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Tea Music --- Yearning for an Old Friend
Spirit of Korean Traditional Music in the Tea
Tea-drinking rituals are found throughout the world. From picking the leaves, to brewing and drinking, tea-drinking ritual is a ceremony celebrating its mystical qualities. In Korea, tea and music have a special spiritual relationship. The Korean Creative Music Society's Tea Music [Da'ak] explores the intricate relationship between Korean music and the ancient art of tea-brewing. It is inspired by the affection of tea in traditional and contemporary worlds. Tea Music [Da'ak] introduces a new form of Korean traditional aesthetic in the 21st century. Tea Music [Da'ak] is a theatrical performance and it combines dance, calligraphy art, and tea ceremony with awe-inspiring musical performance with traditional Korean instruments. The performance include the following instruments: daegeum (a large Korean flute), danso (a small bamboo flute), gayageum (a 25 string instrument), yanggeum (a Korean zither) and geomungo (a 6 string instrument). Tea Music [Da'ak] will be performed at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang on Oct 6 at 5pm and 8pm. To get a ticket (which are free), send an email to director@seoulselection.com. Be sure to include your name, number of companions and which performance you'd like to see (5pm or 8pm). We have 300 tickets, which will be given on a first come, first serve basis. When we send you your ticketing information, please confirm the email.
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Seoul's Historic Walks: Second Edition
Best-Selling Guide Updated
Seoul Selection is happy to announce the impending release of the second edition of our best-selling guide " Seoul's Historic Walks." In this handy guidebook based on the tours offered by the Seoul Foundation of Arts and Culture, architect and Korean traditional architecture expert Cho In-souk and magazine editor Robert Koehler share their appreciation of architecture and love for Seoul's history as they take you through some of Seoul's lesser-known historic sites and give visitors a better understanding of Seoul's development from medieval walled city to modern metropolis. The book has detailed descriptions of Seoul's historic sites, helpful photographs and detailed maps of the walking courses. Price: 10,000 won. |
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- 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. - Every fourth Sunday between March and October, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture conducts English-language tours to interesting neighborhoods of Seoul. For more information, click here or call 3290-7000. - 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.
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From Sep 18 to Nov 4, the southwestern city of Gwangju is to host Gwangju Design Biennale, a design-based counterpart to its well-known art biennale. Built upon five themed exhibitions---clothing, eating, living, enlightening and enjoying---the biennale attempts to pinpoint the relevance of each theme to Korean culture and design. In addition to the five main themes are three projects aimed at addressing contemporary social issues: Design to Save, based on sustainability; Design to Care, focusing on care and consideration for the increasing number of elderly people in society; and Design to Share, a project developing connections with the historic village of Yangnim-dong. All five themed exhibition curators are highly talented and interesting individuals, and what they produce this September in Gwangju will definitely be worth making the trip to see. The ultimate aim of the biennale is to lay the foundations for a new design culture, through the reinterpretation of manifestations of traditional Korean culture by international artists and designers. Most of the events will be taking place at Gwangju Biennale Hall. Admission: Throughout the exhibition period---Adults: 20,000 won, Youths: 15,000 won, Children: 10,000 won / One day---Adults: 9,000 won, Youths: 5,000 won, Children: 3,000 won. More information: T. (062) 608-4114, Homepage: www.design-biennale.org. Getting there: It takes about three and a half hours to get to Gwangju from Seoul by express bus. Take a cab from there. It takes 10 more minutes.
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The 2009 Asia Song Festival, to be held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sep 19, will feature some of the biggest names in Asian pop, including BigBang, Super Junior, Girls' Generation (Korea), Gackt, mihimaru GT (Japan), Chris Lee (China), Show Luo (Taiwan), Eric Cheng (Hong Kong), K-Otic (Thailand), Ho Ngoc Ha (Vietnam) and Agnes Monica (Indonesia) and special guest V6 (Japan), special award winner Ruslana (Ukraine) and Best New Asian Artist Award 2NE1 (Korea). Admission: Download a free ticket from the website. Getting There: World Cup Stadium Station, Line 6, Exits 1 and 2.
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Coming to Korea for the first time, the dance music festival Global Gathering---to be held Sep 18---19 at Hangang River Park Nanji Area---brings some of the world's top electronic and dance acts for what promises to be an exciting September weekend. The Prodigy, Underworld, Royskopp, Pendulum (DJ Set), MSTRKRFT, the potbelleez and Fantastic Plastic Machine are just a few of the big names set to drop in to the peninsula. First held in 2001 in Long Marston, England, Global Gathering made its overseas debut in Miami, Florida, in 2006. This year, it has a presence in Poland, Belarus, Turkey, Russia, Australia and, of course, South Korea. An unmissable chance to see some of the giants of global dance and electronic music. Admission: One day---88,000 won, two days---143,000 won. More information: T. (02) 323-2838. Getting There: World Cup Stadium Station, Line 6, Exit 1. Look at the signs and walk about 20 minutes.
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Join the Royal Asiatic Society on Sep 19 for a KTX tour to Busan, a bustling city of 4 million residents located on the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula. The natural environment of Busan is a perfect example of harmony between mountains, rivers and sea. Its geography includes a coastline with superb beaches and scenic cliffs, mountains which provide excellent hiking and extraordinary views, and hot springs scattered throughout the city. Sites you'll see include Yongdu-san Park, Jagalchi Fish Market, Taejongdae, UN Memorial Cemetery, Busan City Museum, Haeundae Beach and APC Conference Building and Garden, and Busan Aquarium (optional). Cost: 139,000 won (members), 159,000 won (non-members). For more information, click here.
