SEOUL Weekly: 2015 Seoul Lantern Festival

The Seoul Lantern Festival will light up the Cheonggyecheon Stream thru Nov. 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.

Some of the other LED installments will represent countries like the USA, China, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and many more.

In particular, this year’s festival will feature many hands-on programs that participants can take direct part in. For example, anyone can have their wish lanterns afloat on the Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Come to the Cheonggyecheon for a spectacular evening!

VENUE: Cheonggyecheon Stream
PERIOD: Thru Nov. 22
MORE INFO: Thru this link.

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

Rethinking the commute
Thinking Bus turns the bus ride to work into a cultural experience

Peninsular beauty
Byeonsanbando National Park is where nature and culture meet

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

• Interior design, North Korean-style.
• Gangnam is building a monument to Gangnam Style.
• Indie coffee shop singers in Seoul.
• The acoustic charms of the hanok.
• It’s silver reed time in Korea.
• Autumn in Namiseom.
• More autumnal colors, this time in Jirisan’s Baemsagol Valley.
• The beautiful and historic Dosan Seowon, Andong.
• An autumn walk in Gyeongju.
• Another week passes at Robert Koehler’s photo blog.

Cheongsong Apple Festival

The Cheongsong Apple Festival is a perfect opportunity to visit one of Korea’s most charming “slow cities.” Like much of the rest of the mountainous province of Gyeongsangbuk-do, Cheongsong enjoys a climate perfect for apple cultivation, resulting in big, juicy apples of superior quality. But Cheongsong’s main draw is its great natural splendor, best captured in the peaks of Juwangsan National Park, one of Korea’s most popular autumn destinations. Be sure to check out Jusanji Pond, a pool of haunting beauty, particularly in the misty morning, which is most famous for its use as a setting in director Kim Ki-duk’s 2003 film, “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring.” And if you’re looking for somewhere to stay, you’ll find no better place than the Songso House, a lovingly preserved 19th-century aristocratic mansion that is now used as a guesthouse.

VENUE: Cheongsong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province
PERIOD: Nov. 6-9
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFO: T. 054-873-3686
GETTING THERE: Buses to Cheongsong depart from Seoul’s Dongseoul Bus Terminal (travel time: 4 hours)

Dulwich Talks & Dulwich Festival of Music

Dulwich College will be hosting two events in November:

Dulwich Talks: Early Years Matters: Why getting it right is so important

Dulwich College Seoul cordially invites all prospective and current parents to attend the latest in our Dulwich Talks series.

DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 17
TIME: 8.30am
VENUE: Dulwich College Seoul, 6 Sinbanpo-ro 15-Gil Seocho-gu Seoul
RSVP: Click here.
INFO: 02-3015-8517 or see www.dulwich-seoul.kr

The Dulwich Festival of Music – Gala Concert

Dulwich College Seoul cordially invites all prospective and current parents to attend “The Dulwich Festival of Music – Gala Concert.”

DATE: Nov. 21
TIME: 6pm
VENUE: Dulwich College Seoul, 6 Sinbanpo-ro 15-Gil Seocho-gu Seoul
RSVP: Hyewon.Park@dulwich-seoul.kr
INFO: 02-3015-8517 or see www.dulwich-seoul.kr

Alessandro Mendini: The Poetry of Design

Over 600 pieces by renowned Italian designer Alessandro Mendini are on display at the landmark Dongdaemun Design Plaza. One of the fathers of Italian postmodern design, Mendini has spent his life pushing boundaries – and challenging sensibilities – as an architect, designer, writer and theorist. This exhibit, co-curated by IDA-MyArt Seoul and Atelier Mendini, features some of his most iconic work, laid out according to a design planned out by the artist himself. While most of the exhibit takes place within the nine-meter-high Design Exhibition Hall, some of his larger pieces are on display outdoors.

VENUE: Dongdaemun Design Plaza
PERIOD: Thru Feb. 28
ADMISSION: KRW 14,000
MORE INFO: T. 02-3143-4360
GETTING THERE: Dongdaemun History & Culture Station (Lines 2, 4 or 5), Exit 1

2nd Seoul Kimchi Festival

In 2013, the Korean tradition of gimjang – the communal making of kimchi in preparation for the long winter season – was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage of Humanity List. The Seoul Kimchi Festival celebrates this most community-focused piece of Korean culture with a giant gimping – basically, an entire plaza filled with folk making kimchi. There will be hands-on kimchi-making classes, kimchi-related exhibits, a kimchi market and cultural events, too.

VENUE: Seoul Plaza and Gwanghwamun area
PERIOD: Nov. 6-8
ADMISSION: Free
MORE INFO: www.seoulkimchifestival.com
GETTING THERE: Seoul Station (Lines 1 or 2), Exit 5

RAS-KB: Eastern Seoul Flea Market Excursion

Unbeknownst to many residents of Seoul, both foreign and Korean, there is a 1.5km-long stretch of flea market stalls and shops between Dongmyo and Sinseol-dong where curiosities and treasures of all kinds – whether antique, vintage or just kitsch – are waiting to be discovered. Join the RASKB and excursion leader David Gemeinhardt on a leisurely walk to experience the sights and sounds of Seoul’s largest and liveliest weekend flea market, and possibly pick up some special Christmas gifts. The main focus will be on Korean and other Asian items.

VENUE: Dongmyo and Sinseol-dong area, Seoul
DATE: Nov. 15
COST: KRW 20,000 for members, KRW 25,000 for non-members
MORE INFO and GETTING THERE: See this link.

2015 Somerset Palace Seoul Golf Event



The Somerset Palace Seoul recently held the “2015 Somerset Palace Seoul Golf Event” (sponsored by Shin Young Co.,Ltd.) on Nov. 4 at the Rexfield Country Club. A total of five teams and 20 players from Shin Young Co., Ltd., ambassadors to Korea, and VIP guests from the Somerset enjoyed the day at the links. After the round, an award ceremony event and dinner was held.

Autumn in the city: Deoksugung Doldam-gil (“Stone Wall Road”), Jeong-dong. Photo by Robert Koehler, editor-in-chief, SEOUL.

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.