Oct. 31, 2015 / Issue No. 706
SEOUL November Issue Out
Thinking Bus Project, Byeonsanbando National Park and more

Warm yourself up this chilly autumn with a nice, warm copy of the November issue of SEOUL, our monthly travel and culture magazine.

In this issue, we take a new look at the morning commute with the Thinking Bus Project, venture off to beautiful Byeonsanbando National Park, chat with hanbok designer In Oh, look at the changing makgeolli scene, dine on some heavenly Korean hot pot, enjoy a glass of wine and more.

And don’t forget our Goings-on Around Town, our listing of the month’s exhibits, concerts, festivals and other events.


Enjoy SEOUL on the Go: Download our magazine app for your tablet! (iOS, Android)


FROM SEOUL MAGAZINE

Suwon Hwaseong

UNESCO-registered fortress is a marvel of science and art.


Liberation to harmonious duality
Haebangchon brings together people and cultures with attitude, food and music


AROUND THE WEB

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

 


 

EVENTS

2015 Seoul Lantern Festival

The Seoul Lantern Festival will light up the Cheonggyecheon Stream from Nov. 6 to 22.

On display will be countless lanterns based on Korea’s representative cultural sites, favorite cartoon and animation characters and more.

The festival’s theme is “Seoul tourism seen through light.” Accordingly, the festival will shed light – lantern light, in fact – on the many charms of the city.

In particular, this year’s festival will feature many hands-on programs that participants can take direct part in.

Come to the Cheonggyecheon next Friday for a spectacular evening!

VENUE: Cheonggyecheon Stream
PERIOD: Nov. 6-22
MORE INFO: See this link.

The Jincook

With winter approaching, aren’t you craving for some warm food?

Why not enjoy a nice, hot bowl of gukbap, one of Korea’s best loved winter dishes?

At Jincook, near Gangnam Station, you can savor your gukbap with a nice, cold draft beer. Jincook means “a thick soup that has been boiled for a long time.”

The most popular menu item is the Suyuk Gukbap, made with tender pork neck and broth made with over 20 natural ingredients.

Pop on over this chilly autumn weekend and try a bowl, which will warm the body and soul.

MORE INFO: See this link.

Sinchon Halloween Festival

Not that many people celebrate Halloween in Korea yet, but it looks like that might change. This Saturday is the inaugural Sinchon Halloween Festival and it’s getting a lot of clicks. Not only is there the usual Halloween parades and markets but Halloween runways and even games between humans and Halloween creatures! Not that much information has been released yet other than that the event takes place in Sinchon and begins at 7pm, but if you’re feeling appropriately adventurous and want to see the Korean take on your favorite holiday, join in!

MORE INFO: See this link

‘Whatever That Means’ at Club DGBD

Remember the awesome rooftop gig from our October cover? That was …Whatever That Means, (who sound incredible even when everything is unplugged) and this Halloween, they’re performing at Still Alive VII, Honda’s original Halloween costume party/punk rock show, happening at Club DGBD. The entry fee is already affordable at KRW 10,000, but if you make it more fun and dress for the occasion, you can enter at a generous KRW 5,000.

MORE INFO: See this link.

The Secret Kingdom-Wonderland in SeMA

The Secret Kingdom-Wonderland in SeMA presents artist reinterpretations of widely known fairy tales. The exhibition presents various forms and art and installations that realize the world of fairytale, crossing dreams and reality beyond spatial-temporal limitations. Upon opening the door and entering the secret kingdom full of marvelous magic and surprising adventures, you will encounter many unique reinterpretations of characters from fairy tales such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel and Pinocchio. In the mysterious and beautiful world of fairytales unfolding at the Buk Seoul Museum of Art, we expect the exhibition to be a valuable opportunity for children to stretch their curiosity and imagination, as well as for adults to return to the innocence of childhood.

VENUE: Buk Seoul Museum of Art Children’s Gallery
PERIOD: Thru Dec. 13
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFO: T. 02-2124-8800
GETTING THERE: An eight-minute walk from Hagye Station (Line 7), Exit 1

Gunsan International Migratory Bird Festival

The wetlands near the southwestern port of Gunsan make for some of the world’s best bird-watching, especially in autumn, when giant flocks of Baikal teal darken the dawn and dusk skies in swarms that seemingly dance above the horizon. While most folk come to see these distinctively colored ducks, which breed in eastern Siberia and winter along Korea’s west coast, there are more than 800,000 birds of over 50 species that spend the winter in Gunsan’s wetlands. The city itself is an increasingly hot tourist destination thanks to its exotic historic architecture, much of which dates from the Japanese colonial era, and great food, most notably raw fish and jjamppong, a spicy noodle soup made with seafood.

VENUE: Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do
PERIOD: Nov. 6-8
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFO: T. 063-453-7213/4
GETTING THERE: Buses to Gunsan depart from Seoul’s Central City Bus Terminal. From Gunsan, take bus Nos. 57, 58 or 82 to the Migratory Bird Observatory

RAS-KB: A Walk through Lower Seochon: Tongui-dong to Sajikdan

In this excursion, the RAS-KB will explore part of Seochon (West Village) neighborhood of Seoul that sits between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Mt. Inwangsan. Composed of 13 small administrative districts called “dongs,” the neighborhood is a showcase of the layers of 20th-century urban history. Korean-style houses (hanok) and winding alleys represent the 1930s-1950s, markets, commercial strips, and two-story houses the 1960s-1980s, concrete-tile residential buildings represent the 1990s-2000s, and new galleries and cafes represent the present.

VENUE: Seoul
DATE: Nov. 7
COST: KRW 20,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members
MORE INFO and GETTING THERE: See this link.


 

EVERYDAY KOREANS

Autumn colors at Deoksugung Palace, seen from Jeongdong Observatory. Photo by Robert Koehler, editor-in-chief, SEOUL.

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.

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