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A photo exhibition titled " Discovering Asia's Grace in Life through the Classroom" will be held at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center galleries from Sep 23 through Oct 16. The exhibition is a part of the "Development of Materials for Democracy, Human Rights and Peace in Asia" project co-organized by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) and the Office for the Hub City of Asian Culture under the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Featuring about 300 photos taken by about 20 photographers from South Korea and other countries in eight Asian countries including Laos, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, the exhibition showcases the elegance of Asia discovered on the scene. Designed to enhance understanding about cultural diversity in Asia, the exhibition will be accompanied by various events, including documentary screenings, a hands-on exhibition of Asian classrooms, national days in Asia, and meetings with the artists. The opening ceremony of the exhibition is scheduled to be held at 5 pm on Sep 23. Those who wish to attend the ceremony are asked to make a reservation by Sep 21 via email (sypark@unescoapceiu.org). The exhibition opens from 10 am to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday (open through 9 pm on Wednesdays and closed on Sundays and public holidays). Admission is free. For further information, please contact the APCEIU ( www.unescoapceiu.org, 02 774-3956, ext. 104), or the Korea Foundation Cultural Center ( www.kfcenter.or.kr, 02 2151-6500) |
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| These are just some of the diverse events taking place in and around Seoul. SEOUL Magazine's ever-expanding events section is colorfully designed and jam-packed with the latest information. For the complete round-up pick up a copy of SEOUL Magazine at any of the quality bookstores in the city and you'll never have to spend another month in the dark. |
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Moonlight Rainbow
Beautiful Moonlight Rainbow Fountain of Banpo Bridge. Photo by Robert Koehler.
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Cancelled Festivals - Due to fears about H1N1 influenza, several festivals have been cancelled. These festivals are the 2009 Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival (Sep 25-27), Seoul International Fireworks Festival (Sep 26), Gwangju Kimchi Cultural Festival 2009 (Oct 26-Nov 1) and International Fermented Food Festival (Oct 21---25). SEOUL's Next Top Model - SEOUL, Seoul Selection's monthly travel and culture magazine, is looking for people who'd like to show off themselves in their favorite Seoul backdrops. You name the place and pose, and we'll do the photographing. If we like what we see, we'll put your photo in the magazine. If this sounds fun, send an email (with a photograph of yourself) to sense@seoulselection.com. Both foreigners and Korean nationals are welcome. 
Learn Korean Traditional Dance - Chumsae Dance School is offering lessons on Korean traditional dance. Morning (10:00---11:30, Tue Thu), afternoon (4:00---5:30, Mon Wed) and evening classes (7:30---9:00 Tue Thu) available. Classes are limited to 10 persons each. Tuition is 200,000 won a month. For more information, call (02- 762-7731).
Language Exchange Club - LEC, the multilingual language exchange club, has had great events every month like barbecues, Thanksgiving, Halloween, hiking, swimming, snowboarding and rafting. This month they will be going snowboarding and skiing --- contact discgolf@naver.com for more information. The nonprofit club, located in Myeong-dong, is for people who are interested in exchanging languages and culture as well as making good friends from all over the world. KFCC Films - The Korea Foundation Cultural Center runs regular screenings of both Korean and foreign films, with subtitles. In September, the KFCC will be screening films under the theme "Rising Gradually." Click here for more information. Korean Language Classes - The Korea Foundation Cultural Center Offers free Korean language classes for foreigners residing in Korea. The classes, led by Korea Foundation volunteer teachers, are held at 7:00-9:00 pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (two classes at 4:00 and 7:00 on Wednesdays). Anyone interested in learning Korean language and willing to participate in the language class is welcome to join. For more information, click here. Calling all photographers - SEOUL WEEKLY could use your help with our Everyday Koreans photo section. If you have a camera and enjoy snapping shots capturing everyday scenes in the Republic of Korea, send your photos in along with captions and a brief, one- line bio. Send Your Event Info - If you would like to advertise any upcoming events you are organizing, please send us the press release material to reporter@seoulselection.com by the preceding Friday in order to appear in the following Tuesday's issue. Advertise in SEOUL magazine - Advertisement space available in SEOUL magazine and weekly newsletter. For rates, click here. For more information, please contact at 734-9567 ( ad@seoulselection.com, selector@seoulselection.com). Freelance Contributors Wanted - SEOUL magazine needs writers who are fluent in both Korean and English. Writers should be able to interview Koreans and also have a strong interest in Korean culture. Send your resume and writing samples to reporter@seoulselection.com. We Buy & Sell Used Books - Seoul Selection buys and sells used books in English. Unlike our regular selection of publications that specialize in Korea-related topics, our Used Book Section carries books on all subjects. It's all part of our effort to make life easier for the English-speaking community. Seoul Selection Looking for Partners Abroad - Seoul Selection is looking for overseas partners who can sell English books on Korea, Korean language learning books, Korean movie DVDs and Korean music CDs. Since Seoul Selection has links to local publishers and DVD/CD production companies, we can provide the best prices possible. Please contact Hank Kim at selector@seoulselection.com for details.
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Publisher: Hank Kim /
Editor: Robert Koehler /
Designer: Jun Shinwook / Website Manager: Ray Hong
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Seoul Selection reserves all intellectual property rights on information provided in this newsletter. Some event information has been provided by the Korea Foundation. The IPRs are protected by pertinent laws.
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Seoul Selection Web Site: http://www.seoulselection.com e-mail: hank@seoulselection.com tel: 734-9567 fax: 734-9563 |
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