Feb. 18, 2015 / Issue No. 672
Happy Lunar New Year!
Seoul Selection wishes you all a very happy Lunar New Year and all the best in the Year of the Sheep. Here are some ideas for things to do during the long holiday.

Seochon at 4PM
Beautiful rooftop drawings of one of Seoul’s most charming neighborhoods

Check out artist Kim Mi-gyeong’s exhibit of drawings of Seoul’s Seochon neighborhood at Seochon’s very own Gallery Ryugaheon. Kim lived in Seochon as a college student and again for three years after spending seven years in the United States. Climbing up on rooftops in the neighborhood, she drew inspiring views of its tile-roofed homes, old brick villas and beautiful mountain vistas.

Nestled in the foothills of Mt. Inwangsan, Seochon is a space where the Joseon Dynasty, Japanese colonial era and modern times coexist. With tourists now flooding into the neighborhood, it is changing rapidly – remnants of the past are disappearing almost daily. Kim’s drawing are a record of both the neighborhood’s past and its present.

VENUE: Gallery Ryugaheon
PERIOD: Thru March 1, 2015
MORE INFO: T. 720-2010, www.ryugaheon.com
ADMISSION: Free
GETTING THERE: From Exit 4 of Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), walk toward the palace and swing a left on Hyoja-ro (i.e., the road that runs along Gyeongbokgung Palace towards Cheong Wa Dae). When you reach Hyoja-ro 7-gil, the alley just before Boan Yeogwan, swing another left. The gallery is towards the end of the alley on the right.
 


 
AROUND THE WEB

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

 


 

EVENTS

NT Live Frankenstein

Mary Shelly’s classic horror novel “Frankenstein” (1818) was first adapted for stage in 2011, premiering at the Royal National Theatre with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle at the helm. The two lead roles in the production — Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the Creature — were played by a pair of actors who have both had turns playing Sherlock Holmes on screen: Benedict Cumberbatch, known from the U.K.’s hit series “Sherlock,” and Jonny Lee Miller, who plays the great detective on the American show “Elementary.” The two performers shared their win for Best Actor at the 2012 Olivier Awards for their outstanding portrayal of the tragic characters in the play. Due to its great critical acclaim, the production was broadcasted in cinemas around the world as part of the National Theatre Live program, and will be screened for the first time in Korea at National Theater of Korea.

VENUE: National Theater of Korea
PERIOD: Feb. 25-March 1
MORE INFO: T. 02-2280-4114/6, www.ntok.go.kr
ADMISSION: KRW 10,000-15,000
GETTING THERE: Dongguk Univ. Station 동대입구 (Line 3), Exit 2

Giorgio Morandi: Dialogue with Morandi

Italian painter Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964) specialized in still life and landscape scenes, producing works that have gained renown for their subtlety and simplicity. Rather than being swayed by popular philosophies and techniques at the time, Morandi quietly and methodically practiced his own investigation into the metaphysical nature of the objects he encountered every day — items such as bottles, vases and books. So dedicated was Morandi to the visual shape and forms of his subjects, he is known to have taken extensive measures to remove anything that would distract from the composition, including the labels or other unnecessary decoration. The exhibition features 40 pieces of Morandi’s work, and will also display works of Morandi’s Korean contemporaries.

VENUE: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung
PERIOD: Thru Feb. 25
MORE INFO: T. 02-2022-0600, www.mmca.go.kr
ADMISSION: KRW 4,000-9,000
GETTING THERE: City Hall Station, Line 1

FULBRIGHT FORUMS PRESENT: Best Interest of the Child: South Korea’s Child Protection Law and System for Abused and Neglected Children

This presentation by lawyer Ann Park will initially discuss how child maltreatment is viewed in Korea, especially in its cultural context, and provide background statistics and information related to child maltreatment. It focuses on providing an overview of Korea’s child protection system and an analysis of the new law, the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc., of Crimes of Child Abuse.

VENUE: Fulbright Building
DATE: Feb. 27, 7PM. RSVP by Feb. 25.
MORE INFO and GETTING THERE: See this link.

RASKB Excursion: Making Magkeolli

The Susubori Academy is devoted to the instruction of proper brewing techniques and offers beginner courses as well as an advanced master brewers course (available to those who have completed the intro class). This introductory class is specially organized for members and friends of the RASKB. The cost of the class covers instruction, supplies, and a bucket of hand-made magkeolli for each participant. The class size is limited to fifteen people maximum and will be held if a minimum of 8 people have signed up for it by March 2.

VENUE: Susubori Academy
DATE: March 8, 2PM to 5PM
MORE INFO: See this link.
ADMISSION: KRW 40,000 for members, KRW 50,000 for non-members
GETTING THERE: See link above.
 


 

EVERYDAY KOREANS

An old alleway in Ikseon-dong. Photographed by Robert Koehler.

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.

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.

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