Story of Seoul, World Design Capital celebrates Seoul's selection as the 2010 World Design Capital. The event seeks to increase awareness of Seoul's new role as World Design Capital, and includes a WDC Experience Hall, Gate of Haechi and WDC PR Center. The WDC Experience Hall is arranged according to four themes: Seoul Smiling with Design; Seoul's Attraction, Seoul's Symbol; Design Seoul Breathing in Life; and World Design Capital Seoul, Our Hope. The WDC PR Center consists of five zones in order to promote different aspects of 2010 World Design Capital --- it's a good place to see what's in store design-wise for the city. The Gate of Haechi includes, as the name would suggest, the Haechi, Seoul's new symbol.
VENUE: Seoul Plaza
PERIOD: Thru Jan 17 (11am to 8pm)
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFORMATION: wdc2010.seoul.go.kr
GETTING THERE: Exit 5, City Hall Station, Line 1 or 2

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Gapyeong's lovely Gapyeongcheon Stream and Jarasum Island will host the JARASUM JANUARY FESTIVAL, a great opportunity to take in Korea's spectacular winter scenery. You don't have to be a sportsman to enjoy the ice-fishing, one of the festival's most popular events. There will be plenty of other events, too, including Korean traditional ice sledding, snow sledding, star-gazing, wish-making and Friday evening jazz concerts. Fun is guaranteed for all! Jarasum, a small island in the Bukhangang River, is perhaps most famous for its autumn international jazz festival, one of Korea's most famous. The Gapyeong area, with its wild rivers and dramatic valleys, is wonderfully scenic, and even better, just a short trip from Seoul.
VENUE: Gapyeongcheon Stream and Jarasum Island, Gapyeong-gun, Gangwon-do
DATE: Thru Jan 31
ADMISSION: Depends on program, but fees can be redeemed for discounts on goods and services in Gapyeong.
MORE INFORMATION: (031) 580-2065, 4628, http://www.seoulselection.com/jara/
GETTING THERE: Jamsil Station, Line 2. Transfer to a Gapyeong-bound bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal. The bus trip takes less than an hour. Likewise, you can take a train to Gapyeong from Cheongnyangni Station.

- Good tours of the DMZ are conducted by the USO (795-3028) and TOURDMZ (755-0073). For more information on their tours, click here (USO) and here (TOURDMZ).

- The Seoul City Bus Tour is a great way to explore the city of Seoul, especially if you're new to town. For more information, click here or call 777-6090.

- The Royal Asiatic Society conducts entertaining and informative tours to some of Korea's most historic sites. Click here for more information, including schedule.

- For self-starters, the Seoul City Tourism website has several walking tours and self-directed tours. You can also give them a ring at 2171-2461.

- The Korea Tourism Organization website is another great place to get information. If you're on the road, just call 1330 for up-to-date tourist information.

The Christmas holidays, a time of gifts and turkey cakes and cute hats

In the West, Christmas is arguably the biggest holiday of the year, while in Korea it is relatively minor compared to Chuseok and Lunar New Year. In the West, Christmas is a time for families to get together and to exchange gifts and enjoy a large meal that traditionally includes a whole turkey, among other things. Many are fortunate enough to enjoy a week's worth of holidays between then and New Year's Day. New Year's Eve is a time to spend with friends at parties while you count down the final seconds of the old year.

In Korea, Christmas is not a major holiday, despite the fact that it's estimated that about 30% of Koreans are Christian (approximately 11% Catholic and 18% Protestant).[1] Also, while New Year's Day, of the solar calendar, is also celebrated, it's overshadowed by Lunar New Year's Day, call "Seol-nal." People typically spend Christmas with boyfriends or girlfriends, and New Year's Day with their families.

Because it is a day for dating, there wasn't much that, visually, distinguished Christmas from other days off, but this began to change around three Christmases ago. The ice cream chain Baskin Robbins began offering a free hat if you bought a Christmas cake. The hat was called a "fox hat" because of its visual design (including a tail), and promotions featured the Wonder Girls, one of the biggest girl groups in Korea. It was then that we first heard the slogan which translates roughly as, "Since we now have an ice cream cake, it's really Christmas."[2] The next Christmas, they made the same offer again, though this time the hat was made to look like a snowman, and the spokespeople were Big Bang, one of the biggest boy bands in Korea.[3] That same year, Paris Baguette, a bakery chain, got into the act. They, too, offered a free hat if you purchased a cake, only their hat was modeled after those worn by the cartoon characters called Smurfs. Their spokesperson was Kim Tae-hee, one of Korea's most sought-after models.[4], [5] This year Dunkin Donuts and Tous Les Jours, another bakery chain, piled onto the bandwagon.[6] Baguette's promotions again featured Kim Tae-hee, but this time, she was joined by 2PM, yet another boy band. This year's hat was a two-in-one hat that can be changed from from a wolf to a sheep. Robbins offered a penguin hat endorsed by 2NE1, a popular girl group.[7], [8] (Do you see a trend here?) Dunkin and Tout Les Jours also had advertisements featuring pop stars and actors who, quite frankly, I can't be bothered to name.

