SEOUL Weekly: Paintings from ‘Love is the Pain of Feverish Flowers’

Seoul Selection is happy to announce that four paintings from our recently published poetry book “Love is the Pain of Feverish Flowers” are available for purchase at Seoul Selection Bookshop.

The framed paintings (46 x 47 cm) have been reproduced by the painter himself and carry poems from the book. Price: KRW 330,000.

We’ve included a map to the shop and a news story (in Korean) about the book.

About the book:

The poems in this collection are located between a lost world and today’s modernity, poised between celebration and lamentation, as icons of loss and yearning. The reader is carried into unfamiliar spaces of scenery and also of language, as the translators retain echoes of the Korean originals, intent on transmitting each poet’s vision of an unfamiliar other place to readers who are eager to be transported.

– Brother Anthony, literary translator and professor emeritus of Sokang University

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)

New Town, Old Town
The changing face of Wangsimni

Not Just a Transportation Hub
Wangsimni’s urban grit belies a dining gem

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

• An exhibit at the DDP shows the possibilities when culture and industry meet.
• Korean lawmakers set the world filibuster record.
• Hologram technology meets political protest.
• Seoul will get an upscale Hanok hotel.
• Bringing Korean history to the masses through webtoons.
• Birch trees in the snow.
• Sunrise at Busan’s Dadaepo.
• Spring comes to the southern parts of Korea.
• Suwon Hwaseong Fortress from the tower of Suwon Jeil Church.
• Another week passes at Robert Koehler’s photo blog.

Mozart, L’Opera Rock

French musical “Mozart, L’Opera Rock” comes to Seoul with its original French cast. A dramatization of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the show features both pop-rock numbers and, or course, works by Mozart himself. The show not only drew 1.1 million people to its debut run at the Palais des Sports de Paris in 2009-2010, but also drew 1.5 million viewers during a short European tour. The Korean-language version of the show, too, was a big hit when it played in Seoul in 2012. This is the original cast’s first performance in Asia.

VENUE: Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
PERIOD: Mar. 11-Apr. 24
MORE INFO: T. 1544-1555
ADMISSION: KRW 77,000-154,000
GETTING THERE: Gwanghwamun Station­ (Line 5), Exit 1 or 8

Parnas Mall Marks the Spring with a Special Event

The first premium mall opened by a luxury hotel, the Parnas Mall at Samseong Station celebrates the start of spring with a series of special events, including ticket giveaways for the “Paintings, Sculptures and Objects of the Prince of Liechtenstein: Rubens and Other Masters” exhibit at the National Museum of Korea, ticket giveaways for a performance by the popera group “Il Divo,” and White Day events.

Tai Soo Kim Retrospective: Working in Two Worlds

“Tai Soo Kim Retrospective: Working in Two Worlds” is the second exhibition of an architect in the Korean Contemporary Artist series. The exhibition is a retrospective that investigates the life and work of Tai Soo Kim, which will survey different periods of the architect’s oeuvre. Tai Soo Kim is an architect whose practice is based on modernism through which exercise rational thinking and experiential ideas. His major projects include his estate in Connecticut, submarine training facility of the US Navy, MMCA Gwacheon, University of Hartford Gray Centre, US Embassy in Tunisia, Kyobo Life Insurance Training Facility, and Bloomfield Early Childhood School. In particular, the last section of the exhibition will focus on the MMCA Gwacheon, presenting diverse materials such as sketches and blueprints along with a scale model of the building.

VENUE: MMCA Gwacheon
PERIOD: Thru Jun. 6
MORE INFO: T. 02-2188-6000
ADMISSION: Free
GETTING THERE: Seoul Grand Park Station (Line 4), Exit 4. Take the shuttle bus.

SeMA Blue 2016 “SEOUL BABEL”

SeMA Blue is part of the Three Color series, which is held biannually and aims at the balanced growth of Korean art scene and each of its generations. 2016 SeMA Blue Seoul Babel focuses on art platforms that are being created around Seoul spontaneously and their creative practices. The exhibition was conceived to shed light on the practices and approaches of these alternative communities as a phenomenon in which they either run independent spaces in between the niches at the outskirt of the city or lead ephemeral collaborative projects.

VENUE: Seoul Museum of Art
PERIOD: Thru Apr. 5
MORE INFO: T. 02-2124-8939
ADMISSION: Free
GETTING THERE: City Hall Station (Lines 1 or 2), Exit 1

Color Your Life

Daelim Museum presents its first exhibition of 2016, “Color Your Life.” An exploration of color as interpreted by leading contemporary designers and global brands, the exhibition offers fascinating insights into how color, when combined with diverse materials and creative designs, produces remarkable objects that transform our everyday lives, as well as featuring new interiors that showcase the color trends of 2016.

VENUE: Daelim Museum
PERIOD: Thru Aug. 21
MORE INFO: www.daelimmuseum.org
ADMISSION: KRW 5,000
GETTING THERE: Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), Exit 3

RASKB Cultural Excursion: Gangnam (Old) Style

Since the runaway success of a certain satirical song by a rotund Korean rapper, the phrase “Gangnam Style” has entered the global consciousness. There is, however, another side to Gangnam. Amid the hustle and bustle of the sleekest, most modern part of Seoul, lie quiet corners, lush greenery, and reminders of the past.

Join the RAS-KB on this walking excursion as they stroll from COEX, symbol of Korea’s modern, consumerist culture, to Bongeunsa, one of Seoul’s largest and most thriving Buddhist temples, and then on to Samneung Park, a beautiful greenspace and the site of some important Joseon-era royal tombs, as well as a small museum.

VENUE: Gangam
DATE: March 12
COST: KRW 20,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members.
GETTING THERE and MORE INFO: See this link.

Korean flag at Seodaemun Prison History Museum on the March 1 Independence Movement holiday. 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.