (KRW 150,000, VAT not included). We can also promote your establishments via SNS as well, so please, send your inquiries to sense@seoulselection.com.
website: https://magazine.seoulselection.com
Instagram: @seoul_magazine

Enjoy SEOUL on the Go: Download our magazine app for your tablet! (iOS, Android)

More than drinking tea under pine trees
American-born Buddhist monk Chong Go Sunim describes a day in the life at a Korean monastery

Healthy cooking, the Buddhist way
Newly opened Korean Temple Food Center lets you experience Korea’s 1,700-year-old Slow Food tradition

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

• North Korea is about to get a very loud dose of K-pop.
• How the popularity of Korean culture in the West helped one Korean-American appreciate her heritage.
• Feminism and K-beauty.
• Yep, the Korean Wave comes to “Family Guy.“
• Meet the husband-wife team that is lighting up Seoul – literally.
• Donggeomdo at sunrise. Not far from Seoul.
• The first sunrise of the year from Busan’s Gwangan Bridge.
• So that’s how they raise maesaengi…
• A very lonely tree in Daegwallyeong.
• Another week passes at Robert Koehler’s photo blog.

The Winter’s Tale

Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” is a good example showing that the great bard’s theatrical imagination had reached its maturity. The tale of jealousy, betrayal and revenge portrays the world of destruction but at the same time, conveys the essence of love, which is related to forgiveness and reconciliation. The philosophical message and the mythological view of the world in the romance will be reinterpreted by Robert Alfoldi, the artistic director of the Hungarian National Theatre from 2008 and 2013. Known for his innovative contemporization of classics with an emphasis on critical remarks about contemporary society, Alfoldi retells the epic story mirroring our own images despite the distance between the Sicily of old and the world we live in.

VENUE: National Theater of Korea
PERIOD: Jan. 10-24, 8 PM on weekdays, 3 PM on weekends
ADMISSION: KRW 20,000-50,000
MORE INFO: T. 02-2280-4114
GETTING THERE: Dongguk Univ. Station (Line 3), Exit 2

Picasso to Francis Bacon: Masters of Modern and Contemporary Art

This exhibit features 100 historic works by masters of modern and contemporary art from the National Museum Foundation of Venezuela. Included are 24 works by Picasso, nine by Marc Chagall, 15 by Francis Bacon and 10 by Andy Warhol. You can also take in works by Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian and other modern greats.

VENUE: Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center
PERIOD: Thru Mar. 1
ADMISSION: KRW 13,000
MORE INFO: T. 02-580-1300
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429.

Last Chance to See Miso: MISO: Baebijang-jeon 

Based on a classic novel of the late Joseon Dynasty, the nonverbal musical Baebijang-jeon will come to the end of its run on Feb. 28. If you haven’t seen it yet, the good news is that you can get a 10% discount on admission by using the coupon in the January issue of SEOUL. Moreover, if you purchase a ticket between now and Feb. 21, the theater will gift you a note and postcard set.

VENUE: Jeongdong Theater
ADMISSION: KRW 40,000-60,000
MORE INFO: See this link.

Paintings, Sculptures and Objects of the Prince of Liechtenstein: Rubens and Other Masters

One of the most important royal museums in Europe, Liechtenstein the Princely Collections contains a diverse range of masterpieces from different eras – from the Renaissance to the Baroque and Biedermeier periods – highlighted by the world’s foremost collection of works by Peter Paul Rubens. This exhibition features about 120 selected works of various media, including paintings, sculptures, crafts, prints, and tapestries. Most significantly, for the first time in Korea, visitors can see numerous representative works by famous Flemish masters, such as Rubens, Anthonis van Dyck, Pieter Brueghel the Younger and Jan Brueghel the Elder. Featured works by the contemporary Dutch painters and Italian Baroque artists will be shown side-by-side, allowing visitors the unique opportunity to directly compare the divergent styles of these artists from multiple perspectives.

VENUE: National Museum of Korea
PERIOD: Thru Apr. 10
ADMISSION: KRW 13,000
MORE INFO: T. 1688-9891
GETTING THERE: Take the underpass at Ichon Station (Jungang Line, Line 4).

Rent Corea!

If you’re looking for a quiet, high-end place to live in Seoul, Rent Korea is the place to go.

Rent Korea has 15 years of experience helping international residents of Seoul and Korea relocate and find rental properties. They’ll find exactly what you’re looking for, from apartments and houses to office space.

MORE INFO: T. 02-730-0001. See this website, too.

Van Gogh Inside: Festival of Light and Music

Culture Station Seoul 284 is hosting a multimedia exhibit based on the life and works of Van Gogh thru April 17. What better way to experience the work of the great 19th century master than through light and music in one of the city’s most historic spaces. The multimedia exhibit is highly interactive and pushes the boundaries of Korea’s arts and culture scene. A feast for the eyes and ears!

VENUE: Culture Station Seoul 284 (i.e., old Seoul Station)
PERIOD: Thru Apr. 17
ADMISSION: KRW 15,000
MORE INFO: T. 1522-1178
GETTING THERE: Seoul Station, Line 1

RASKB: The Natural History Museum of Kyunghee University

In January, the RASKB offers a series of indoor tours to escape the winter cold. The first of these is a trip to Kyung Hee University (KHU), a private comprehensive university renowned for its beautiful garden-like campus. However, it also has plenty of indoor attractions.

The KHU Natural History Museum is one of the oldest such museums on the Korean Peninsula, first opening in 1978 to fulfill the university’s founding spirit of “creating a civilized world” through study of nature. Housing over 90,000 attractions, it consists of various displays of wildlife found around the peninsula and abroad. The first floor deals with geology and even includes dinosaur fossils. The second floor deals with many of the animals and other land mammals that can be found. The five other floors deal with all manner of contemporary plants, animals and insects. Highlights include some extinct species of fish and birds that no longer can be found on the peninsula, as well as an extremely extensive display of butterflies coming from everywhere from the Amazon, West Africa to Malaysia and, of course, Korea.

VENUE: KHU Natural History Museum
DATE: Jan. 9
COST: KRW 20,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members
MORE INFO and GETTING THERE: See this link.

Staircase of Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Photo by Robert Koehler of SEOUL

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.