SEOUL Weekly: Korean Culture to the World’s FREE Hanji Class

TREK THE DECK
Experience the outdoors – and a bit of Korean tradition – in the courtyards of hanok eateries
KOREAN GASTROPUBS
Korean booze and pub grub can be cheap – but it doesn’t have to be

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

• Five ways to enjoy Seoul during the MERS scare.
• Man, the Korean “prodigy” story has gotten quite sad.
• Meet Homer Bezaleel Hulbert, a “foreigner who loved Korea.”
• Experimental group Laibach will be performing in Pyongyang.
• LGBT activists are still trying to hold an event in Seoul.
• Above the clouds, Bukhansan National Park.
• A day in Seoul Grand Park.
• A peaceful rice field. You see a lot of these nowadays.
• Sunrise at Jeongdongjin.
• Another week passes at Robert Koehler’s photo blog.

14th International Workshop for Translation and Publication of Korean Literature

The Literature Translation Institute of Korea will be hosting its 14th International Workshop for Translation and Publication of Korean Literature. This year’s theme is “Global Promotion of K-Books: The Role of International Publication and Korean Studies Programs.”

VENUE: Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
DATE: June 19
MORE INFO: T. 6919-7726
GETTING THERE: Exit 1 or 8, Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5)

Hur Youngman: The Secret of Creations

This is the first exhibit dedicated to the work of Hur Youngman, the greatest Korean cartoonist of this age. In addition to all his hit works, several of which have been turned into popular TV series and movies, you’ll be able to see his sketches and notes, figurines based on his characters and other artifacts from his daily life. Also on display are works by one of his most successful students, Yun Tae-ho.

VENUE: Hangaram Design Museum, Seoul Arts Center
PERIOD: Thru Jul. 19
MORE INFO: T. 070-7533-8998
ADMISSION: KRW 12,000
GETTING THERE: Nambu Bus Terminal Station ­ (Line 3), Exit 5. Transfer to shuttle bus, or green bus No. 4429.

Bare: The Musical

Korea’s top musical talent shines in this off-Broadway hit. Premiering in 2000, “Bare†is a rock musical that tells the story of two gay high school students at a conservative Catholic high school. One wishes to come out while the other does not, and a school presentation of Romeo and Juliet makes things all the more complicated.

VENUE: Doosan Art Center
PERIOD: June 17-Aug 23
MORE INFO: T. 02-708-5001, www.doosanartcenter.com
ADMISSION: KRW 66,000-88,000
GETTING THERE: Exit 1, Jongno 5-ga Station (Line 1)

Park Soo Keun Retrospective

Marking the 50th anniversary of the passing of painter Park Soo Keun, this exhibit features about 50 of the renowned artist’s most representative works. One of the fathers of modern Korean painting, Park focused much of his artistic energy on depicting the trials and hopes of common folk during Korea’s difficult years of the 20th century. That the exhibit is being held in Dongdaemun lends added significance, as Park’s most artistically vibrant period took place while he was living in a house in nearby Changsin-dong.

VENUE: Dongdaemun Design Plaza
PERIOD: Thru June 28
MORE INFO: T. 02-2153-0000
ADMISSION: KRW 8,000
GETTING THERE: Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Line 2, 4 or 5)

RASKB Excursion: History and Culture of Daehangno and Mt. Naksan

In this excursion, the RASKB will explore some of the history and culture of Daehangno, Seoul’s old “university street†and currently its theater district.

The first stop will be the old Daehan Hospital on the campus of Seoul National University Hospital. Now a museum, the stately European-style structure was the Daehan Empire’s largest hospital when it was erected in 1907, and was one of Seoul’s three most famous buildings at the turn of the 20th century. After that, participants will check out the former National Industry Institute, a German-style wooden building erected in 1908 as an industrial training school.

VENUE: Daehangno, Seoul
DATE: June 21
ADMISSION: KRW 20,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members.
MORE INFO: See this link
GETTING THERE: See link above.

Hanbok-clad young women and palace guards, Gwanghwamun Gate, Gyeongbokgung Palace. Photo by Robert Koehler.

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.