The cakes are nice-looking, and taste pretty good.[9], [10] The hats are sufficient for a Korean winter, though I wonder how they would fare in a Canadian deep-freeze. One thing that I can't understand is why everyone is offering the same deal. How about free mittens that look like animal paws if you buy a dozen donuts? Or a scarf that looks like a candy cane if you buy a mini-cake and six pastries? Everyone is fighting for an ever-narrowing slice of the same demographic.

Oh, well. I can't argue too strongly with something that makes Christmas more special.

Written by Richard Stansfield ( smaug1004@hotmail.com). The writer has been living and teaching English in Korea since 1996.

Note: The views of the writer do not necessarily reflect the views of Seoul Selection.

'Seoul Place to Visit,' Nine Buck Choco Pies and Seochon

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

- Seoul makes the New York Times' list of places to visit in 2010!

- That's a lot for a Choco Pie.

- A Korean Benedictine Abbey, a German monk and a collection of classic European films.

- Speaking of film, writer Mark Russell picks the 10 best Korean films of the previous decade.

- Korea is building a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly Korea Center in New York City.

- "Understanding the pine is the key to understanding Korean culture," says professor Chun Young-woo, author of "The Red Pine."

- The JoongAng Ilbo talks with foreign musicians playing with Korean orchestras.

- Dan Gray shows us where the best burgers in Seoul can be had.

- Well, at least the snow made Bukchon look a lot prettier.

- Here are some photos of the Seochon area and Seodaemun Prison.

Green Day comes to Seoul! If you grew up in the 1990s and you haven't got at least one Green Day song lodged permanently somewhere in your brain, the chances are you were brought up in a cave by wolves. Their simple chords and catchy tunes provided the soundtrack for a whole generation. Winner of three Grammy Awards, Green Day released its eighth studio album, "21st Century Breakdown," in May 2009, after which it became the fastest ever album to sell half a million copies. This January's concert marks Green Day's Korean debut. Fans can look forward to classic hits like "Basket Case" and "Know Your Enemy" filling Seoul's Olympic Park.
VENUE: Gymnasium No. 1, Olympic Park
PERIOD: Jan 18, 8pm
ADMISSION: R (Seat/Standing): 99,000 won, S: 88,000 won
MORE INFORMATION: (02) 3141-3488
GETTING THERE: Olympic Park Station, Line 5, Exit 3.

The 18th Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Festival is all about, well, snow. A 700m high pass through Korea's eastern mountains on the way to Gangneung, Daegwallyeong is famous for getting some of the deepest snowfalls in Korea. All sorts of winter games are planned, including sledding and snowmobiling. Don't miss the snow sculptures, either.
VENUE: Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do
PERIOD: Jan 16---24
ADMISSION: Admission depends on program
MORE INFORMATION: (033) 336-6112, www.snowfestival.net
GETTING THERE: Take the bus heading from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Gangneung. Get off at Hoenggye Bus Terminal (a three-hour ride) and walk 10 minutes.

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Subscription Concert treats visitors to some of the best in Korean classical music. Conducted by world famous conductor Chung Myung-Whun, the Seoul Philharmonic will be playing selections from Weber, Rachmaninov and Schumann. Joining the orchestra will be Swedish pianist Peter Jablonski.
VENUE: Seoul Arts Center
PERIOD: Jan 15, 8pm
ADMISSION: R: 100,000 won, S: 70,000 won, A: 50,000 won, B: 30,000 won
MORE INFORMATION: (02) 580-1300
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Line 3, Exits 4 & 5. Walk 5---10 minutes or take shuttle bus, bus No. 12 or bus No. 4429.

The Korea Foundation is hosting Italian Style - Dressing Home as its first exhibition in 2010. In collaboration with the Sartirana Art Foundation, Cultural Institute of Italy, and Embassy of Italy, the special exhibition will feature more than 180 pieces of representative Italian design works that are utilized in our daily living, such as silverware, furniture and lamps. Viewers will identify the distinct "Italian Style" from the exhibited works of well-known manufacturers and studios that are deeply rooted in traditional Italian craftsmanship.
VENUE: KF Cultural Center
DATE: Jan 15---Feb 20, (10:00---18:00 Mon---Sat, 10:00---21:00 Wed)
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFORMATION: 02-2151-6514, www.kfcenter.or.kr
GETTING THERE: City Hall Station, Lines 1 & 2, Exit 9. Walk 5 minutes.

Check out old Korean War ruins and go birdwatching in Cheorwon with the Royal Asiatic Society. Located about two and a half hours by bus from Seoul, Cheorwon county is located slightly above the 38th parallel, close to the most heavily fortified border in the world today: that between North and South Korea. In this region we can witness the sometimes chilling evidence of the continuing inter-Korean conflict, but also the more pleasant quiet and unspoiled environment of northernmost South Korea. For more information, click here.