Views, Records, History: the Road of Democratization Part II of National Museum of Korean Contemporary History’s documentary photo exhibit looks at Korea’s democratic rebirth
The second part of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History’s “Exhibition of Record Photographs of Korean Contemporary History” examines Korea’s transformation from dictatorship to democracy through 42 photographs by some of Korea’s most renowned photojournalists. In particular, the exhibit will look at three major events that are considered watershed moments in Korea’s democratization struggle: the April 19 revolution of 1960, the Gwangju democratic movement of May 18, 1980 and the June democratic uprising of 1987.
VENUE: National Museum of Korean Contemporary History PERIOD: Thru Jul. 5 ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: www.much.go.kr GETTING THERE: See here.
AROUND THE WEB
A miscellany of high-quality hyperlinks from the week, courtesy of SEOUL editor-in-chief Robert Koehler
When Paul McCartney was scheduled to stop by Korea for his âOut Thereâ tour last year, local fans waited with great anticipation for the arrival of the legendary singer-songwriter. To the disappointment of many, however, the concert was cancelled due to McCartneyâs health complications, but the musician has kept his promise to return: A makeup show has been scheduled for this May, exactly one year after the original concert date. For the tour, McCartney will play beloved songs from both his Beatles days and his time as a solo act. âIâm really excited that we are going to South Korea to play our show,â says McCartney on his video message to fans, âItâs going to be an incredible night and I look forward to rocking with you all very soon.â
The Imperial Palace Seoul celebrates the opening of its Irish-style outdoor pub Garden Terrace with its Beer Festa. Enjoy some quality beer or trendy cocktails in a pleasant urban oasis. Happy hour is 6 to 9, with unlimited draft Hite for KRW 34,000 and Premium for KRW 54,000.
VENUE: Imperial Palace Seoul PERIOD: Ongoing MORE INFO: T. 3440.8000 GETTING THERE: See here.
âRise Againâ Reggae Festival
Rise Again is an annual Reggae festival that is held in Seoul, South Korea. The festival began in 2013 as a way to expand the reggae scene in Korea and introduce new listeners to the genre.
Rise Again features both renowned and emerging artists in Korea, as well as established artists in the international Reggae scene.
It is the first, and currently only, true Reggae festival in Korea, featuring 11 live stages and 3 selectors.
VENUE: MUV Hall DATE: April 25, 8 PM MORE INFO: See this link. ADMISSION: KRW 35,000 (online), KRW 40,000 (offline) GETTING THERE: See this link.
Dragon Hill Spa
For the people of Korea, who bake themselves to relieve fatigue and chill, the Korean dry sauna has become one of Koreaâs signature traditions and continues its transformation through enlargement and âluxurification.â
Dragon Hill Spa is located in Yongsan in the center of Seoul. It represents the Korean dry saunaâs essence of evolution and offers the best services to its customers with facilities such as traditional charcoal kiln, sauna, salt room, ice room, jade, red clay pyramid room, family spa, outdoor hot spring pool and more.
MORE INFO: T. 02-792-0001, www.dragonhillspa.co.kr GETTING THERE: Get off at Yongsan Station, Line 1 or Sinyongsan Station, Line 4. The spa is located a minute away from Yongsan Station Plaza.
Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music
Though the Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music started small in 2006, over the last 10 years it has established a following of devoted attendees while attracting famous artists to perform at the event. âIâm very happy to see that more fans are enjoying it, and the quality of music has gone up,â says Kang Dong-suk, the artistic director of the festival. To commemorate this special 10-year anniversary, popular repertoires from previous years will be played by top-tier musicians that are revisiting for this occasion.
VENUES: Chamber Hall, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts; Concert Hall, IBK Chamber Hall, Seoul Arts Center; and more PERIOD: April 27-May 9 MORE INFO: T. 02-712-4879, T. 1544-1555, www.seoulspringnew.org ADMISSION: KRW 20,000-150,000
2015 Bolshoi on Ice
In 1986, Russian figure skating star Igor Bobrin gathered the countryâs top figure skaters and put together a magnificent show on ice. Since its first appearance in Korea, the show has drawn more than a million viewers. This performanceâs all-star cast will consist of Miki Ando, Elena Radionova and Evgenia Medvedeva as they revamp the classic tales of âSnow Queen,â âSnow White,â âRomeo and Julietâ and âSwan Lakeâ as dazzling performances on ice.
âObjectology ll: Makeâ is an extension of the museumâs modern art exhibition âObjectology I: Design and Artâ from 2014. This yearâs exhibition examines the meaning of using hands and labor to make objects, and is divided into two parts: The first segment reflects on how people privatize objects through the act of collecting, while the second explores the relationship between objects and their creators. The works on display will also offer insight on social problems in the cityâs manual labor force and physical environment.
VENUE: National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon PERIOD: Thru June 28 MORE INFO: T. 02-2188-6000, www.mmca.go.kr ADMISSION: Free GETTING THERE: Seoul Grand Park Station ìì¸ëê³µìì (Line 4), Exit 4. Take the shuttle bus.
RASKB Excursion: Chollipo Arboretum and Mallipo Beach
Every year the RAS arranges a 1-day excursion to Chollipo Arboretum & Mallipo beach. A long-time Korean resident and a former President of the RASKB, Mr. Ferris Miller (1921 – 2002) began this arboretum project in 1971, and over the years amassed a vast collection of some 6,000 taxa, including over 380 kinds of magnolias. This magnolia collection is the only one of its kind in Korea, and is one of the most extensive in the world. Many of the most spectacular magnolias should be in full bloom for this excursion. Spring magnolias bloom over a long period, from the end of March to the end of May, so late April is the peak period.
There are also a large variety of other flowering plants, shrubs and trees contributing to the beauty and total serenity of the locale. The arboretum, located on cliffs overlooking the sea and set in the middle of Taean Seaside National Park, provides an ideal setting for exhilarating walks in any direction.
VENUE: Chungcheongnam-do DATE: April 26 COST: KRW 54,000 for members and KRW 64,800 for non-members MORE INFO: See this link. GETTING THERE: See link above.
EVERYDAY KOREANS
Evening falls over Seoulâs old city wall, Naksan Park. Photo by Robert Koehler.
NOTIFICATIONS
Survey on Korean language learning – Jini Shim, a visiting graduate student at the Academy of Korean Studies, is conducting a survey on the user preference of Korean language study methods. If you have a few moments to spare, please click on over to the surveys and fill them out: English/Korean.
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.