SEOUL Weekly: Seoul Selection at the LA Times Festival of Books

Seoul Selection at the LA Times Festival of Books
English books on Korea come to US’s biggest book festival

Seoul Selection is pleased to announce it will be partnering with the Korea Foundation to exhibit English-language books on Korea at the LA Times Festival of Books, held on the USC Campus. Come meet us at Booth 959 on Apr. 18 (10 AM to 6 PM) or Apr. 19 (10 AM to 5 PM).

The LA Times Festival of Books, marking its 20th anniversary, is the largest celebration of the written word in the United States. It gives the residents of southern California a chance to meet their favorite authors, hear live readings, take in original works of art and even sample LA’s diverse range of cuisines.

VENUE: USC Campus
DATES: Apr. 18-19
MORE INFO (including directions): See this link.
 

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

• Korean education is all-work and no-play.
• Korea, Cuba form bonds over culture.
• An expatriate explores Korea’s drinking scene.
• K-pop comes to an American sitcom.
• Looking at the painful history of Sorokdo.
• Seoul panoramas seen from Namsangol Hanok Village.
• Seryangje Reservoir in all its spring glory.
• In case you missed the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival…
• The sun rises over Maehwa Village.
• Another week passes at Robert Koehler’s photo blog.

New Zurich Orchestra

To commemorate its 25th anniversary, the New Zurich Orchestra’s Asian tour will include visits to Japan, Korea, Singapore and Thailand. Conductor Martin Studer, who has been with the orchestra since it was founded in 1990, will lead Swiss flutist Philipp Jundt and an impressive body of world-class musicians through Verdi’s opera “Nabucco” overture, Joaquin Rodrigo’s flute concerto “Pastoral” and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E minor.

VENUE: Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center
DATE: April 25, 20:00
MORE INFO: T. 02-3463-2466, www.bravocomm.co.kr
ADMISSION: KRW 30,000-150,000
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station 남부터미널역 (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to the shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429.

The Blossoming Scent of Ink: Song Young Bang

The Blossoming Scent of Ink: Song Young Bang features five decades of the artistic endeavors of Song Youngbang (1936- ), also known by his pen name Uhyeon. This exhibition is the second Korean traditional-style painting show of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Korean Contemporary Artists Series, meant to lay the solid foundation for the study of modern and contemporary Korean art.

VENUE: MMCA Gwacheon
PERIOD: Thru June 28
MORE INFO: T. 02-2188-6000, see this link
ADMISSION: KRW 2,000
GETTING THERE: Use the shuttle bus from Seoul Grand Park Station (Line 4).

Renaissance Hotel’s “Welcoming May Package’

The Renaissance Seoul Hotel celebrates the May holiday season with its Welcoming May Package (Apr. 27 – May 10). Tailored to families and couples, the package gives you an opportunity to enjoy a bit of rest and relaxation in the heart of Seoul. It offers a wide range of accommodation options as well as benefits, including free use of the pool, recreation center and sauna, breakfast at the Cafe Elysee, use of the Thai luxury spa brand THANN (Welcoming May Package II) and more. Prices begin from KRW 180,000 a night (service changes and tax not included).

VENUE: Renaissance Seoul Hotel
PERIOD: Apr. 27 – May 10
MORE INFO: T. 02-555-0501, website
GETTING THERE: Short walk from Yeoksam Station (Line 2)

YISS Spring Book Fair

Mark your calendar for the YISS Spring Book Fair from April 22 to 24 in the main lobby from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
YISS Book Fairs offer an extensive selection of quality English-language  books for young and adult readers at some of the best prices available in Korea. Most titles are 10% to 50% off retail prices.
Browse the wide selection of books for readers of all ages. Feel free to invite your family and friends. Ten percent of all sales during the Book Fair is donated to the YISS PTO to fund the purchase of new books for our school libraries as well as other learning resources.

VENUE: YISS Main Lobby
PERIOD: Apr. 22–24
MORE INFO: yisspto.bookfair@gmail.com, www.yisseoul.org
GETTING THERE: See this map.

Ganghwa Island Shinmiyangyo Excursion

In the spring of 1871, five US warships entered Korean waters with the stated goal of securing a treaty for the safety of shipwrecked mariners. At the time, Korea still had very negative feelings from several bad interactions with Westerners in the five preceding years. Through cultural misunderstandings and the mishandling of the situation between the Korean and US governments, hostilities broke out. In the end, Korean forces reportedly lost more than three hundred troops, while the US lost only three. It was a so-called “weekend war” that changed the course of relations between the two countries, and continues to be a historic point of contention with many people on both sides.

VENUE: Ganghwado
DATE: Apr. 19
COST: KRW 60,000–72,000
MORE INFO: See this link.
GETTING THERE: See link above.
 

Pine forest of Mt. Achasan. Photo by Robert Koehler.

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.